One of my favorite dumb dramas from the early days of Prince Harry and Meghan’s courtship and engagement was the stupidity around whether Meghan was invited to Pippa Middleton’s wedding to Terribly Moderately Wealthy James Matthews. Do you remember all of that? First of all, the press coverage around Pippa and TMW James was hysterical, and clearly written in Jane Austen-esque prose. Pippa was a simple local beauty from Bucklebury, and James Matthews was the dashing hedge-fund gentleman who was terribly rich. The villain of the fairy tale was Meghan, whose beauty rivaled fair Pippa and it was feared that Meghan’s presence might distract from the Middleton’s gaudy family show. As it turns out, Pips had good reason to fear being overshadowed, because Kate did her damnedest to pull focus on her sister’s wedding day. It was all really funny. But did you know that Meghan was prepared to attend Pippa’s wedding up until the day of??
The media frenzy that followed their every move made them somewhat of a reluctant addition to the guest list for Pippa Middleton’s vows on May 20, 2017. Both the bride and her mom, Carole, privately harbored concerns that the American actress’s presence alongside Harry might overshadow the main event.
Meghan put careful thought into her outfit, leaning heavily on Jessica [Mulroney] to pull together an ensemble that was stylish without being splashy when walking into the church with Harry. Her determination not to make a misstep at Pippa’s wedding was just one in many actions she took befitting a woman on track to becoming royalty.
Despite her best efforts, Meghan’s presence at Pippa’s wedding did pose a problem—but it had nothing to do with her clothes. The day of the nuptials, The Sun ran a cover story, “It’s Meghan v Pippa in the . . . Wedding of the Rears,” accompanied by a rearview paparazzi picture of Meghan in yoga pants leaving a central London yoga studio that week side by side with the infamous photo of Pippa from behind during Kate’s 2011 wedding ceremony.
Harry and Meghan agreed that she couldn’t possibly turn up at the church, only fifty meters away from a specially arranged media pen, after such a crass cover story. If they worried their arrival might create a media circus despite taking every precaution, now they had no doubt that it would. Meghan’s church outfit, and Philip Treacy hat, would have to be worn another time.
[From Finding Freedom: Harry, Meghan, and the Making of a Modern Royal Family]
“Both the bride and her mom, Carole, privately harbored concerns that the American actress’s presence alongside Harry might overshadow the main event” – privately harbored, OH MY GOD. That was literally the conversation for months! The Middletons were so pressed that a glamorous American would steal focus from Precious Pippa and the Middletons absolutely sent stories out before the wedding, encouraging Meghan to avoid the wedding but still wanting Harry to come.
Anyway, Finding Freedom also says that Meghan and Harry did drive to Bucklebury together, and Harry “dropped Meghan off at the Airbnb a close friend and fellow wedding guest had rented before continuing on to the chapel.” Meghan then changed into her reception outfit, “a decidedly unflashy long black gown and did her own makeup.” A hairdresser had already done her hair that morning, when she was still considering attending the wedding. After the wedding, Harry returned to the Airbnb and he and Meghan had lunch together, then they went to the evening reception where Pippa made all couples sit separately. Meghan ended up seated at the same table as Mirka Federer, who was at the wedding with her husband Roger Federer. Harry and Meghan reunited on the dance floor but they largely had a quiet night and drove back to London at around 2 am. I’m absolutely positive that the Middletons consider Mirka and Meghan the same way: as women to be ignored and shunned so that their husbands can pay attention to Kate and Pippa. So f–king tacky.
Photos courtesy of WENN, Avalon Red, Backgrid.
Overshadow who??
Exactly. Pippa is a nonfactor. Ain’t nobody asking for her.
Pippa looking like Wallis Simpson
And how? Presumably everyone there was a friend of the couple’s, there to celebrate their wedding and not going to be overshadowed by another guest (I mean, Roger Federer was there too). Of course the real answer is the Middletons are fame balls and were afraid the media would be more interested in Meghan and Harry than in Pippa, as if her wedding was a national event. After all Meghan and Harry had attended other weddings before and after they were married with no issue.
Carole Middleton thought Pippa’s wedding was just as an important social event as Kate Moss’ or Lady Melissa Percy’s, daughter of the Duke of Northumberland, wedding.
Oh yeah, Ma Middleton could only wish for Pippa’s wedding to have been as aristocratic at Lady Melissa Percy’s…ha! Hers came with a much better tiara too!
@L84Tea Pippa wore a tiara?? I thought it was a clip. How … strange to do that when you’re not royal or it’s not part of your family tradition.
This exactly.
At least Meghan still tried her best to let the bride remain in the spotlight. And I’m quite sure Meghan can handle sitting by herself unlike somebody’s assistant.
