*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).
Chicago schools opened their doors again following a dispute between the teachers union and the city over as the omicron variant continues to surge, but the safety issues they fought over weren't just limited to the Windy City. Dr. Bayo Curry-Winchell, family medicine and urgent care doctor, joined Cheddar in discussing concerns of parents, teachers, and students as schools try to operate amid COVID and noted what she's been observing as the number of infections among children rises. "I am seeing them contract the illness from so many different aspects," she said. "It could be from a fellow classmate. It could be from a parent. All of those things really play in the effect of transmission as well as contracting the illness."
One startup is working to reverse climate change one seed at a time. Terraformation is a global forest accelerator that provides tools, training, financing, and business support to help scale forest restoration projects worldwide. Forests naturally absorb carbon and Terraformation says that reforestation is a safe, low-cost, and scalable solution to the climate crisis. Yee Lee, VP of growth at Terraformation, joins Cheddar Climate to discuss.
Tony Horton, fitness guru and creator of the famous P90X workout joins Cheddar News to discuss how people can stay focused and maintain fitness in the new year.
Meet Corrine Tan, American Girl’s 2022 Girl of the Year. Corrine is the first doll of Chinese descent from the company, debuting in response to a rise in hate crimes against the Asian American community. Jamie Cygielman, president and general manager of American Girl, spoke to Cheddar about the long development of the character. "As the pandemic began we started to see a lot of anti-Asian sentiment across the country," she said. "We sort of blended all of these stories together to create Corinne, an outline for Corinne, and then partnered with the wonderful author Wendy Shang to help tell that story to our fans." Cygielman also touched on linking up with AAPI Youth Rising, donating $25,000 for education efforts.
Janet Phan, founder of Thriving Elements and author of 'Boldly You,' joins Cheddar News to discuss the importance of being a mentor and how her organization is helping the next generation of STEM leaders.
Daniel Freedman, co-CEO of Burnalong, joins Cheddar News to talk about how Burnalong is helping companies support its staff and prevent workplace burnout.
Dave Epstein, meteorologist and contributor to The Boston Globe, joins Cheddar News to discuss the arctic blast hitting the Midwest and Northeastern area.
Decorated skier Lindsey Vonn did not hold back when touching on mental health in "Rise," her new memoir. "My mental health is definitely part of my story," she said. "Now I'm just thankful that this conversation is so much more talked about — Simone Biles, Naomi Osaka, Kevin Love, Michael Phelps, all have been outspoken about it." She noted that she felt happy that readers, particularly kids, get to see a vulnerable side to her in the book. The gold medalist also went on to note what she's most looking forward to watching in the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
With Martin Luther King Jr. Day fast approaching, Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C. 6th District), the House Majority Whip, talked about the importance of honoring the iconic civil rights activist. "As we consider the life and celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., let's think about who and what we are as a country, and whether or not we're going to give up on the ideals of this country or continue to press forward," he said. Clyburn also discussed the push for new voting legislation, the For the People Act and the John Lewis Act, as well as the fate of the Senate filibuster.
