Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Will Break From Tradition

Kensington Palace revealed the cake Prince Harry and Meghan Markle chose for their wedding and Brits went nuts over the absence of fruit. According to the palace, the pair asked pastry chef Claire Ptak to make a “lemon elderflower cake that will incorporate the bright flavours of spring” rather than the more traditional fruitcake. It will also feature buttercream and fresh flowers as decoration.

Ptak, another American-turned-Londoner, owns the bakery Violet Cakes. Turns out, she and Markle have a history going back to her time running lifestyle blog The Tig.

• “I can’t tell you how delighted I am to be chosen to make Prince Harry and Ms. Markle’s wedding cake,” Ptak said in a statement released by Kensington Palace. “Knowing that they really share the same values as I do about food provenance, sustainability, seasonality and most importantly flavour, makes this the most exciting event to be a part of.”
• For Prince William and Kate Middleton’s 2011 wedding, the pair requested a “groom’s cake” make of cookies and chocolate in addition to the traditional fruitcake.
• While many, including celebrity chef Nigella Lawson, toasted their “good choice,” others were less enthusiastic. One user summed up the naysayers, writing: “it’s the beginning of the end of British culture and monarchy and their destruction is omnipresent in the least details. From unbelievable it has become very worrying.”
• Meanwhile, in other royal news, a new tell-all biography from British journalist Tom Bower claims the Queen Elizabeth was so upset by Prince Charles‘ affair with his current wife Camilla during his marriage to Princess Diana, told Charles that she “would not condone his adultery, nor forgive Camilla for not leaving Charles alone to allow his marriage to recover.” This was after she had consumed “several martinis” of course, according to the book.
• In Rebel Prince: The Power and Passion and Defiance of Prince Charles, Bower claims the Queen called Camilla “that wicked woman,” and said, “I want nothing to do with her.” Charles “tearfully” then informed Camilla of his mother’s response. They ultimately married in 2005, though they were not permitted to marry in the Church of England.
• Harry and Markle are set to marry on May 19^th.