Not since the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and Kate Middleton, married in 2011 has the world awaited a royal wedding with such anticipation. And this time around, with half of the happy couple hailing from the United States, the excitement on this side of the Atlantic has been kicked up a notch. Whether you’ll have a front-row seat in London or from afar in the United States, these 10 hotels will help you celebrate Prince Harry’s and Meghan Markle’s May 19 wedding in royal style.
In the United States:
The Fairmont’s lavish royal wedding package includes first-class, round-trip domestic airfare for two guests and two dogs.
Courtesy of the Fairmont
Fairmont Washington, D.C. Georgetown
With all eyes on Britain’s capital as the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle nears, the U.S. capital is getting in on the action at the Fairmont Washington, D.C. The hotel is feting the couple with a two-night royal wedding guest package complete with first-class, round-trip domestic airfare for two guests and two dogs (a nod to the Queen’s beloved pack of corgis) and a stay in its royal suite. Other lavish, British-inspired highlights include chauffeured Range Rover airport transfers (a royal-favorite automaker), an in-suite champagne-and-caviar tea service presented by a personal butler, two jackets by quintessentially British brand Barbour; a $10,000 Burberry shopping spree, personal chef services for guests and their pups, and an official invitation to the Fairmont’s Royal Garden Party on May 19. (Fascinator sold separately.) Rate: $75,000. Dates: May 18-19, 2018, based on availability. Terms: Package must be booked at least four weeks in advance. Reservations: 202-429-2400.
The King Charles Inn’s weekend getaway includes a boxed set of crystal champagne flutes to take home as a memento.
Courtesy of the King Charles Inn
King Charles Inn Charleston, South Carolina
In celebration of both the wedding and its own British heritage, Charleston’s King Charles Inn is offering a two-night package available exclusively May 18 to 19. With rates beginning at $1,000 per night, guests are treated to transportation in a British 1965 Silver Cloud Bentley; a wedding viewing party complete with formal invitations, Pimm’s Cups, and traditional English snacks; white roses, champagne, and chocolate-covered strawberries upon arrival; a walking tour of the city’s historic Charleston District; and a boxed set of crystal champagne flutes to take home as a memento from the weekend getaway. Rates: From $1,000. Dates: May 18-19, 2018, based on availability. Reservations: 843-723-7451.
Watch the royal wedding live on TV at the Windsor Court Hotel while enjoying an in-suite champagne breakfast.
Courtesy of the Windsor Court Hotel
Windsor Court Hotel New Orleans, Louisiana
Can’t make it to Windsor Castle for the wedding? The Windsor Court Hotel in New Orleans isn’t a bad second choice. You’ll have a decent shot at living like a royal, too, with the aptly named hotel’s royal wedding weekend package. It includes round-trip, first-class domestic airfare and three nights in the hotel’s two-bedroom presidential suite. Daily butler service, a $4,000 hotel credit, and private activities—think fascinator-fittings, art viewings, a Saks Fifth Avenue shopping trip, and a tour of the storied M.S. Rau Antiques—are just a few of the package’s additional perks. Ready for the wedding? Watch it live on TV while enjoying an in-suite champagne breakfast. For dessert, savor your own lemon-elderflower cake, inspired by the wedding’s forthcoming treat. Rate: From $51,918 (tax not included). Dates: May 17-20, 2018. Terms: Based on availability; must be booked 14 days in advance. Reservations: 800-262-2662.
The weekend package at the Brazilian Court Hotel includes a chef’s dinner at Café Boulud.
Courtesy of the Brazilian Court Hotel
The Brazilian Court Hotel Palm Beach, Florida
For generations, the Brazilian Court has hosted American royalty, from business moguls to movie stars. Fittingly, this playground for the rich and famous is offering royal watchers an over-the-top package. It’ll set you back $24,000, but the eye-popping price tag will get you a welcome bottle of Tignanello and a lemon-elderflower cake, a Strathberry handbag (it sold out after Markle was photographed carrying it), an introductory helicopter piloting lesson at Palm Beach Helicopters in honor of Prince Harry’s trade, a half-day coastal excursion with Royal Yacht Charters, and a bespoke necklace from Betteridge’s modeled after Markle’s engagement ring. The package also includes a chef’s dinner at Café Boulud. On the menu: rotisserie chicken—the dish Harry and Meghan were making the night they got engaged. Five percent of proceeds from the package will be donated to the Broward County Humane Society or to one of Harry and Meghan’s favorite philanthropic organizations. Rate: From $24,000 for a four-night stay. Dates: Available now to June 30. Reservations: 561-655-7740.
Ten percent of the proceeds from your royal-themed cocktails at the Drake will go to the Invictus Games Foundation.
