*By Jacqui Corba, Max Godnick, and Alisha Haridasani*
The highly-anticipated Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle breaks from Buckingham Palace traditions, bringing with it the promise of sweeping changes in the British monarchy. But the union of Harry, sixth in line for the throne, and Markle, an American actress, owes a debt of gratitude to royal couples from the recent past.
"Meghan is an independent woman. She's shown that over and over again with everything that she is doing," said Jeremy Parsons, People TV's PeopleNow host. "She is breaking many molds in terms of what has been expected with the Royals."
Markle is a mixed-raced divorcée known for her role as Rachel Zane on the TV show “Suits.” Not the traditional pedigree for a royal bride, but not totally unprecedented.
Harry's older brother, Prince William, married Kate Middleton seven years ago. William, second in line for the throne, met his "commoner" bride while studying at St. Andrews University.
The photographer Anthony Armstrong-Jones married Princess Margaret, sister of Queen Elizabeth II, in May 1960. When they were wed, he was the first person without a royal title to marry a king's daughter in four centuries.
Markle is also following a precedent set by the Duchess of Cornwall, Camilla Parker Bowles, who married Prince Charles in 2005. She, too, was divorced, and had two grown children from her previous marriage.
Before Bowles, the monarchy was opposed to rulers and heirs to the throne marrying a divorced person: King Edward VIII had to abdicate in order to marry Wallis Warfield Simpson, a twice-divorced American.
With Harry and Markel's wedding, comes another refreshing change, as Markle has tried to use her royal platform to shine a light on social issues, much as Harry's mother, Princess Diana, did.
"Meghan will make this her own in some way," said Parsons. Markle has invited representatives of charity groups important to her and her husband-to-be to include more of the community in their ceremony, he said.
Questions about who will walk the bride down the aisle have fueled media speculation after Markle confirmed her father would not attend the wedding. On Friday, Buckingham Palace confirmed that the soon-to-be royal will begin her procession alone, before Prince Charles, her future father-in-law, joins her when she reaches the main seating area.
"It's symbolic. The family is really embracing her, and this is a great show of that," said Parsons. "The royal family is no stranger to scandal, and they are embracing her in spite of any of that. This is Harry and Meghan's day."
Some media outlets [praised](https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/18/europe/royal-wedding-update-intl/index.html) Markle's decision to walk on her own as a progressive moment for feminism.
"It's a strong-woman moment for her," said Charli Penn, the senior digital lifestyle and relationships editor at Essence.
Markle’s ethnicity, too, will push the Windsor family to become more [relatable](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/12/world/europe/meghan-markle-prince-harry-royal-wedding-race.html) for the three percent of the British population that is black, at a time of rising intolerance in the country.
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/royal-wedding-watch-inside-the-modern-monarchy).
L’Oréal is doubling down on its investment in tech. The French beauty giant unveiled two new high-tech products ahead of CES 2022, aimed at simplifying the hair coloring process. Guive Balooch, global vice president of L’Oréal Technology Incubator, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss the company's innovations for hair coloring, including the Colorsonic application device and the Coloright AI diagnostic tool.
After meeting by chance in an airport, legendary actor Bill Murray and world-renowned cellist Jan Vogler joined forces to put out an album of poetry and music, go on a European concert tour, and release a feature documentary. Murray and Vogler joined Cheddar to dish about the experiences taking their “New Worlds: The Cradle of Civilization" on the road and filming the documentary that followed the pair, along with Mira Wang on violin and Vanessa Perez on piano, at their final show in Greece. "When this opportunity to play with Jan and Mira and Vanessa came along, I thought, well how bad can I be with these people behind me," Murray self-deprecatingly noted about his own musical talents.
On this episode of Cheddar Reveals: Director of Programs at Alpine Ascents breaks down how to mentally and physically prepare for climbing Mount Everest; American Himalayan Foundation's Vice President discusses Sherpa culture and ethos, and why they are so critical to the climb; A look at Curiosity Stream's 'History by the Numbers.'
All around the world, speed limits are placed on public roads to promote car safety and save lives. In that same world, car manufacturers have continued to look for ways to build faster and faster cars. Despite the dangers of speeding, many drivers are guilty of pushing the pedal from time to time. With cars being such a prevalent culture in everyday life, especially in the US, it’s worth wondering what it would take for car companies to once and for all settle the argument of safety versus freedom.
A recent study by MSI uncovers a vast racial divide in influencer marketing. The research found a 35% racial pay gap between white and black influencers. This gap is extremely wider than the gap in other industries such as education, business, and finance. The research also suggests that brands and agencies have the power to close this gap. Tiffany Hardin, founder and CEO of Gild Creative Group, joins Cheddar News to discuss.
Student loan collection company Navient agreed to cancel $1.7 billion in debt and paid more than $140 million in other penalties to settle a lawsuit over abusive lending practices. Josh Shapiro, the attorney general of Pennsylvania who led negotiations in the settlement, joined Cheddar to go over the details of the company's predatory lending. "What Navient would do is charge [borrowers] these exorbitantly high rates, even though they knew people couldn't pay them or they would likely default on them," he explained.
Retail platform operator and delivery company, Foxtrot,
raised $100 million in a Series C round led by D1 Capital Partners. Foxtrot bills itself as the modern convenience store that combines what it calls in-store curated discovery with 30-minute delivery and 5-minute pickup. Since launching first as a digital-only delivery service, the company has since grown into a popular local retailer, opening 16 brick and mortar locations across Chicago, Dallas, and Washington, DC. Foxtrot co-founder and CEO Michael LaVitola joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
