Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan Markle pose for the media in the grounds of Kensington Palace in London. Photo / AP
Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan Markle pose for the media in the grounds of Kensington Palace in London. Photo / AP
From the horse-drawn carriage to balcony kiss and national holiday, life is different when you're marrying a royal.
That's especially true for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle who have already had to conduct their relationship in secret under the glare of the world's press.
The fifth-in-line to the British throne (until the next royal baby is born) has jumped through hoops to get to the engagement stage by securing the permission of his fiancee's parents and the official consent of his granny, the Queen.
And that's just the start of planning for a royal wedding that will be watched by millions of people around the globe. Here's what we can expect from the most hotly anticipated royal nuptials since Wills and Kate in 2011.
Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan Markle pose for the media in the grounds of Kensington Palace in London. Photo / AP
Having been born and raised in LA, Meghan Markle will need a fiancee settlement visa and a marriage visa to live in the UK, AP reports.
They will also need a special wedding license from the Archbishop of Canterbury if they want to marry in a church like Westminster Abbey because of her divorce from American film and TV producer Trevor Engelson. Westminster Abbey officials have already indicated Meghan Markle's divorce won't be an issue if she weds Prince Harry in a church.
That's after the couple have already secured official permission from the Queen, required by the UK Royal Marriages Act, which states the first six in line to the throne must obtain consent to marry.
Once the official boxes are ticked the fun stuff can begin. The most traditional site for royal weddings has been the Chapel Royal at St James Palace, where five monarchs including Queen Victoria tied the knot.
But the frontrunner for the spring 2018 wedding is Westminster Abbey, which would mean Prince Harry following in the footsteps of his brother Prince William, who married Kate Middleton there in 2011.
Meghan Markle wears her engagement ring as she poses with Britain's Prince Harry for the media in the grounds of Kensington Palace in London. Photo / AP
Other potential venues include St Paul's Cathedral, which hosted the spectacular wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer in 1981, St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, Edinburgh's Canongate Kirk, and Crathie Kirk near Balmoral Castle in Scotland.
The guest list
The high-profile couple is likely to have a celebrity-laden guest list as their worlds of royalty and entertainment collide.
Among Markle's closest friends are Star Wars actor Janina Gavankar and Jessica Mulroney, a stylist and daughter of the former Canadian Prime Minister, Brian Mulroney.
Fashion designer Misha Nonoo is also likely to attend and is believed to have been the one who introduced the couple. UK reality TV star and sweet heir Millie Mackintosh could also get a coveted invite along with Serena Williams, who met Markle in 2014.
Prince Harry has recently worked closely with former President Barack Obama who may put in a surprise appearance.
Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding included a huge royal contingent from inside the UK as well as countries as diverse as Denmark, Bulgaria, Bahrain, Morocco, Tonga and Spain. Governors-General from Commonwealth territories were invited along with political, religious and military figures. There was also a heavy celebrity presence including Sir Elton John, David and Victoria Beckham, Joss Stone and photographer Mario Testino.
Where to honeymoon
The reception and honeymoon venues remain unclear, however Antigua could be a frontrunner after a lavish invite the prime minister made directly to Prince Harry while there on a royal tour.
Gaston Browne told the prince in front of hundreds of others: "I am told that there may be a princess and I just want to say that should you make the decision to honeymoon — then Antigua and Barbuda want to welcome you."
The couple have previously travelled to Botswana and Jamaica together.
Britain's Prince Harry and his fiancee Meghan Markle hold hands during a photocall in the grounds of Kensington Palace in London. Photo / AP
The royal title
Technically, Markle will be a princess when she marries Harry. But he may receive a peerage from the Queen, just as Prince William received the hereditary title Duke of Cambridge, and his wife Kate became the Duchess of Cambridge.
The newlyweds are tipped to become the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. The title Duke of Sussex has only been used once before, by Prince Augustus in the early 1800s. Other dukedom titles not in use are Clarence and Buckingham.
However Clarence is considered unlikely because the previous Duke of Clarence, Queen Victoria's grandson Prince Albert Victor, was a suspect in the Jack the Ripper murders.
Royal wedding traditions
Certain elements are regarded as "must-dos" for royal weddings, and you wouldn't want to mess with hundreds of years of history.
For example, myrtle has been in the bouquet of every royal bride since Queen Victoria married Prince Albert in 1840. The ring is usually made from Welsh gold after a tradition started by the Queen Mother when she married the future King George VI in 1923.
Harry is expected to don his military uniform, as per tradition for royal grooms, which was also followed by Prince William. Who will make Markle's dress will likely be the subject of intense secrecy, speculation and competition as was the case with Kate Middleton, who wore a dress designed by Sarah Burton for her 2011 wedding.
Britain's Prince Harry and his fiancee Meghan Markle arrives for a photocall in the grounds of Kensington Palace in London. Photo / AP
As far as food goes, fruit cake is a staple at royal weddings, although Prince William also had a chocolate cake.
The most watched for moment of the day however is the Buckingham Palace balcony kiss which was begun by Prince Charles and Diana and carried on by Kate and Wills. It's the most visible moment for thousands of people who are expected to line The Mall to catch a glimpse of the royal couple.
Choosing a home
The couple announced they would live in Nottingham Cottage in the grounds of Kensington Palace, where Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge live. The two-bedroom home is where Prince Harry lives and is regarded as a royal "starter home" while they look for a place of their own.
The wedding announcement marks Harry's evolution from a man once regarded as a "playboy prince" who was busted playing "strip billiards" at a party in Las Vegas in 2012 and apologised for wearing a Nazi uniform to a party in 2005, to a royal who has used his profile to raise awareness of mental health issues and for returned servicemen and women.
He has recently spoken about how he "shut down" his emotions after the death of his mother in 1997 when he was 12.
Britain's Prince Harry and his fiancee Meghan Markle pose for photographers during a photocall in the grounds of Kensington Palace in London. Photo / AP
"I have probably been very close to a complete breakdown on numerous occasions when all sorts of grief and sort of lies and misconceptions and everything are coming to you from every angle," he told the Telegraph's Mad World podcast.
It wasn't until he was 28, when royal engagements sparked anxiety and feelings of being "on the verge of punching someone", that he sought help from counsellors.
"Because of the process I have been through over the past two and a half years, I've now been able to take my work seriously, been able to take my private life seriously as well, and been able to put blood, sweat and tears into the things that really make a difference and things that I think will make a difference to everybody else," he said.