Pippa’s not a thing, failed to be a thing around her sister’s wedding, and will never be a thing.
Meghan’s got real candlepower.
The Middleton women do not.
/fin
You know, I cant believe I’m about to type this, but…..
looking back, Kate’s dress for Pippa’s wedding wasn’t actually that bad. I mean at the time I thought it was awful, but consider some of the really hideous dresses we have seen her wear over the past 3 years. In comparison, this one wasn’t bad, lol.
As for the rest – it all just makes me sad. Meghan had to go hang out in some random AirBnB by herself while Harry was at the ceremony? and then she couldn’t even sit with Harry at the reception? (is that normal for UK weddings?) There wasn’t another entrance to the church she could have used?
At least this story makes it sound like it was Meghan’s choice not to attend the ceremony, not the Middletons.
That’s like old school seating arrangement rules in many places-they used to have couples sit apart so they would be forced to mingle with strangers at the party. I have still attended weddings and dinner parties in the US where this is the case. I think it’s awful, particularly since many times, the plus one literally knows nobody and it’s forcing them even more out of their comfort zone and maybe they might not make a good impression. I was watching one of the final episodes of I’ll Be Gone in the Dark and Michelle McNamara did this at her wedding and I guess some people think it’s a great idea and some people do not.
Fellow “I’ll be gone in the dark” viewer. Michelle did this but also sat them in tables where everyone at the table had something in common and had to guess what that was. I thought that was pretty interesting way to sit people.
@superbass – Every formal wedding with a sit-down dinner I have attended seated people this way. This is the reason for place cards so you know where to sit and people may find out your name without asking.
How dreadful! I’m very introverted and I rely on my partner to get me through these types of social events. It would be absolutely miserable to be forced to a table of strangers away from him all evening.
omg I would hate that! I know they do it at the state dinner but it makes more sense to me there. I have never attended a wedding that sat people like that.
The long-time custom for upper crust dos is to seat couples together until their first wedding anniversary. After a year of marriage, they are seated separately at events. Dating/engaged couples are placed together.
I don’t get the big deal about couples sitting apart. A person can’t have a conversation without being being at the same table with their spouse? Really? Come on. That’s pathetic.
@villanelle Nobody here is saying that they can’t make small talk. Most people, introverts included, can handle some causal conversation. But a wedding is supposed to be fun (at least I want my wedding to be), and for many, hours of small talk with strangers can be exhausting. I can only speak from personal experience, but this kind of seating arrangement really was a buzz kill at the last wedding i was at. Dinner lasted from 6-10pm, I was 7 months pregnant, and no one at my table knew each other. 4 hours of stilted conversation later and I made a mad dash to the hotel.
Similar to when a couple decides on a head table for their reception and has their wedding party sit at the front of the room with them. If you’re the date of someone in the wedding party, you’re seated separately. It can be so painfully awkward if you’ve got a new significant other who doesn’t know your social circle that well yet. I see more couples doing sweetheart tables, which is kind of them. My husband and I sat with our immediate family at a table set just like everyone else’s.
The Middletons were pretending to be aristocrats with this type of seating but the recent Tatler article reminded them that they will never be accepted.
Kate’s saggy boob dress was not great and she had a school marm attitude for the paps that day. The one photo we didn’t see was the one where james and Pippa are walking out of the church and all the other guests are well behind them… except for Kate who happens to be right in their shot.
The colour and style read pretty dated and fussy to me, but if the goal is not to overshadow Pippa…it gets the job done.
My only point of reference for upper crust British social norms are Downton Abbey and a whole bunch of golden age mystery novels, but I think the idea of sitting couples separately was another way to make outsiders uncomfortable – like, if you can’t make intelligent conversation with Lord Salisbury- Pinkerton about his estate’s horse breeding venture, what are you even doing here?
However, Meghan doesn’t seem like she would have any difficulty making conversation or making other people feel at ease, at least based on her public appearances. So that strategy would likely backfire.
The purpose of the seating is networking – it dates back to times of handwritten letters and any formal gathering would be valuable time for everyone to firm their bonds. The seating is usually very strategic and people spend weeks arranging and rearranging it so that you would be placed with people who’s company you might enjoy and/ or profit from.
“like, if you can’t make intelligent conversation with Lord Salisbury- Pinkerton about his estate’s horse breeding venture, what are you even doing here?”
I had a good laugh at that sentence!
I agree. I am certain that Meghan held her own and was comfortable and conversed with everyone. Look at her resume, working in Argentina was probably an eye opener for her. But everyone I met while I was living there was absolutely welcoming and charming! And they LOVE to talk!! I think it has to do with a considerably amount of Italian immigration. And the steaks!! Steaks that melt in your mouth like butter! God I miss the meat in Argentina! And the leather!! It’s incredibly inexpensive and beautifully done! Purses, bags you jackets!!
