AURORA – A happy coincidence for a Colorado couple has produced a local connection to Saturday’s royal wedding between Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
The very same date is on Darby and Nancy O'Neill’s travel itinerary to tour Windsor Castle, where the royal wedding will take place.
“We planned this trip back in November to go to the British Isles,” Mr. O’Neill said. “Right after we booked it, we found out that Prince Harry was engaged to Meghan Markle and that they were planning a May wedding. And then a couple months later, they announced that they were actually getting married on May 19, the day that we are scheduled to be at Windsor Castle.”
After the Aurora couple found out they we were scheduled to be at the castle on the day of the wedding, Mrs. O’Neill decided to write Markle a letter and tell her that they would like to be there to represent the United States on her behalf.
“I didn’t get the invite,” Mrs. O’Neill said. “But I got a wonderful letter back from them.”
The letter from Kensington Palace was written on behalf of Prince Harry and Markle. It thanked Mrs. O’Neill for the kind letter and explained in detail why it would not be possible for the O’Neills to be invited guests at the wedding.
“I was a little disappointed, ‘cause you know in the bottom of my heart I was hoping maybe I’d be one of those 2,800 that got an invitation,” Mrs. O’Neill said. “But, just the fact that the letter was personal – I could tell that it was personal because of the content of it – that they had actually read my letter and somebody had responded to it – made me feel good.”
Mrs. O’Neill plans to frame the letter, and the O’Neills still plan to be in Windsor on the wedding day.
“I would be happy just to be part of the crowd when the carriage goes through,” Mrs. O’Neill said. “I’ve been to Windsor before and it’s a beautiful quaint little village town. So, I think, you know, the setting’s beautiful and the carriage ride will probably be fun. If I just get to see that, I’ll be happy.”
