Since making it official on Saturday afternoon, there’s been much talk about Pippa Middleton’s wedding to James Matthews and the fact that Meghan Markle, the girlfriend of Pippa’s brother-in-law Prince Harry, was not invited to the ceremony.
‘They’ve been dating for a year, what’s the big deal?’ people cried.
‘It’s because the royal family doesn’t support the relationship!’ others claimed conspiratorially.
'Divorcees aren't welcome,' others purported.
But in case you missed it, another star attendee of the couple's nuptials was also banned from bringing a date to the wedding - the groom's younger brother and groomsman, Spencer Matthews.
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(If you're wondering why Spencer's name rings a bell, the youngest member of the Matthews family was, for a time, one of the leading cast members of the scripted reality show Made in Chelsea, acted as The Bachelor in the UK's 2012 series, and appeared in the 2015 UK series of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here.)
But despite the fact that Spencer is currently dating radio host and model Vogue Williams, he too, like Prince Harry, was not given a plus one for his brother's big day.
Girlfriends and boyfriends were invited to attend the reception, sources close to the couple said, but the solid rule of the ceremony was 'no ring no bring' - Prince Harry and Spencer Matthews included. (Interestingly, Pippa's brother James Middleton seemed to be exempt from the steadfast rule, attending the ceremony and reception with his girlfriend, Donna Air.)
So while it may have been highly disappointing to miss an opportunity to spot Meghan Markle at the side of Prince Harry, at least he wasn't the only singleton in attendance.
Gallery: Pippa Middleton and James Matthews' May wedding.
Top Comments
Princess Eugenie took her boyfriend...
As I understand it, James and Donna have been together for a fair while, whereas Spencer and Vogue haven't been together very long. Perhaps that is the difference? It's also a possibility that it was Harry's idea for Meghan not to come to the ceremony, to avoid distracting from the bride and/or speculation about his own relationship. Everyone seems to be so ready to criticise these two. They've had a huge wedding, sure, but why shouldn't they? It's their lives and their money - and God knows they can afford it - so good luck to them.