Yes, There's A Seating Chart For The Royal Wedding Ceremony & Here's How It Works

As Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's wedding got underway, fans watching at home had tons of questions. What dress is she wearing? How will the cake taste? What's the seating chart at the royal wedding? As with most things royal wedding-related, the royal wedding seating chart at St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle was meticulously planned — despite how random it may seem. Here's what you need to know about the guests as they filed into the church prior to Markle and Prince Harry's arrival.

There are three important sections to know about in St. George's Chapel: The left choir, the right choir, and the nave seating alongside the aisle. In the choir sections, right in front of the coat of arms flags and closest to the altar will, of course, be the royal family. Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Phillip, were on the right side of the choir, along with the rest of the royal family, while Markle's family would have been seated at the left of the choir. However, since Markle's mother, Doria Raglund, was the only close family member attending the wedding (Markle's father, Thomas Markle, was unable to attend due to health reasons), there was some speculation that the royal family may break tradition and seat Raglund in the left choir along with the royal family — but during the ceremony, Raglund seemed to be seated in the left side of the choir, just opposite the royal family in the right side of the choir.

As for the nave seating, this is where Markle and Prince Harry had the most control over who they wanted to invite. As it's not a part of the official choir seating, the nave is made up of rows of chairs lined up to the right and left of the aisle.

Amongst the guests who were seen arriving at the church, the cast of Markle's former USA series Suits (including Sarah Rafferty, Abigail Spencer, and Patrick J. Adams) had all flown to the UK to attend, as well as stars like George and Amal Clooney, Victoria and David Beckham, James Corden, Idris Elba, Serena Williams, Oprah Winfrey, and Markle's close friend Priyanka Chopra. These guests most likely sat in the nave, while Raglund and the royal family — including Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Phillip, Sarah Ferguson, Princess Eugenie, Princess Beatrice, and Prince Charles — were in the choir seating.

As previously reported, Markle did not have a classic bridal party including a maid of honor and bridesmaids; as she could not choose amongst her close friends, Markle opted to enlist the children of her best friend, Jessica Mulroney, as well as Prince Harry's godchildren, and Prince George and Princess Charlotte. This means that Markle and Prince Harry's friends were entirely in the choir seating and the nave seating rather than at the altar with the couple. The only familiar face we saw standing at the altar with the happy couple was William, the Duke of Cambridge, who stood by Prince Harry at the altar as he and Markle exchanged their vows.

As St. George's Chapel is a rather small wedding ceremony venue — it only seats about 200, which is small as far as royal weddings go — the guest list was kept to Markle and Prince Harry's good friends and family, ensuring the day would be a celebration of love and happiness more than anything else. This is, of course, reflected in the seating chart, and the event proved to be a massively star-studded event filled with those who have been known to be close to the couple over the years.