Meghan Markle is set to receive a special honour from the Queen later this month, when she travels with Her Majesty on a royal visit to Cheshire: the pair will travel overnight from London to Runcorn station on the royal train.
Use of the train is usually restricted to the most senior members of the royal family, including the Queen herself, Prince Philip, Prince Charles and his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall. While William and Harry might have travelled on the train, the Metro reports, they have never been invited to board at the same time as their grandmother, and neither has William’s wife, the Duchess of Cambridge, making this a major honour for the new Duchess of Sussex.
In her first public engagement with the Queen, Meghan is set to open the Mersey Gateway Bridge and visit the Storyhouse theatre and library in Chester. Before this, though, we’ll see her and her new husband on the balcony of Buckingham Palace after the annual Trooping the Colour parade, when the extended royal family gathers to watch a special flypast from the RAF, marking the Queen’s official birthday.
The train in question consists of nine ‘saloon’ coaches, though it’s very rare for all of them to be used at once; instead, Royal Central reports, the typical configuration is seven coaches. The Queen’s personal saloon features a bedroom, bathroom (fitted with a full bath, no less) and sitting room, reportedly decorated in a minimal fashion with a pastel colour scheme, the walls scattered with some landscape paintings and prints of royal trains from times past. Prince Phillip, meanwhile, has a fully functioning electric kitchen installed in his carriage. Does this mean that Meghan’s carriage will have a Pinterest-friendly makeover in time for her overnight trip, complete with houseplants and Diptyque candles? Sadly, the answer is probably not, but we (and Meghan) can dream…
How did Prince Harry's wedding compare to Prince William's? Look back at both royal events in the gallery below...
prince harry's wedding versus prince william's wedding - Grazia
1 of 30William and Kate
THE FIRST GLIMPSEKate headed to Westminster Abbey with her father, Michael Middleton, giving royal-watchers a glimpse at the long sleeves and lace detailing of her wedding gown.
2 of 30Harry and Meghan
THE FIRST GLIMPSEAccompanied by her mother Doria Ragland, Meghan was driven from Cliveden House hotel in Berkshire to Windsor Castle.
3 of 30William and Kate
THE KISSThe happy couple shared not one but two kisses after emerging onto the balcony at Buckingham Palace to wave at the thousands of wellwishers gathered outside. 'Let's give them another one,' William said.
4 of 30Harry and Meghan
THE KISSAfter exchanging rings and officially tying the knot, Harry and Meghan headed out onto the steps of St George's Chapel for a kiss.
5 of 30William and Kate
THE DRESSSarah Burton, creative director at Alexander McQueen, was tasked with designing Kate's wedding dress, which featured lace sleeves, a nipped-in waist and a long, full skirt, inspired by an opening flower. Her train was short by royal standards, measuring just under three metres.
6 of 30Harry and Meghan
THE DRESSMeghan's simple, classic gown seemed straight out of an Audrey Hepburn movie. It was designed by Claire Waight Keller, creative director of Givenchy, with a bateau neckline, three-quarter sleeves and a veil embroidered with flowers from each of the Commonwealth nations.
7 of 30William and Kate
THE VENUEThe newly announced Duke and Duchess of Cambridge tied the knot at Westminster Abbey, in a ceremony attended by 1,900 people.
8 of 30Harry and Meghan
THE VENUEAs their wedding was not a state event, Harry and Meghan opted for the more intimate venue of St George's Chapel in Windsor (with a guestlist of just 600). The floral arches inside and outside the chapel were a subtle tribute to Harry's late mother, Princess Diana: she is said to have loved white roses.
9 of 30William and Kate
THE MAID OF HONOURKate asked her younger sister Pippa to act as maid of honour, bucking a royal trend which traditionally sees a bridal party consisting of younger children (like Grace van Cutsem and Eliza Lopes, here pictured with Pippa).
10 of 30Harry and Meghan
THE MAID OF HONOURMeghan decided against having an official maid of honour (FYI, she had too many friends to choose from...) but her close friend and unofficial stylist Jessica Mulroney has been her right-hand woman in the lead up to the wedding. She arrived with her daughter Ivy, a bridesmaid, and the Duchess of Cambridge.
11 of 30William and Kate
THE TIARAKate's 'something borrowed' was the Cartier Halo Scroll tiara, loaned from her grandmother-in-law the Queen. Featuring no fewer than 739 brilliant-cut diamonds and 149 baguette diamonds, it was commissioned for the Queen Mother in 1936 by her husband, the future George VI, weeks before he was crowned King. It was passed on to the Queen as an 18th birthday present; though Kate has since become its most famous wearer, Her Majesty had previously lent it to Princess Margaret and to her eldest daughter, the Princess Royal.
