The ‘Windsors’ are getting married this weekend – right here in Suffolk, at Woolverstone Hall.
In an extraordinary coincidence, Toby Windsor and his fiancée Edith Stokes are getting ready to tie the knot tomorrow – on the same day as another pair of famous Windsors.
Mr Windsor, 43, is a chef and is known to friends and family as Tobe – while Miss Stokes, 35, is a teacher from Essex.
The pair currently live in London, but fell in love with Suffolk as a romantic and intimate wedding destination.
Miss Stokes, who will become Edith Windsor-Stokes when she marries her soulmate on Saturday, visited the county before and had fond memories.
When the pair spotted Woolverstone Hall at a wedding fair, they became enthralled with the scenery.
They had always wanted to marry outside the capital.
But it was a real shock to hear that a certain royal pair were due to marry on the same day, Miss Stokes reveals, as she admits her wedding was booked a year ago.
“It is so extraordinary,” said the mother-of-three.
“Everyone is talking about how we are getting married on the same weekend as Prince Harry and Meghan, and that Toby’s surname is Windsor.
“It’s bizarre and a total coincidence, but at the same time it’s lovely and we want to wish the royal couple every happiness.
“We wanted to get married somewhere out of London, and we fell in love with Suffolk, Woolverstone Hall is just stunning.
It has a really romantic and intimate feel, and we’ve got relatives coming over from all over the world including Windsors from Australia so wanted somewhere special.”
Today, the pair are travelling down to Suffolk to get ready for their big day. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are also making final preparations.
Meghan, like Miss Stokes, will be adopting a double-barrelled surname – though the royals rarely use them.
The Suits actress will carry the surname Mountbatten-Windsor, the official last name of her fiancée.
The name Windsor was adopted in 1917 by a proclamation made by King George V. However, in 1960, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh decided they wanted their direct descendants to be distinguished from the rest of the royal family.
This means their direct descendants, other than those using the titles of Royal Highness or Prince/Princess and women who marry, have the surname Mountbatten-Windsor.
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