Newspaper headlines: 'Mega Party' and 'Meghan's manifesto' By BBC News

Staff Published duration 21 May 2018

image copyright PA

A sun-soaked royal wedding is still casting its warm glow on the morning papers.

The Sun, which shows the couple leaving for their evening reception, promises to reveal the secrets of what it calls a "fun-filled early-hours bash".

Those secrets include candy floss; themed cocktails including one called "When Harry Met Meghan"; and dancing competitions among senior royals.

The Daily Mirror says the Hollywood star George Clooney danced with Meghan, then the Duchess of Cambridge but was turned down by Sarah Ferguson.

The Daily Telegraph sets out details of the music, saying it all started with Whitney Houston, before moving into soul classics such as Aretha Franklin, then back to the 80s for Madonna.

But the Daily Mail claims a scoop , insisting the happy couple's first dance was, in fact, Land of a Thousand Dances. It dismisses reports "you might have read elsewhere" that it was Whitney.

Of course, the bigger question is what it all meant for the Royal Family, and the country.

The Daily Mail calls it a glorious day, saying the wedding "symbolised the monarchy's evolution into a contemporary institution - at ease with itself, outward looking, and fit for the 21st century".

Online, the Independent says the event showed "a little less deference, a lot more diversity" adding cautiously that "depending on where you stand on the question of the monarchy, that is the either very bad or very good news."

"Hollywood would kill for the sort of ratings our royal soap scored on Saturday", writes the Sun's Trevor Kavanagh.

"This was a truly uplifting occasion," he says, and "it showed this country is world class".

image copyright Reuters

In the New York Times, its editorial writer Mara Gay - who is mixed race - says she wanted to avoid buying in to "fragile hopefulness" about what is possible for a black woman, and about what is possible for Americans.

But she says she couldn't help but get swept away. "Thank you, Meghan Markle", she concludes, "we needed that."

'Fight for feminism'

The Daily Telegraph says the Duchess of Sussex is to "fight for feminism" in her new public role.

The Daily Mail says she has made it clear she intends to take the Royal Family in a new direction - quoting a source saying she is "keen to make an impact".

In a note of caution in its editorial, the Mail says that while her aims are admirable, she must be careful that her enthusiasm doesn't allow her to be pulled into the political fray: "To survive, the monarchy must remain scrupulously neutral".

While its front page picture shows Harry and Meghan, the Guardian leads with an exclusive that increasing numbers of vulnerable, homeless people are being fined or even imprisoned.

image copyright PA

It says that despite government guidance telling councils not to target rough sleepers authorities in England and Wales have convicted dozens of people for breaching orders which ban begging and loitering.

Campaigners tell the paper that bans on drinking and swearing in town centres are being used to target homeless people, but councils insist they are using the measures only against anti-social behaviour.

The Financial Times says the Grenfell inquiry, which begins on Monday, faces a tough challenge to satisfy its critics.

The paper highlights the mixed record of inquiries, from the high impact of the Macpherson report on Stephen Lawrence's murder, to the Chilcot report on the Iraq war, which was mocked for long delays and labelled a whitewash.

The sudden pause in the trade war between China and the United States is front page news for the Financial Times.

It says the two sides are claiming "meaningful progress" in trade talks, but that the vagueness of the announcement illustrated the vast gap between Beijing and Washington.

image copyright Getty AFP

It says hardliners have been angered, as they think President Trump may have wasted the leverage he had built up with the threat of tariffs.