Canadian royal watchers heartened by unusual wedding role for Prince Charles

Vancouver residents Bev Wagner and Michelle Lande say they’re surprised but also warmed by the notion of Prince Charles accompanying Meghan Markle down the aisle as she weds his son Prince Harry on Saturday. (Photo By Arnaud Bouissou, CC0)

An unconventional wedding entrance for an unconventional bride sits just fine with several Canadian royal watchers in Windsor.

Vancouver residents Bev Wagner and Michelle Lande say they’re surprised but also warmed by the notion of Prince Charles accompanying Meghan Markle down the aisle as she weds his son Prince Harry on Saturday.

Wagner says the move sends a strong message that the royal family has fully welcomed the California actress into the fold. She says it also shows a softer side to the future king that is rarely seen.

“It really shows that she’s now become part of the family to feel comfortable to ask him,” Wagner said Friday as she stood amid hundreds of other well-wishers who lined a winding roadway from Windsor Castle.

“It was impressive the royal family stepped up and kind of went that way. I’ve always thought Charles a little bit stodgy. But I think this shows a really warm side of him that I don’t think I’ve ever really seen before.”

Prince Charles’ new role was announced as thousands of visitors descended on the historic town of 30,000, many waving flags and dressed in Union Jack-inspired clothes. Some walked down the street with beers in hand.

Along the roadway leading to the wedding venue within the castle, devoted royal fans set up camp to keep watch while surrounded by sleeping bags, folding lawn chairs and blankets.

They included the Hart family of Brantford, Ont., who laid claim to a prime spot near the castle on Thursday afternoon with a Canadian flag stretched out along the barriers in front of them. They hope their location will guarantee a look at the newlyweds when the couple begins a procession through town after the noon ceremony.

Pat Hart says he and his wife brought their two teenage daughters and his mother-in-law to Windsor to witness history in the making.

“It’s just making a memory, so we’ve got good family time and things we can fondly think back at,” says Hart, a big fan of the Toronto-shot TV series “Suits,” which featured Markle for seven seasons.

“Any time a royal gets married is going to be history, and this is kind of the end of this generation getting married.”

Prince Charles assumed his unusual role after Markle announced that her father, Thomas Markle, would not walk her down the aisle as planned because of health problems.

That revelation followed several days of controversies surrounding the 73-year-old and other estranged family members who were not invited to the ceremony at the castle.

Kensington Palace has said that Markle’s mother, Doria Ragland, will play another role at the wedding, by accompanying the bride to the chapel by car before the nuptials.

Micheila Blackburn and her two teenage daughters Kennedy and Kerrington, of Carleton Place, Ont., near Ottawa, also found it to be a heart-warming gesture after weeks of turmoil that played out in the press.

“I think that’s wonderful,” says Blackburn, who arranged the trip as a surprise 17th birthday gift for Kennedy.

“It shows the unity of the family and how he’s welcoming her into their family.”

And it in no way undermines Markle’s reputation as a feminist role model for a modern era, she added while navigating clogged sidewalks and sidestepping roving media crews that trolled the streets.

“It just goes to show she’s independent,” says Blackburn.

Although some have suggested Ragland should escort Markle down the aisle, Blackburn said it should remain “totally her choice.”

Wagner noted that Prince Charles has a wealth of experience in coping with pressure amid intense media scrutiny.

“Part of it was just maybe steeped in tradition and I probably, even though I’m a fairly independent woman myself, I think I would still go that mode myself,” she says.

Wagner notes this is not a typical wedding to begin with, and it’s hard to know the many challenges the Markles must be grappling with to adjust to their new lives.

“Maybe her mother wasn’t comfortable enough. So much media, I can’t imagine what they’re feeling,” says Wagner.

And it still is breaking with tradition, she adds. Wagner believed Markle has already demonstrated her independence and resolve.

“I do think Meghan Markle is a strong woman to (marry) Harry, to be in the limelight like this.”

Lande saw the development as another step in the evolution of the royal family, something she traces to the beloved Princess of Wales, who died in a car crash in 1997 but was top of mind for many royal fans celebrating her youngest son’s nuptials.

“Her boys are so much like her and just really I think they’re honouring her as well by changing the way the royal family has their set of traditions,” says Lande.

“It’s just all good. I think the royal family is going in the right direction. A good direction.”