Why Prince Harry And Meghan Markle Will Have To Return Their Wedding Gifts

£7 million worth, to be precise...

prince harry meghan markle

by Katie Rosseinsky |
Published on

Following their Windsor Castle nuptials, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will have to return £7 million of wedding presents, the Daily Express reports, due to the strict protocols which dictate whether or not the royal family can accept gifts.

In lieu of gifts, Harry and Meghan asked that well wishers could donate to one of seven charitable causes close to their hearts, including Crisis, StreetGames and the Myna Mahila Foundation, but it appears that some businesses chose to ignore this.

The official Palace guidelines state that 'when gifts are accepted, the consent of the Member of the Royal Family should be contingent upon the enterprise undertaking not to exploit the gift for commercial purposes,' and that 'gifts offered by private individuals living in the UK not personally known to the Member of the Royal Family should be refused where there are concerns about the propriety or motives of the donor or the gift itself.'

In other words, some of the wedding presents that Harry and Meghan have received will come from businesses around the UK with a not so hidden agenda. Should the new Duke and Duchess of Sussex have accepted any of the wedding gifts sent to them by various companies looking to capitalise upon the 'Meghan effect', this would effectively be a brilliant publicity opportunity for said companies (for example, a further report in the Express suggests that one brand sent the newlyweds some personalised swimwear, in the hope that they'd be papped wearing said swimwear on their forthcoming honeymoon and thus create a surge in brand interest. Sneaky, no?)

The royals can, however, accept small souvenirs from royal tours (remember when Prince George was gifted a cuddly Bilby toy in Australia... which he then threw on the floor in disdain? Iconic) and are of course still permitted to receive gifts from friends and family .

Look back at the best dressed guests at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding in the gallery below...

Gallery

All The Guests At Meghan & Harry's Wedding

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Earl Spencer and Lady Karen Spencer

Prince Harry's uncle - and Princess Diana's younger brother, with his wife, Lady Karen Spencer.

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James Blunt and Sofia Wellesley

The "Beautiful" singer and his wife Sofia arrive at the royal wedding

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Idris Elba and Sabrina Dhowre

Luther star Idris Elba and his then-fiancee Sabrina Dhowre were surprise guests at the wedding

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Oprah Winfrey

Oprah arrived at the wedding dressed in Stella McCartney

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Carole Middleton

Pippa and Kate Middleton's mother arrived at the royal wedding in an ice-blue skirt suit and matching fascinator

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Amal and George Clooney

Amal and George Clooney both looked incredible - Amal is 100% topping the best-dressed list in her mustard yellow Stella McCartney ensemble

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Cressida Bonas

Harry's ex Cressida was spotted in London-based brand Eponine

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Victoria and David Beckham

Victoria and David Beckham made their entrance at the royal wedding - she's wearing a navy dress that's not a million miles away from the dress she wore to Kate and WIlliam's wedding in 2011.

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Pippa Middleton and James Matthews

Pippa Middleton was spotted wearing a £495 dress by brand The Fold - just one day before her own wedding anniversary

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Chloe Madeley and James Haskell

Chloe Madeley arrived with her fiancee - England international rugby player James Haskell

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Kitty Spencer

Lady Kitty Spencer, Prince Harry's cousin, arrived wearing a forest green floral dress by Dolce and Gabbana

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Fergie, Duchess of York

Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, Prince Andrew's ex wife and the mother of princesses Beatrice and Eugenie arrives at St George's chapel

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Julia Carey and James Cordon

The actor and talk show host arrived with his wife, Julia

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Joss Stone

The musician, a close friend of Prince Harry, arrived at St George's chapel with a friend.

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Carey Mulligan and Marcus Mumford

The Great Gatsby actress arrives wearing William &Son with her husband, musician Marcus Mumford.

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Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian

Tennis star - and friend of Meghan's - arrived wearing Versace with her husband Alexis Ohanian

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Princess Anne

Prince Harry's aunt arrives at the chapel in a red and black ensemble

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Princess Beatrice

Prince Harry's first cousin wore a dark blue dress by Gainsbourg paired with a matching Fiona Graham headband. She wore shoes by Valentino.

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Zara Tindall and Mike Tindall

The Olympic equestrian (nee Phillips) and one of Prince Harry's first cousins, arrived with her husband.

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Princess Eugenie

Princess Eugenie, one of Prince Harry's first cousins, arrived in a powder-blue Jackie-Kennedy-inspired outfit. The dress is by Roksanda Viola and the pill-box hat is by Stephen Jones.

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Sophie, Countess of Wessex

The countess (married to Prince Harry's uncle Edward) arrived wearing a bespoke bodice top and midi skirt by British couture and ready-to-wear designer Suzannah.

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Queen Elizabeth II

Her Majesty the Queen arrives shortly before the bride wearing a flared silk dress in lime, lemon, purple and grey. Her coat is lime silk tweed. Both are by Stuart Parvin. The Queen's hat is also lime silk tweed by Angela Kelly and is adorned with handmade crystals and pearls by Lucy Price.

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Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall

The duchess of Cornwall arrives with Prince Charles. She is wearing a pink silk coat dress by Anna Valentine and her hat is by royal favorite Phillip Treacy.

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Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge

Prince Harry's sister-in-law sits in the chapel between Prince Andrew and the Duchess of Cornwall. She wears a yellow silk coat by Alexander McQueen -- who also famously designed her wedding gown when he married Prince William in 2011 -- paired with a Phillip Treacy hat and Jimmy Choos.

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Doria Ragland

Mother-of-the-bride Doria Ragland, who rode partway to Windsor with Meghan, arrives at St George's Chapel in a mint green ensemble by Oscar De la Renta. Her hat is by Stephen Jones.

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Chelsy Davy

Prince Harry's former girlfriend arrives dressed in navy.

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Gina Torres

The American actress was one of Meghan's Suits co-stars, many of whome who were invited to the ceremony.

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Princess Charlotte

Prince Harry's niece was one of the flower girls. She looked adorable in her Givenchy dress and flower crown.

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Sarah Rafferty

Actress Sarah Rafferty - who co-starred with Meghan in Suits -arrives in a navy blue ensemble

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Patrick J Adams

The actor who played Meghan's on-screen love interest in Suits looked dapper as he arrives for the ceremony with his wife Troian Bellisario, who wore a cream bell-sleeved dress with embellished shoulders.

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Abigail Spencer and Priyanka Chopra

The actors - both friends of Meghan - looked happy and relaxed as they arrived at the chapel together.

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