Not invited to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding? Here are five places where you can feel like a royal
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will marry in Windsor Castle at noon local time (4 a.m. in Los Angeles) on May 19. If you weren’t one of the 2,640 commoners invited to attend, don’t despair. Here are five ways to feel like royalty, whether you stay in the U.S. or travel to London.
1. Spend like a royal
If you aren’t heading to Windsor Castle, live large at the Windsor Court Hotel in New Orleans. The luxury hotel offers a $51,918 package May 17-20 that covers first-class airfare from anywhere in the continental U.S., three nights in the Presidential Suite, a hat-fitting at a local milliner, a chauffeur and car at your disposal, traditional tea, and a lunch and tour of M.S. Rau Antiques. Watch the wedding in your suite too.
Info: Windsor Court Hotel, 300 Gravier St., New Orleans; (800) 262-2662
2. Go ahead, take the cake
Pastry chef Claire Ptak of East London’s Violet Cakes was tapped to make the wedding cake: a lemon elderflower affair topped with buttercream and fresh flowers. She once was a pastry chef at Alice Waters’ famed Chez Panisse before opening her own shop across the pond.
Make like the royal couple and order your own cake — coconut pudding or a chocolate violet cream cake ($68, serves up to 12) — for a sweet treat.
Info: Violet Cakes, 47 Wilton Way, E8, London.
3. Dine at a restaurant fit for a queen
Queen Elizabeth rarely goes out to eat, but last year she attended a friend’s birthday party at the Ivy, a 101-year-classic restaurant in London’s Covent Garden.
Countdown to the Royal Wedding » Your complete guide to the royal wedding 2018
British press says her favorite place to eat is Bellamy’s in Mayfair, where a stop at the Oyster Bar will cost you $21 to $38 for a half dozen oysters.
Info: The Ivy, I-5 West St., London; Bellamy’s, 18/18a Bruton Place, London.
4. Attend a royal wedding soiree
“Downton Abbey” does the honors of hosting a soiree — not at the castle used in the popular PBS series but at the New York City exhibition of the show’s sets and fashions.
Dress your best for a three-hour evening cocktail party May 19 with servers in period costumes, and royal wedding decor and activities. You’ll also get access to the exhibition, which has been extended until Sept. 3.
Tickets cost $215 for early birds who purchase by May 1, $225 after that date.
Info: “Downton Abbey: The Exhibition,” 218 W. 57th St., New York City; (866) 811-4111
5. Be seen with the royal family
No one will know your selfies with Britain’s royal family were taken at Madame Tussauds London.
A new re-creation of the Buckingham Palace Balcony debuted in March that shows convincing wax doppelgängers of Queen Elizabeth and her husband, Philip; Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla; and Prince William and his wife, Kate.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will join the faux family display in May.
Standard ticket costs $29.
Info: Madame Tussauds London, Marylebone Road, London
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