MEGHAN Markle and Prince Harry have been seen smiling and waving as they leave Kensington Palace and arrive in Windsor, less than 24 hours before their wedding takes place.
The couple were spotted beaming inside an SUV and waved at photographers after it was announced Prince Charles would walk Meghan down the aisle at St George’s chapel, putting to rest speculation about what would happen after her father pulled out following a dramatic week of family scandal.
The couple will head to separate accommodation for their final night before they are married.
Perhaps fittingly, Meghan will spend the night with her mother at a luxury property that bills itself as having “over 350 years of powerful personalities, debaucherous parties and scandalous affairs”.
Cliveden House has a knack for attracting controversy and the latest antics — that have seen her father pose for staged paparazzi shots and half-sister branded a “vulture” in the media — pale in comparison.
The five-star retreat was in lockdown mode last night ahead of her arrival with police officers stationed behind gates sealed from the public while other officers patrolling the boundary.
Locals said their car registration plates had been noted as the force began a massive security operation around key wedding venues.
Barriers have been put in place around the arrival and exit points to the estate in anticipation of big crowds who will all be wanting the first glimpse of Ms Markle in her wedding dress.
People in Taplow, the Berkshire village where Cliveden is located, were taking it all in their stride despite their town taking a starting role in the royal blockbuster.
“Everybody’s taking about it. Everybody. It’s quite neat to know actually, but I doubt we will get to see her. I wasn’t surprised to hear they were staying there — from what I’ve heard it’s fit for a queen and is close to Windsor,” Stacey told News.com.au
One man said his cousin worked at the venue but they had been tight lipped about Ms Markle’s stay.
“I think they have deliberately kept the staff on a need to know basis. From what [his cousin] says only senior staff have been involved ... not just anyone will be able to get close to where Meghan is going to be sleeping.”
Another man said people had been trying to get into Cliveden all day.
“Forget about it. It’s a lovely place any other week of the year. But this isn’t an ordinary time.”
Even places normally able to be accessed by the public — not paying guests- were off limits ahead of Ms Markle’s arrival.
The Cliveden property features “Mansion House Deluxe Suits” where prices start from $2150. There is even a “Prince of Wales” suite which offers “grand and unique accommodation”. It starts at $2700 per night and for that you get views over the grounds, king size beds, a large hall and dressing area and “exclusive access” to an honesty bar on site.
Rooms are equipped with high ceilings, luxury artworks and spacious lounges plus separate dressing rooms.
The hotel also boats restaurants, a day spa and indoor and outdoor pool. There is private dining available in an opulent French dining room — that Ms Markle and her mum might dine in — but they probably won’t get a chance to try out a vintage launches available for a boat trip along the river.
As well as absolute luxury, Cliveden is only a 25 minute car ride to Windsor Castle where Ms Markle will meet her husband-to-be Prince Harry in what is expected to be watched by billions worldwide.
Harry will spend his last night as a bachelor with his brother Prince William at Coworth Park Hotel — around 20 minutes from the wedding venue.
The luxury hotel is part of the Dorchester Collection which is owned by the Sultan of Brunei.
Prince Harry and William are no strangers there as they have both played polo at the grounds every year. Ms Markle has been seen at several games there — and the fact she attended and her husband to be is staying there is a sign she is possibly relaxed her opposition to hotels in the chain.
According to The Times, Meghan has previously boycotted the hotels because she disapproved of the polices of the Sultan of Brunei. In particular she is said to vehemently oppose his stance on gay people and women who have abortions.
Meghan reportedly emailed to say she would never stay at the Dorchester, or any hotels they are involved with. We understood and of course agreed,” former agent Gina Nelthorpe-Cowne told The Independent.
However it’s the Cliveden hotel that has the most history. The venue describes itself as having a “history of unapologetic debauchery” including one of the “most heinous of scandals [that] shook the British Parliament and played out on these very grounds”.
“Their story is one of over 350 years of powerful personalities, debaucherous parties and scandalous affairs. Built in 1666 by the 2nd Duke of Buckingham, as a gift to his mistress, Cliveden House has remained a pinnacle of intrigue and glamour for the elite,” it claims.
“Enriched with antique furniture and period features, it has stayed true to its roots while also providing a luxurious setting to rest, meet — and play.”
How could anyone say no?
The palatial hotel has long been a drawcard for the rich and famous, but it also has the dubious honour of being the scene of one of Britain’s most notorious political scandals.
The Profumo Affair, as it is known, is named after the then Secretary of State for War John Profumo who began a three-month affair with teenage showgirl and nightclub model Christine Keeler after a chance meeting at the hotel pool one warm summer night in July 1961.
When news of the affair broke it emerged Ms Keeler had also been linked with a Soviet attache — who also had been a guest at Cliveden the weekend she met Profumo — which led to fears of a security breach.
Profumo was forced to give a statement to the House of Commons denying the affair.
When that was exposed as a lie he was forced to resign. The Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, didn’t survive the crisis either, himself quitting several months later and the Conservatives lost the general election.
Several careers ended and the man who introduced Ms Keeler to Mr Profumo was later put on trial for immortality offences when the scandal led police to investigate rumours of widespread affairs in government. He was convicted of two counts of living off immoral
earnings, but died from an overdose of sleeping pills before the verdict was announced.
None of that compares to the first scandal back in 1666. It was then the Duke of Buckingham built a house at Cliveden for his mistress and later killed her husband when he was challenged to a duel. Far from being traumatised by the killing, Buckingham was said to have had the
garden terrace by the house laid out in stones in the shape of a sword and the date of the duel, so visitors were reminded every time the entered of what he was capable of.
If Ms Markle only has the pre-wedding dramas surrounding her family to worry about, chances are she will emerge luckier than some of the other Cliveden gets who have gone before her.
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