Where will Meghan and Harry take their honeymoon?
Canada is rumoured to be the top choice - but here are some alternatives fit for a Duke and Duchess
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are apparently planning to honeymoon in Canada.
Reports suggest the newlyweds will stay in Alberta's luxurious Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge, right in the middle of Jasper National Park.
American gossip site TMZ - which broke the story about Markle’s father not attending her wedding - says its sources report that the “resort ordered some gear and goodies it doesn't normally keep on hand for Meghan and Harry”.
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“It's unclear exactly when they'll be arriving, but we're told both British and Canadian security will be involved when they do,” it said.
Despite these reports, a spokeswoman for the lodge said the couple were “not currently booked for a stay”.
Angela Moore, regional director of public relations, said: “We are declining further comment at this time, as our top priority is always the safety and privacy of all of our guests. We appreciate your understanding.”
Others have speculated that the newlyweds might opt for a “staycation”, as the Queen and Prince Philip did in 1947, when they holidayed in Broadlands, Hampshire, and Birkhall, Scotland.
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Prince Harry’s mother and father, the Prince and Princess of Wales, also travelled to Broadlands for their honeymoon in 1981, followed by a cruise of the Mediterranean, visiting Tunisia, Sardinia, Greece and Egypt, before flying to Scotland’s Balmoral Castle.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge chose the Seychelles for their honeymoon in 2011.
Here’s what Prince Harry and Meghan can expect if they do plump for Canada - and a few alternatives fit for a royal honeymoon.
Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge
The lodge Meghan and Harry are rumoured to have booked is the 6,000 sq ft Outlook Cabin, “which has previously hosted the Queen and Prince Philip in 2005 as well as the Queen Mother, who visited in 1939 with King George VI”, says The Daily Telegraph.
The £2,000-a-night lodge “comes with a conservatory and veranda, private parking, a terrace with a barbecue, six bedrooms and six bathrooms”, adds the paper. It was rebuilt following the exact floorplan of the original, after being destroyed in a fire in 2000.
The resort's brochure says the cabin, nicknamed the “royal retreat” exudes “elegance and grandeur”.
Hoanib Valley Camp, Namibia
The royal couple’s rumoured destination of choice is a brand new luxury camp located four hours’ drive from the nearest town - “a huge draw for Harry and Markle after the publicity of their wedding,” says CNN.
North-west Namibia has a starkly beautiful desert landscape, incorporating black-rocked mountains and golden plains, all dusted with red sand from the Kalahari. Visitors to the area can call in on the Giraffe Conservation Foundation, as well as spend some time the Himba and Herero people, among the last nomadic tribes in Africa, and learn how they live in such a harsh climate.
From £3,265pp for three nights all-inclusive, including international flights, from The Luxury Safari Company
Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, Kenya
Further north, but in keeping with the safari theme, Prince Harry might choose to return to the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in Kenya. He has spent time there with his brother, Prince William, working on conservation projects in northern Kenya.
Newlyweds have two excellent honeymoon options within the reserve: Lewa Wilderness (photo at top of page), one of the longest-established private safari lodges in Kenya, and Sirikoi (photo above), an intimate family-owned lodge with just four luxury tents.
From £2,963 per person for three nights at Sirikoi, or £2,222 at Lewa Wilderness, both all-inclusive, with internal but not international flights, from The Luxury Safari Company
Royal Mansour, Marrakech
Privacy meets luxury in this exotic hotel in Marrakech, where the royal couple could disappear into their very own three-floor riad - complete with a private rooftop with plunge pool - and enjoy gastronomic delights and luxurious spa treatments.
This year Royal Mansour is offering a bouquet of experiences for two. Harry and Meghan could enjoy three nights in a one-bedroom Riad Superieur which includes breakfast served either in their Riad or in La Table Restaurant, a spa treatment for two in a private Spa Suite plus airport transfers and fast-track airport processing.
From £2,599 for two people sharing, based on two nights. To book, visit the Royal Mansour website
Gleneagles, Scotland
The royal family has long had an affinity with Scotland, and if Harry and Meghan wanted to prove their patriotism with a honeymoon close to home the 850-acre Gleneagles estate would offer them luxury, romance and outdoor adventures.
Couples can enjoy a wide range of activities, ranging from wine and whisky tasting to romantic carriage rides and golf taster sessions as well as a range of treatments in the hotel’s fabulous beauty lodge “Bob & Cloche”. Meghan could brush up her skill in country pursuits with clay pigeon shooting and archery at the hotel’s Shooting School, falconry and gundog training, off-road driving, fishing, riding and cycling.
Rooms from £275 per night per room, bed and breakfast. To book, see the Gleneagles website
Teardrop Hotels, Sri Lanka
Futher afield, the royal couple could venture into Sri Lanka’s mountainous jungle terrain and vivid green tea plantations before relaxing on the country’s fabulous beaches.
Ampersand Travel’s honeymoon special begins at Fort Bazaar in Galle, before moving on to the brand new Camellia Hills hotel and then Water Garden Sigiriya, whose 30 villas are set within a lush rainforest with unrivalled views of the Sirigiya ancient rock fortress. Guests are attended by a 24-hour butler service, so they can order a night cap and take a midnight dip in their own private plunge pool or enjoy private dining by candle light in the pavilion with views over Sigiriya at sunset. The grand tour concludes in Columbo at The Wallawwa, a 200-year-old manor recently restored into an 18-bedroom hotel.
The 11-night Sri Lankan honeymoon tour is available from £3,350 per person with return flights from London and transfers, from Ampersand Travel
Raja Ampat cruise
The royal yacht Britannia may be confined to docks, but the new Duchess could begin her life in the royal family with a voyage through the Raja Ampat islands, a remote archipelago of 1,500 jungle-clad Indonesian islands. From a comfortable berth aboard the MV Mermaid I, guests can snorkel in coral-rich waters and keep an eye out for flying fish, dolphins and rare species of whale.
The 14-day Naturetrek holiday, including flights, accommodation and meals, is £6,995 per person, based on two people sharing
Duba Plains Camp, Botswana
Alternatively, Harry and Meghan may prefer to come full circle, returning to Botswana, where they enjoyed “a romantic trip to a secret hideaway with a stunning view of the African bush” last summer, says the Daily Mail. The pair still “have a special attachment” to the country, says Vanity Fair.
Duba Plains Camp, in the lush Okavango Delta, is among the most exclusive of Botswana’s world-beating safari camps, consisting of just five luxurious tents and a two-bedroom suite set within a 77,000-acre private reserve. The palm-dotted islands, flood plains and forests are rich with game.
From £3,704 per person, all inclusive, for three nights including internal but not international flights, from The Luxury Safari Company