Meghan Markle reportedly plans a speech at wedding; Harry is 'behind her'

Prince Harry’s bride-to-be Meghan Markle is expected to break royal tradition and live up to her feminist credentials by making a speech at their wedding reception. She is supposedly planning to throw a few suitable jokes, praise her new husband and thank his grandmother Queen Elizabeth.

"She wants to have the chance to thank her husband and everyone who has supported them,” a source told The Sunday Times. The news outlet reports that Markle is “ready” to speak at the reception, should her father Thomas Markle opt to avoid the spotlight.

Markle, who appeared in US television series “Suits,” has spoken publicly about the significance of gender equality. Fans can expect a speech from her during the wedding reception as her husband-to-be is reported to be “fully behind her.” Markle spoke to a UN gathering in 2015 when she said she was proud to be a woman and a feminist.

Thomas is currently living in Mexico. He is expected to accompany her daughter as she walks down the aisle.

But there are chances the award-winning Hollywood writing director may not deliver a formal speech in front of senior members of the royal family and guests. Markle is also likely to be keen on ensuring her mother Doria Ragland has equal credit as her father at the wedding. There were previous reports that claimed she wanted her mother to accompany her as she walks the altar.

Harry and Markle’s wedding is slated to happen on May 19 in Windsor Castle. The engaged couple has previously suggested that their big day would be full of “fun and joy.” They are reportedly planning the wedding themselves and the event would “reflect their characters and personalities.”

But still, a number of elements of the upcoming royal wedding will be traditional. At the wedding of Harry’s brother Prince William and Kate Middleton, reception speeches included words from the groom’s father Prince Charles and the bride’s father Michael Middleton.

Brides delivering a speech at their wedding is a growing trend in Britain. But while more brides choose to speak at their big day, a YouGov survey in 2016 suggested that only 16 percent thought they were obliged to.

The Kensington Palace announced last year that Harry and Markle’s wedding will take place at St George’s Chapel. She will need to be baptised and confirmed in the Church of England and is currently in the process of becoming a British citizen.