With a wedding date set for May 2018, planning for the royal wedding has surely begun, and I cannot wait to see Prince Harry and Meghan Markle say “I do.” I know I’m not the only one still gushing over their engagement—that ring was enough to make me cry. Usually, the bride and groom would pick out bridesmaids, groomsmen, the flower girl and the ring bearer, but things are a little different for royal weddings. So will we see Meghan’s famous friends in her wedding party as bridesmaids? Unfortunately, it looks like the answer is no.
To make a long story short, the reason we probably won’t see Priyanka Chopra, Serena Williams and Meghan’s other celeb friends joining her at the altar is because of tradition. It’s not common to see adult women in a royal wedding party unless they are the matron of honor. In these weddings, the bridal party is usually made up of children or teenagers. “Most royal brides do not have adult bridesmaids,” Marlene Koenig, a British and European royalty expert told Town & Country. “It would be unusual for a royal bride to have a woman in her late 30s as a maid or matron of honor. The Duchess of Cambridge having her sister, Pippa, was unusual. I would be less surprised, however, if one of [Meghan’s] friends read a lesson during the service.”
There were some questions as to whether Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton would be part of the wedding as matron of honor because she is a married woman, but, as far as we know, Kate hardly knows Meghan, so that wouldn’t really make sense. She’s also pregnant and due in April, just one month before the wedding, so she might not be prepared to take on such a large role in the wedding.
Markle has a half sister, but she likely won’t be part of the nuptials either considering her recent comments about Meghan not supporting her family financially or emotionally and how that could “destroy” her marriage. So let’s assume she won’t be anywhere near the bride on her big day.
So who will the wedding party include? I’m so curious to see how this unfolds. Maybe Meghan will break tradition and make Priyanka and Serena her bridesmaids, or perhaps she’ll have some of Harry’s family fill the roles. I guess only time will tell, but no matter what she chooses, I’m sure the wedding will be beautiful.