“No ring, no bring” is no longer a thing. Actress Meghan Markle is invited to join boyfriend Prince Harry at Pippa Middleton’s wedding to James Matthews next month, multiple outlets reported this week. However, there’s a caveat.
When Middleton, 33, weds Matthews, 41, at St. Mark’s Church in Berkshire on May 20, Markle will not be present for the actual ceremony. According to People, unwritten protocol calls for only the married and engaged partners of invited guests to physically witness the bride and groom exchange vows. The bride and groom are already expected to have a small wedding, though they’re opening up the after-party to a larger number of guests.
While the Suits actress will not witness the nuptials, Markle has secured a seat at the couple’s reception. According to Us Weekly, the outdoor party will be held at the Middleton family’s Bucklebury estate later that evening, and a luxury tent will be erected on the grounds of the garden.
(L-R) Michael Middleton, James Matthews, James Middleton, Pippa Middleton and Carole Middleton arrive to attend a Christmas Day service at St Mark’s Church in Englefield on December 25, 2016. / AFP / POOL / Andrew Matthews (Photo credit should read ANDREW MATTHEWS/AFP/Getty Images)
Markle’s invite to the high-profile nuptials indicates that she and Prince Harry are getting rather serious. According to Us, this isn’t the first wedding the two have attended together. The actress also recently joined Harry in Jamaica for his best friend Tom Inskip’s destination nuptials.
One source tells the magazine that an engagement is expected sometime in 2017. Just this past Easter weekend, Prince Harry joined Markle in Toronto in lieu of formal Easter festivities with Queen Elizabeth II.
While Markle has scored a place card at what’s expected to be the wedding of the year, the Canadian native will miss out on loads of cuteness during the ceremony. As previously reported, Kensington Palace confirmed that both Prince George and Princess Charlotte will have starring roles in the wedding as a page boy and a bridesmaid.
LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 29: Catherine Middleton waves to the crowds as her sister and Maid of Honour Pippa Middleton holds her dress before walking in to the Abbey to attend the Royal Wedding of Prince William to Catherine Middleton at Westminster Abbey on April 29, 2011 in London, England. The marriage of the second in line to the British throne is to be led by the Archbishop of Canterbury and will be attended by 1900 guests, including foreign Royal family members and heads of state. Thousands of well-wishers from around the world have also flocked to London to witness the spectacle and pageantry of the Royal Wedding. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)
It still remains unknown whether Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton will serve in the wedding party, though the Palace also confirmed that she will be attending alongside Prince William.
