Queen Elizabeth II formally signs Instrument of Consent, approving royal wedding

LONDON -- A week before the big day, Queen Elizabeth II has formally signed off on the royal wedding.

Buckingham Palace has released photos of the Instrument of Consent, a handwritten document in which Queen Elizabeth II gives her consent for Prince Harry to marry Meghan Markle.

The queen's formal consent to wed is required by British law for the first six people in the line of succession to the throne. Harry is currently sixth in line, though he was fifth before the birth of Prince Louis in April.

The document itself is illuminated on vellum and features a design to the left of the text that incorporates a red dragon, the symbol of Wales. To the right sits a rose, the national flower of the United States, and golden poppies, the state flower of California, in a nod to Markle's heritage.

Harry and Markle are set to marry on May 19 at St. George's Chapel in Windsor.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.