This is why Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's kiss broke royal tradition
If you've ever fantasized about becoming a princess, Saturday's nuptials were the ultimate form of voyeurism. From gawking at Meghan's rather polarising gown - Givenchy by way of Clare Waight Keller - to keeping tabs on all her meaningful accoutrements - the late Princess Diana's aquamarine ring being her "something blue" - the majority of us couldn't help but pay close attention to it all.
Certainly, with an average of 8.7 million people tuning into the ceremony over the weekend, it's safe to say that they came to see one of two things: Meghan's dress and the kiss. Now, while the former proved to be divisive, the latter was every bit as reminiscent of a fairytale as we hoped it would be. However, it appears that even the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's honorary kiss didn't come without its fair share of drama - certainly, it's said to have broken royal protocol.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are both officially the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, so naturally they sealed their new union with a kiss outside of the chapel. But by doing so, the royal couple have set a precedent as their smooch purportedly broke royal protocol, and subsequently made royal history - according to Bridebook.
Back in 2011, Prince William and Kate Middleton were expected to kiss on the balcony at Buckingham Palace because their wedding was a state affair. While Harry and Meghan's nuptials weren't a state wedding, they naturally wanted to share the moment with the world, and all of their well-wishers who undoubtedly would have been disappointed not to see the newlyweds kiss.
As such, their kiss on the steps of the chapel is a first, as no other royal couple who have wed at St. George's Chapel have smooched outside of the West Door previously.
]
"Harry and Meghan's wedding is full of firsts, not least with the kiss," Bridebook asserted. "While the British public were denied a balcony kiss due to the location, their kiss upon leaving St George's Chapel was the first ever royal kiss to be had on the steps outside the West Door (despite it being the location for many a royal wedding previously)."
Certainly, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are not the first royals to have tied the knot at St. George's Chapel. The Queen's youngest son, Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys Jones wed at Windsor in 1999, and Harry's father, Prince Charles married Camilla Parker Bowles there too in 2005.
Celebrity guests at the wedding included several A-list heavy hitters, such as Oprah Winfrey, Victoria and David Beckham, and the cast of Suits - whom Meghan worked alongside since 2011.
Her costar, Rick Hoffman, who played Louis Litt on the legal drama, has since gushed about the "otherworldly experience".
His unusual facial expressions, however, attracted considerable press attention. He posted a video explaining why he pulled the "weird" face, saying that he was sat next to someone who had bad breath. "To answer any questions about the weird face that was made at the wedding," he wrote on Instagram. "Imagine sitting next to people to your right and not knowing which person it was that has halitosis. Hence the face that's apparently all over the place."
Well, we might as well enjoy all the effluvia - god knows when we're going to get another royal wedding...