Harry and Meghan: Royal Wedding Number 1s

To mark Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding, we look at Number 1 songs from previous Royal nuptials.
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This Saturday, Prince Harry marries American actor Meghan Markle, in the first Royal Wedding for seven years. 

It kind of got us wondering… does the chart-topping song at the time of your wedding set the tone for the rest of the marriage? We dug into the archives to see what topped the charts for a selection of previous Royal love matches. 

Charles and Diana: Shakin' Stevens

Let's kick off with William's parents' wedding, one of the most-watched TV events in the world. On 29 July, 1981, Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer married at St Paul's Cathedral, and the most popular tune in record shops at the time was… Green Door, by Shakin' Stevens. This jaunty rock and roll cover had charted three times before, but only Shaky took it to the top.  Lyrics include: "Don't know what they're doing, but they laugh a lot behind the green door." The couple separated in 1992. See the full chart from that day in 1981


(Image: 45cat)

Charles and Camilla: Tony Christie

Prince Charles's second wedding to Camilla Parker Bowles in 2005 had another singalong track as its chart-topping soundtrack. Million-selling Is This The Way To Amarillo? from Tony Christie feat. Peter Kay was at Number 1 for the third week. We'd love to think Charles and Camilla recreated the famous pop video but, well, probably not.

MORE: See the Official Singles Chart from this day in 2005, including Mariah, Kylie and Rachel Stevens

William and Kate: LMFAO

Harry's big bro William married Kate Middleton on 29 April 2011 in Westminster Abbey, and among the performers at their wedding was Ellie Goulding, who sang a cover of Elton John's Your Song. Number 1 that week, though, was a slightly more uptempo number: Party Rock Anthem from LMFAO. We would give up everything we own to see William and Kate doing a wedding flashmob-style full dance routine to this. See the Official Singles Chart from that week

Andrew and Sarah: Madonna

Harry's uncle Andrew was one of the world's most eligible bachelors when he married Sarah Ferguson on 23 July 1986, and becoming the Duke and Duchess of York in the process. Blaring out of radios at the time was Madonna's then-very controversial Papa Don't Preach, in its third and final week at the top. It was about to be knocked off by the very wedding-y Lady in Red by Chris de Burgh, funnily enough. They split up six years later.

PAPA DON'T PREACH (1986)

Edward and Sophie: S Club 7

Harry's other uncle, the Earl of Wessex, married Sophie Rhys-Jones in the middle of the late nineties pop-splosion, on 19 June 1999. This is why their wedding Number 1 is the effervescent S Club 7's debut single Bring it all Back, which kept Madonna's Beautiful Stranger off the top. 

MORE: Look back at the Top 100 from that day

Peter Phillips and Autumn Kelly: Madonna

Harry's cousin Peter Phillips, son of Princess Anne, is a prince in all but name, and when he walked down the aisle with Autumn Kelly, on 17 May 2008, it was a Madge-fest again! This time, she'd teamed up with Justin Timberlake on 4 Minutes, her most recent chart-topper. Number 2 song was Wiley's Wearing My Rolex which would have made a brilliant Royal Wedding Number 1; we're guessing they've got a few Rolexes knocking about. See the full Top 100 from that day in 2008.

Anne and Tim Laurence: Whitney Houston

When Peter's mum Anne got married for the second time on 12 December 1992, it's almost like the charts were reassuring her this one was for keeps.  Whitney Houston's iconic million-selling future Christmas Number 1 I Will Always Love You would spend 10 weeks at the top, including *this* week, although if you think about it, the song is actually about splitting up. Oh well. They're still together, anyway.

Whitney Houston - I Will Always Love You (1992) 

Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall: Jason Derulo

Anne's daughter Zara married former England rugby captain Mike Tindall on 30 July 2011, our most recent Royal Wedding. And their matrimonial chart-topper?  Jason Derulo's Don't Wanna Go Home was the lucky tune, having recently deposed Example's Changed the Way You Kiss Me. Looking at the Top 100 from that week, we can predict that the post-nuptials disco featured Lady Gaga, Calvin Harris & Kelis, Ed Sheeran, and J-Lo.

Harry and Meghan

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding Number 1 is beautifully appropriate – it's One Kiss, from Dua Lipa and Calvin Harris. One kiss will certainly seal the deal!

MORE: The Royal Family's birthday Number 1s revealed

Main image: REX/Tim Rooke

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