Does everyone remember Kate Middleton‘s wedding? Or rather, Pippa Middleton‘s presence at Kate’s wedding? It’s certainly all that was talked about at the time — and it appears Pippa’s family feared the same would happen at her nuptials. A royal expert claims the Middletons didn’t want Meghan Markle at Pippa’s wedding, fearing that Meghan’s presence would “overshadow” the bride. In the end, Meghan attended only the reception.
Given the timeline of Harry and Meghan’s relationship, the Middletons’ hesitation makes a bit more sense. While the duo first met in 2016 (and news of their relationship leaked to the public in October of that year), they didn’t officially go public with their relationship until May 2017. Their first public outing was a polo match; their first royal outing, in October 2017, was at the Invictus Games opening ceremony.
Pippa’s wedding to James Matthews was in May 2017 — right around the time Harry and Meghan were first revealing their relationship to the world. Naturally, the media was (even more) desperate to get a glimpse of the couple, and the Middleton family feared how that would play out. According to The Sun’s royal correspondent Emily Andrews, “Meghan faced some opposition from the Middleton family, who didn’t want to invite her to Pippa’s wedding last May. They feared Meghan’s first public appearance with Prince Harry would overshadow the bride’s big day.”
Did Prince Harry really drive 100 miles to get Meghan Markle inside Pippa Middleton's wedding reception? https://t.co/i412S4QPd3pic.twitter.com/r2rM6Qr4eq
— E! News (@enews) May 22, 2017
Meghan was ultimately invited to the evening reception, not the ceremony itself — but Harry, who attended both, went out of his way to make her feel at home. After the ceremony, Harry reportedly traveled 50 miles each direction to pick up Meghan from Kensington Palace and personally take her to reception. A source at the time said this: [Harry] left as discreetly as possible and travelled with her all the way back up, showing just how serious he is about her. He didn’t want Meghan having to arrive alone, without him alongside her, at the reception.”
Pippa’s wedding certainly looked like an intimidating event, and Meghan was no doubt grateful to arrive with Harry at her side. Given the frenzy surrounding their relationship, we can hardly blame the Middletons for fearing an overzealous media reaction to Meghan’s presence — but we’re glad Meghan was able to celebrate at least part of this special day.
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