12 of 30Harry and Meghan
THE TIARAThe perks of being the Queen's granddaughter-in-law? An extensive jewellery box to raid through. Meghan borrowed the Queen Mary bandeau tiara from Her Majesty for her wedding day, paired with earrings and a bracelet by Cartier.
13 of 30William and Kate
THE CARRIAGE RIDEThe newly-weds departed for Buckingham Palace in the open-topped state Landau carriage, the very same which William's parents Charles and Diana used on their wedding day in 1981.
14 of 30Harry and Meghan
THE CARRIAGE RIDEFollowing the ceremony, Harry and Meghan jumped (OK, slide gracefully) into an Ascot Landau carriage for a procession around Windsor. Watch out for Storm and Tyrone, the father-son horse duo pulling the coach.
15 of 30William and Kate
BEATRICE AND EUGENIEThe fascinators that launched a thousand memes: Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie's idiosyncratic headgear choices certainly captured the public's imagination...
16 of 30Harry and Meghan
BEATRICE AND EUGENIESigh. After the media storm surrounding their outfits at the last royal wedding, the York sisters played it a little safer this time around, with Beatrice wearing Roksanda and Eugenie wearing new label Gainsbourg.
17 of 30William and Kate
**ELTON JOHN...**We can't remember if memes existed in April 2011, but if they did, Sir Elton's enthusiastic participation in the hymn-singing would certainly have received the viral treatment.
18 of 30Harry and Meghan
**ELTON JOHN...**This time around, Elton (who is said to be performing at the wedding reception) opted for some typically snazzy shades - being a Gucci muse is hard work...
19 of 30William and Kate
THE BECKHAMSVictoria (at the time heavily pregnant with her fourth child, Harper) attended the wedding in a loose navy dress from her own line, worn with a 'UFO'-style fascinator that launched almost as many memes as Beatrice and Eugenie's.
20 of 30Harry and Meghan
THE BECKHAMSThis time around, Victoria opted for... a navy blue ensemble from her eponymous label! There's something to be said for a signature style, after all...
21 of 30William and Kate
THE QUEENAlways one for a colourful co-ord, Her Majesty wore a smart coat dress in lemon yellow for her grandson William's wedding, paired with her signature Launer handbag and sensible shoes.
22 of 30Harry and Meghan
THE QUEENThis time around, the Queen (here pictured with her husband the Duke of Edinburgh) switched things up ever so slightly, choosing a lime green ensemble by go-to royal couturier Stewart Parvin, the purple detailing echoed in her hat.
23 of 30William and Kate
**JOSS STONE...**Soul singer Joss Stone rocked up to Westminster Abbey in fuschia pink.
24 of 30Harry and Meghan
**JOSS STONE...**It seems that Harry's guestlist featured a bumper crop of early Noughties easy-listening artists: James Blunt also rocked up to the Windsor Castle ceremony...
25 of 30William and Harry
FERGIESarah Ferguson was famously snubbed from William and Kate's wedding, eventually heading off to a spai in Thailand to ease the disappointment.
26 of 30Harry and Meghan
FERGIEPrince Harry reported fought to make space for his aunt on the wedding guest list, though we still can't quite fathom why the former Duchess of York was only wearing one glove...
27 of 30William and Kate
THE SCENE-STEALING KIDSThree-year-old Grace van Cutsem stole the show during the balcony kiss, as she pulled some faces and put her hands over her ears during the very noisy RAF flyover.
28 of 30Harry and Meghan
THE SCENE-STEALING KIDSHow sweet were Jessica Mulroney's twin sons, Brian and John, as they carried Meghan's veil into the chapel? And does this mean that the Nineties boyband hairdo is primed for a comeback?
29 of 30William and Kate
THE OFFICIAL PHOTOSThe Duke and Duchess had their official wedding portraits shot by Hugo Bernand in the Throne Room at Buckingham Palace. Bernard's shoot included images of the couple together, with their close family and posing candidly with their bridesmaids and page boys.
30 of 30Harry and Meghan
THE OFFICIAL PHOTOSShot by Alexi Lubomirski (the man behind the couple's engagement photos) in the Green Drawing Room of Windsor Castle, Harry and Meghan's photos follow a slightly less formal set-up.