The Queen Has Signed the Instrument of Consent Allowing Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to Marry
Queen Elizabeth II has signed the Instrument of Consent allowing Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to marry.


Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are officially allowed to get married, which is good, since their lavish wedding is in six days. Queen Elizabeth II made her support of the union official by signing the Instrument of Consent.
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"The Queen has signed the Instrument of Consent, the hand-written document which records Her Majesty's consent to the Marriage of Prince Harry and Ms. Meghan Markle," Kensington Palace confirmed in an Instagram post.
The design of the document is personalized to Harry and Meghan.
To the left of the text, there's a red dragon, which is the heraldic symbol of Wales, as well as the UK's floral emblems–the rose, thistle, and shamrock. The design also features Prince Harry's Label, including three tiny red escallops from the Spencer Family Arms.
The design to the right of the text honors Meghan and her heritage. It includes a rose—the national flower of the United States, and four golden poppies—the state flower of California, where Meghan was born. Beneath Prince Harry's Label on the right are olive branches, adopted from the Great Seal of the United States.
Finally, it's sealed with the Great Seal of the Realm, which is attached to the foot of the document.
The document reads, "NOW KNOW YE that We have consented and do by these Presents signify Our Consent to the contracting of Matrimony between Our Most Dearly Beloved Grandson Prince Henry Charles Albert David of Wales, K.C.V.O., and Rachel Meghan Markle."
If you look at the top righthand side of the document, you'll see The Queen's signature, "Elizabeth R."
The Instrument of Consent will be presented to Harry and Meghan after the wedding. It's worth noting that, while the Instrument of Consent is the official document declaring Elizabeth's approval of the marriage, she formally gave her consent to the marriage by making Her Declaration at the meeting of the Privy Council on March 14.
Kayleigh Roberts is a freelance writer and editor with more than 10 years of professional experience. Her byline has appeared in Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, The Atlantic, Allure, Entertainment Weekly, MTV, Bustle, Refinery29, Girls’ Life Magazine, Just Jared, and Tiger Beat, among other publications. She's a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
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