Today's wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle has special significance for English ex-pats in Whanganui
Today's wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle has special significance for English ex-pats in Whanganui
When Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle in St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle on Saturday, many of us will be glued to our TV screens with millions of people around the world.
The occasion will be extra special for some English folk who now call Whanganui home.
Wendy Williams Coston moved to Whanganui from Portsmouth six years ago and was delighted to meet Prince Harry when he visited Whanganui in 2015.
"I will be watching the coverage on TV and I'll probably be talking to my mum in England while it's on so it will feel like we're watching together," she says.
Wendy says her husband is painting the front of their Alexander St home and she plans to add decorations of her own.
"He's got the scaffolding up out there so I'm thinking that I will hang my Union Jacks out but I haven't told him yet."
As a crew member on board the paddle steamer Waimarie during the summer season, Wendy says she has met a lot of British tourists looking forward to seeing the royal wedding next Saturday.
"It may sound a bit naive but I really hope they will be left alone to have the best chance they can for a happy ever after.
"I hope that once they are married, the papers and magazines will stop trying to dig up dirt on her because you can see how much he loves her."
Wendy Williams Coston with granddaughter Yelena Mokha waiting to see Prince Harry in Whanganui in 2015
Another expatriate Brit living in Whanganui is Marie Sheppard who recently made the national news with a royal wedding invitation request.
With a "who dares wins" attitude, she sent a royal wedding invitation request to Buckingham Palace.
Although the response was a polite refusal, Marie and husband Mike said they were happy to get mail with a royal postmark.
Now Marie is preparing to watch the wedding in Castlecliff instead of Windsor and thinks she might break out the good china.
"I've got a royal souvenir cup and saucer so perhaps I can drink a nice cup of tea while holding my pinkie finger out," she says.
"Mike will watch it with me but he might want to take a break and watch the rugby so I've got the other TV set ready if we need it.
Marie and Mike Sheppard will be celebrating the royal wedding in Whanganui instead of Windsor.
Photo/Bevan Conley
Marie, originally from the English town of Droylsden in Greater Manchester, has lived in New Zealand since 1982 and moved to Whanganui with Kiwi husband Mike in 2016.
"I'll see if I can get some English biscuits like jaffa sponge to enjoy while I'm watching."
Whanganui district councillor Josh Chandulal-Mackay, who is on the executive of Monarchy New Zealand, says he won't be watching the wedding.
