This Is Why British Royals Save the Top of Their Wedding Cake

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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been shaking it up in terms of royal wedding traditions. One of the traditions they broke was opting out of the traditional fruitcake typically served at royal weddings and instead decided to serve a lemon elderflower cake instead. Prince William and Kate Middleton (and many generations before them!) had dutifully served the traditional dessert at their wedding. These are the tiny details you might have missed at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding.

Saving the top tier

Unlike American tradition where the cake top is saved (and stored in the back of the freezer) to be enjoyed on the first anniversary, the British royal family has a different purpose for saving their cake: to serve at their future children’s christenings. How sweet! (Pun intended.)

According to Fiona Cairns, the baker of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding cake, the first tier was served at the christening of Prince George in 2013, the second at Princess Charlotte’s in 2015, and the third at Prince Louis’s in 2018.

So will Prince Harry and Meghan Markle save the tiers of their lemon elderflower cake? It’s still too soon to tell. But it isn’t too soon to start baking a delicious Triple Layer Lemon Cake of our own to celebrate the couple’s upcoming celebration. In the meantime, check out these 14 other times Prince Harry and Meghan Markle broke royal protocol.