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The Sussexes

Fears that the decorative flowers on the royal wedding cake could make guests ill

The final preparations are well underway for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s fast-approaching nuptials.

And the wedding dress aside, one thing guests are likely to be excited to see is the cake in all its delicious glory.

However, putting a slight dampener on the excitement, is a warning that has been issued suggesting that the royal couple could fall ill if they sample the beautiful decorative flowers that will be assembled on the cake.

Claire Ptak, the owner of a fashionable east London bakery, is the lucky lady who has been recruited to design and create a luxurious lemon elderflower wedding cake, which will break from the traditional fruit cake seen at previous royal weddings.

The cake will be covered in butter cream and graced in lavish, decorative, fresh flowers to give it a beautiful fresh vibe and incorporate a sense of Spring and all its beautiful flavours.

But people who have been privileged enough to receive an invite to the big day have now been warned to hold back from eating the flowers and exercise caution if they do choose to sample the cake.

Elizabeth Dauncey is a botanical toxicologist who has previously worked in the poison unit at Guy’s and St Thomas’s Hospital, London, and she says: “I don’t think anyone’s idea of a perfect wedding is calling for an ambulance for a guest who assumed the flowers decorating the cake were edible.”

And it’s not just the royal wedding cake which has to come with a warning.

Many decorative garnishes presented as flowers, in both sweet and savoury dishes, can be harmful as they include delphiniums, ranunculus, clematis and anemones.

If digested, the flowers can cause vomiting and irritation of the skin.

According to a spokesperson for Mrs Ptak, she has been unavailable to discuss the fresh flowers which she uses to decorate her lavish cakes, as was revealed to The Times.

However after it was revealed she would be designing the royal wedding cake, she posted on her Instagram “Kinda excited to post this one!! Violet has been chosen to make the wedding cake for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

“They both share so many of the same values regarding food provenance, sustainability, seasonality, and of course, flavour.”

Kensington Palace have released a statement saying: “Prince Harry and Ms Markle are looking forward to sharing the cake with guests at their wedding at Windsor Castle on May 19.”

And even if the flowers are to be avoided, the rest of the edible masterpiece is bound to taste delightful!