Marie Claire
  • Celebrity
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Culture
  • Power
  • Nice Talk
  • Style at Large
  • More
    • Politics
    • Career & Money
    • Health & Fitness
    • Power Play
    • Travel
    • Promo Codes
    • Food & Cocktails
    • About Us
    • Subscribe
    • Sex & Love
  • Newsletter SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Marie Claire
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    The ultimate daily digest for women of power, purpose, and style.


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    Want to add more newsletters?

    Marie Claire Daily

    Delivered daily

    Marie Claire Daily

    Get exclusive access to fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more.

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Sent weekly on Saturday

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Exclusive access to expert shopping and styling advice from Nikki Ogunnaike, Marie Claire's editor-in-chief.

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Once a week

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Insider tips and recommendations for skin, hair, makeup, nails and more from Hannah Baxter, Marie Claire's beauty director.

    Livingetc

    Once a week

    Livingetc

    Your shortcut to the now and the next in contemporary home decoration, from designing a fashion-forward kitchen to decoding color schemes, and the latest interiors trends.

    Homes & Gardens

    Delivered Daily

    Homes & Gardens

    The ultimate interior design resource from the world's leading experts - discover inspiring decorating ideas, color scheming know-how, garden inspiration and shopping expertise.


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • Uniqlo x Cecilie Bahnsen
    • Perfume Necklaces
    • The Board Whisperers
    • Choulie
    • Holiday Movies
    1. Celebrity
    2. Royals

    Prince Harry's Ex, Cressida Bonas, Opens Up About the "Imperfect" Wedding She Planned in Two Weeks

    Prince Harry's ex, Cressida Bonas, wrote an essay about the "imperfect" wedding she planned in two weeks during lockdown this year.

    By Kayleigh Roberts
    Published 24 December 2020 In News

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter
    • In a new essay, Prince Harry's ex, Cressida Bonas, opened up about planning a "lockdown wedding" amid the coronavirus pandemic.
    • Bonas married Harry Wentworth-Stanley in a small ceremony that was nothing like what she expected when she got engaged.
    • In her essay, published in The Spectator magazine, Bonas wrote about the many mishaps of the day, including her struggles to find a dress, the stye she had on her eye, and getting lost on the way to the church. 

    Another day, another royal-adjacent wedding story. Merry Christmas to us all.

    The latest bride with a royal connection to walk down the aisle was Prince Harry's ex, Cressida Bonas. The model and actress, who dated Harry from 2012 to 2014, tied the knot with another Harry—Harry Wentworth-Stanley—over the summer in a ceremony they put together in less than two weeks amid the coronavirus pandemic. Bonas wrote about the experience in a new essay for The Spectator magazine.

    According to Bonas, the big day was far from perfect—it rained, she had a stye on her eye, and she actually got lost on the way to the ceremony, just to name a few of the bumps in the road—but "everything fell into place" when she saw forever Harry waiting at the end of the aisle.

    "A supposedly 20-minute journey took an hour. We drove up and down a dual carriageway several times before eventually arriving at the church 40 minutes late," she wrote of the wedding day. "My dad seemed strangely quiet and I asked him if he was all right. He said: ‘It’s just like taking Sheba [his dog] to the vet.’ He didn’t want to do it, but knew he had to. He is very fond of my husband, Harry, by the way. But he didn’t want to let his daughter go."

    Finding a wedding dress was also an ordeal. Bonas explained that just four days before the wedding, she was still searching for a dress. "Finding nothing, I remembered an old Whistles dress I once wore for a James Arthur music video," she wrote. "I went home and found the dusty frock at the back of my cupboard. After some ironing, it looked good as new."

    You may like
    • Peter Phillips and Harriet Sperling waving and smiling in her wedding dress riding in a car Harriet Sperling Shares Royal Wedding Details for the First Time
    • Harriet Sperling in her wedding dress and veil Harriet Sperling Shares the Inspiration Behind Her "Dream" Wedding Dress
    • Prince Harry and Meghan Markle impersonators Rhys Whittock and Sarah Mhlanga posing with a copy of Spare Prince Harry Lookalike Shares the Craziest Appearance He's Booked

    In the end, however, having a "COVID wedding" actually freed Bonas to focus on what really mattered about the wedding: starting her life with her true love.

