Meghan Markle: The complete guide to what it takes to join the Royal Family

“I can very safely say, as naive as it sounds now, I did not have any understanding of just what it would be like.” This was Meghan Markle discussing her “learning curve in the past year and a half” on the day she and Prince Harry announced their engagement last year.

When the US actress first met her royal husband-to-be in 2016, she had no idea that a sidewalk is called a pavement in Britain, or that the lion that appears on the royal coat of arms is England’s national animal.

Meghan found herself in a rather unique predicament as the learning curve has perhaps been steeper for her than any other person marrying into the royal family before her - what are the anti-terrorist drills, history lessons, wardrobe secrets, etiquette and inter-palace politics in place?

When Meghan marries Prince Harry at St George’s Chapel in Windsor on Saturday, she will have to honour and obey the centuries-old customs of the Royal Family.