The Incredibly Moving Reason Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Wedding Date Is So Soon

BRB crying.

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Royal engagements are typically on the shorter side, but there's no denying that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's May wedding date qualifies as "whirlwind." They've given themselves barely six months to plan a massive wedding—and apparently Meghan and Harry had a good (and touching) reason for wanting to push the date forward: Prince Philip.

ET reports that Harry's close connection with his grandfather is the reason he wanted to get married ASAP—after all, Philip is 96 and recently had to retire from royal duties.

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"He wanted something close to home for the Duke of Edinburgh and the Queen," royal expert Kate Nicholl tells ET. "In fact, one of the reasons that Prince Harry has wanted this wedding to happen quite quickly—this is really whirlwind by royal standards—is because his 96-year-old grandfather, the Duke of Edinburgh, is retired now and Prince Harry really wants him to be at his wedding."

She adds that Harry is "incredibly close to his grandfather" and that he "thought it was it was a great thing to [have] the wedding sooner rather than later, so his grandfather could be there, fit and healthy."

This is so sweet and touching.

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Mehera Bonner
Entertainment Editor

Mehera Bonner is a celebrity and entertainment news writer who enjoys Bravo and Antiques Roadshow with equal enthusiasm. She was previously entertainment editor at Marie Claire and has covered pop culture for over a decade.