Oprah Winfrey among first guests to arrive at royal wedding

WINDSOR, England (AP) — Thousands of revelers streamed Saturday into the town of Windsor, trying to capture their own little piece of the extravaganza that is the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Oprah Winfrey, Idris Elba and James Blunt were among the first guests to arrive at Windsor Castle.

The talk-show titan and the London-born Hollywood star are among celebrities, royalty, athletes and family friends among the 600-strong congregation invited to the gothic St. George’s Chapel, where the wedding will start at noon.

Relatives on hand include Charles Spencer, the brother of Harry’s late mother Princess Diana, and Harry’s cousin Zara Tindall and her husband.

As the celebrations got underway, Queen Elizabeth II honored her red-headed, 33-year-old grandson with a new title — the Duke of Sussex. That means that Markle will become the Duchess of Sussex.

Harry’s status as a senior British royal and Markle’s celebrity after starring on the US TV series “Suits” for seven years has turned the wedding at St. George’s Chapel on the grounds of Windsor Castle into a global event. The wedding pomp and ceremony — complete with Anglican prayers and tradition, classical music and a gospel choir — as well as a horse-drawn carriage ride through Windsor will be beamed live to tens of millions of TV viewers throughout the world.