    "Before we knew we were having a ‘Covid wedding,' we’d talk about the party, the guest list, the cake, people’s expectations, what it should or shouldn’t look like," she explained. "Having a small portion of Harry’s and my family in the church made it just simply special."

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    The ultimate daily digest for women of power, purpose, and style.

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    Congratulations to Cressida and Harry!

    click here to subscribe to marie claire

    Subscribe here with the code HOLIDAY50 to save 50%

    (Image credit: Hearst Owned)
    RELATED STORIES

    leicester, england march 08 queen elizabeth ii r and catherine, duchess of cambridge l watch a fashion show at de montfort university on march 8, 2012 in leicester, england the royal visit to leicester marks the first date of queen elizabeth iis diamond jubilee tour of the uk between march 8 and july 25, 2012 photo by oli scarff wpa pool getty images

    (Image credit: Oli Scarff)

    Kate Gave the Queen a Homemade Gift for Christmas

    l0ndon, england december 11 catherine, duchess of cambridge talks to guests at an evening reception for members of the diplomatic corps at buckingham palace on december 11, 2019 in london, englandphoto by victoria jones wpa poolgetty images

    (Image credit: WPA Pool)

    Kate Might Change Royal Rules When She's Queen

    Explore More
    Prince Harry
    Kayleigh Roberts
    Social Links Navigation
    Contributing Editor at Marie Claire

    Kayleigh Roberts is a freelance writer and editor with over 10 years of professional experience covering entertainment of all genres, from new movie and TV releases to nostalgia, and celebrity news. 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.

    Read more
    Peter Phillips and Harriet Sperling waving and smiling in her wedding dress riding in a car
    Royals Harriet Sperling Shares Royal Wedding Details for the First Time
    By Kristin Contino
    Harriet Sperling in her wedding dress and veil
    Royals Harriet Sperling Shares the Inspiration Behind Her "Dream" Wedding Dress
    By Kristin Contino
     
     
    Meghan Markle & Prince Harry
    Royals Prince Harry and Meghan Markle "Snuck Out" for Halloween Before Going Public
    By Melody Rivera
    Harriet Sperling wearing a white hat and dress
    Royals Harriet Sperling Says She Can Go to One "Open-Hearted" Royal for Advice
    By Kristin Contino
     
     
    Latest in Royals
    Princess Kate and Prince William in 2025 in an outdoors setting wearing country inspired clothing
    Royals One of Princess Kate's Hobbies Started as an Unexpected Gift
    King Charles and Princess Diana embrace, Charles is wearing a yellow sweater with a shirt underneath and Diana has short blonde hair
    Royals Charles Begged People Not to "Say Bad Things About" Diana
     
     
    King Charles and Queen Camilla on a royal tour of Antigua
    Royals Royal Aide Reveals King Charles and Queen Camilla's "Secret"
    Prince Harry cuddles mom Princess Diana, he has red hair and is wearing a red T-shirt with overalls
    Royals Prince Harry Says "Grief Can Catch You by Surprise"
     
     
    Latest in News
    Princess Kate and Prince William in 2025 in an outdoors setting wearing country inspired clothing
    Royals One of Princess Kate's Hobbies Started as an Unexpected Gift
    (L to R) Brittany Bianco, Wilnie Louis, Sarah Williams, Aneha Singh in episode 1101 of 'Love Is Blind.'
    TV shows The 'Love Is Blind' Season 11 Reunion Is This Weekend—Here's When You Can Watch It
     
     
    King Charles and Princess Diana embrace, Charles is wearing a yellow sweater with a shirt underneath and Diana has short blonde hair
    Royals Charles Begged People Not to "Say Bad Things About" Diana
    Selena Gomez's Ugg Elea Slippers are on sale for an early Black Friday discount
    Celebrity Style Surprise! Selena Gomez's Slippers Are On Sale for Under $90
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Marie Claire
    RSS
    • About us
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Advertise Online
    • Newsletter
    • Terms and conditions
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • Careers
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.