Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have asked for charity donations instead of wedding gifts

A message posted on Kensington Palace's official Twitter account reads: "The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have asked that anyone who might wish to mark the #RoyalWedding considers making a donation to charity, rather than sending a wedding gift. (sic)"

The charities include women empowerment charity Myna Mahila Foundation, Scotty's Little Soldiers - which helps children of soldiers, who have lost their lives in battle - and sports charity StreetGames. CHIVA, which works with young people affected by HIV, Crisis - which supports homeless people, Surfers Against Sewage and the Wilderness Foundation complete the seven personally selected charities.

Charity is close to the couple's heart and Meghan's long time friend Janina Gavanka previously revealed that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex - who tied the knot at Windsor Castle on May 19 - bonded over their love of helping others.

She said: "She had just started dating Harry and it was quite clear that that was her guy, that was her one ... They were staying in a tent with nothing and just had each other. I remember when Meghan told me about Botswana. I loved how she was ... pleasantly surprised. Like, this boy is actually just doing this for real. This is not some flouncy trip ... he really means it. They fell in love with nothing around them - no frills, no bells and whistles. All they had was each other, doing good work in a place where nobody was watching them."