Courtesy of the Drake
The Drake Chicago, Illinois
On her first and only visit to Chicago, in June 1996, Princess Diana spent three nights in a customized suite at the Drake. (Her special requests: A Lifecycle stationary bike and ample mineral water.) The suite has since been named after the princess, and its interiors remain unchanged in her honor. Royal wedding enthusiasts in the Windy City can make the suite their base for à la carte weekend festivities, such as a May 19 luncheon in the hotel’s grand ballroom, an evening screening of the wedding accompanied by the same three-course meal Diana enjoyed during her stay, and a live-cabaret dinner reception. The Drake’s Coq D’Or bar will be serving royal-themed cocktails, with 10 percent of proceeds from the specialty menu going to the Invictus Games Foundation, Prince Harry’s charity of choice. Additional royal activities offered throughout May include Monday night Film and Fondue gatherings and Royal Tea in the hotel’s Palm Court. Hilton Honors members can head to the Hilton Honors Auction Platform to check out three exclusive royal packages. Rates: Vary by activity. Reservations: 800-553-7253.
In the United Kingdom:
The Stafford London’s package includes a May 19 transfer to Windsor for a wedding viewing at a VIP venue.
Courtesy of the Stafford London
The Stafford London London
London is, of course, the epicenter of royal wedding fever, and hotels in the city are getting guests up close to the action. In partnership with In Any Event Tours, the Stafford London assembled a five-night package that includes a May 19 transfer to Windsor for a wedding viewing at a VIP venue complete with a three-course lunch and cocktails. Additional perks include a private visit to the couple’s wedding site, St. George’s Chapel, dinner at Kensington Palace, a private visit to Althorp Palace (Princess Diana’s family home), and visits to iconic London landmarks. Rate: From £11,275 (US$15,980) for two guests. Dates: May 17-22, 2018. Reservations: +44 207 493 0111.
Stoke Park’s wedding package includes transfer to Windsor after your traditional English breakfast.
Courtesy of Stoke Park
Stoke Park Windsor
The Stoke Park’s two-night royal wedding package includes executive transfer into Windsor and back on wedding day to revel in the festivities. It also includes a traditional English breakfast, champagne afternoon tea, a seven-course tasting menu at on-site restaurant Humphry’s (along with its signature regal cocktail and wine pairings), an 85-minute spa treatment per person and complimentary use of the hotel’s tennis and health facilities, and a commemorative gift to take home. Rates: From £1,466 (US$2,078) based on double occupancy in a Classic Mansion Room (May 18 and 19). From £1,276 (US$1,808) based on double occupancy in a Classic Mansion Room (May 19 and 20). Reservations: + 44 (0) 175 371 7172
The Hotel Café Royal is treating guests who opt for their royal wedding package to a helicopter tour of London.
Courtesy of Hotel Café Royal
Hotel Café Royal London
Two over-the-top royal wedding packages are on offer at London’s Hotel Café Royal, centrally situated in Piccadilly. Starting from £2,000, the regent royal wedding package includes a luxury limo ride to Windsor for a tour of the castle, St. George’s Chapel, and the state apartment, followed by a gourmet picnic; VIP shopping excursions to high-end British retailers ranging from Fortnum & Mason to Burberry; and a Royal Warrant Holders retailer visit in London including a tour of tony Mayfair and St. James. At night, you’ll rest your head in a lavish regent suite, and you’ll take home a limited-edition fine bone china tea set made exclusively for hotel guests. If you’re willing to shell out even more (from £6,500, to be exact) for the hotel’s empire royal wedding package, you’ll enjoy the same privileges, as well as a helicopter tour of London, tickets to the Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club, and an overnight in the hotel’s Empire Suite. Rates: From £2,000 (US$2,835) and £6,500 (US$9,212). Dates: April 1 to June 21, 2018. Reservations: +44 20 7406 3333.
The Curtain is offering a package that nods to life on both sides of the pond.
Courtesy of the Curtain
The Curtain London
Celebrating the merging of the royal bride and groom’s American and British roots, the Curtain Hotel & Private Members’ Club, in Shoreditch, is offering a package with nods to life on both sides of the pond. The hotel’s royal wedding package includes tickets to a three-course brunch viewing party at Red Rooster Shoreditch, the London outpost of celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson’s Harlem-based restaurant (inside the hotel), a full English breakfast for two each morning, a bottle of champagne and VIP amenities upon arrival at the hotel, a complimentary room upgrade (subject to availability), and, in case you partied too hard, late checkout at 2 p.m. (subject to availability). Rates: From £395 (US$560) per night. Dates: Reservations: +44 (0) 203 146 4545.
The weekend at Chewton Glen culminates in an English garden–themed live viewing party of the nuptials.
Courtesy of Chewton Glen
Chewton Glen Hampshire
There are few things royals love more than an escape to Britain’s countryside, and you can follow in their Hunter boot–clad footsteps with a royal wedding package at Chewton Glen, a cozy country house hotel on the edge of New Forest National Park. There, enjoy two nights in a Junior Suite, champagne afternoon tea on arrival, spa treatments, and nightly dinners. The weekend culminates with a celebration of Harry and Meghan’s high-profile union in the form of an English garden–themed live viewing party in the property’s lake suite, complete with a red carpet, brunch-style canapés, and a three-course seated lunch. Should you need anything, just do as the royals would and ring your own personal butler. Rates: From £1,065 (US$1,509) per person, two nights, based on double occupancy in a Junior Suite. Dates: May 18-19. Reservations: +44 (0) 142 527 5341.