Kate’s dress IMO was bad. It was ill fitting around the bust. It also was too retro forties, like something her grandmother would have worn.
Objectively, yes, it was bad. But consider the monstrosities from the Ireland tour! At least this dress has no buttons, no lace, no polka dots, lol.
You guys…I have it downloading. The kindle is charging (10%), and I’m avoiding spoilers like crazy. My older half-siblings are bat shit too…let’s do this!
Who sits couples separately at a wedding? I know that this is all “royal protocol” during state dinners so they can make conversation with other guests.. but it’s ridiculous and try hard at best at a wedding. Also, Meghan made the right call to not show up at the wedding ceremony — it would have been a circus indeed at no fault of her own and the Midds would have hated her even more.
Yes I also thought this is for royal state dinners. But since I’m not British, maybe this is allowed for dinner parties and weddings.
To be fair to Pippa, it’s her wedding so generally what bride wants, bride gets. My question is did Pippa also cause Kate to cry lol.
Just an aside, I actually love Pippa’s wedding dress on her.
I think extremely traditional etiquette says married couples are separated but I don’t know how much it is adhered to today.
Wasn’t there something about couples being sat together for a year after the wedding, though?
In any event, an unmarried couple would not be invited together so the Middletons were already breaking those rules.
It’s a very weird piece of etiquette, but still very prevalent in Britain. Not only couples but family and close friends are never sat together at the dinner table at a party or reception, it’s perceived as very bad manners on the part of the hostess. Like you are so insignificant that you might as well sit next to the one that brought you since you couldn’t possibly have anything interesting to say to anyone else. If you’ve noticed that at the BAFTAs no one ever sits next to their date/spouse. It’s another one of those American vs. British cultural things.
That’s why I never enjoy attending weddings. You’re sat on a table full of total strangers, you’ve never seen before, will probably never see again. A wedding would probably be fun if people were sat with their family and friends.
I went to a wedding that did a version of this. Couples weren’t seated next to each other but at least at the same table. The couple was based in London (although not British, well the groom’s mother was British but he grew up in US) and the wedding was in Paris. It was fun as I was lucky to be seated next to kind and interesting folks and it was only for the dinner portion of the wedding, which did not go on for hours. Frankly, it was much better than the weddings I’ve gone to without a plus one in the US, where all of us singles get seated at the odd spares table like a wedding table island of broken toys.
tl;dr, I, personally, don’t find being seated apart from one’s partner for a couple of hours at most that big of a deal.
Just reading the headline alone made me laugh. I knew the Middletons were in this mess somewhere!
Reading the actual story just made me shake my head. The tacky-ass tabloids had a direct hand in Meghan not attending that wedding. I mean, it worked out well for Pippa, I suppose. 🙄 But, ugghh, the fact that The Sun had a story *on its cover* comparing Meghan and Pippa’s butts is really gross.
The Sun use to have topless women on Page 3 daily.
The Sun has more vulgar taste and than the Daily Fail if that can be imagined.
Ah, I’ve heard of the Page 3 models! I forgot all about those and didn’t realize it was the same paper. Even though I find the comparing butts article super tacky, I am more offended by DM’s endless typos than topless women. 🙂
Meghan has more grace and class in her pinky than those people looking to smear her every move. She was nothing but considerate and they still felt the need to tear her down.
The only logical thing to do for them was to keep it a private wedding. not pretend they kept it provate. Pippa is not royal and the fact that the few public things she did get involved in weren’t a huge success, only proved how unsuitable she is for being a celebrity. No shame in that either.
Absolutely tasteless to separate couples. Let’s make certain no one enjoys the already full festivities?
If you’re worried someone’s mere presence will overshadow the biggest day of you life, the issues likely lie with you.
But seriously seating couples separately? Was this Will and Kate’s ploy to get a break from each other?
Just have to say this seating arrangement is absolutely normal at UK weddings, everyone does it. I actually like it cos you get to meet new people. You’re usually sitting next to the opposite sex, but I’d have loved to chat to Mirka
It is also absolutely normal in Denmark. Never been to a formal dinner where couples sit together.
You are exactly right!! The fact that Pippa was threatened by Meghan is due to her insecurities, nothing more and nothing less. Though I am surprised that she did not attend. As everyone has mentioned, she attended other weddings and she was not front and center and acting as if she was drawing attention to herself. In fact when you look at pictures of them attending a wedding, she walks arm in arm with Harry as she walks straightforward and does not seek any attention.
Now, if Meghan was really an attention seeker as the press and the Royal Family portrayed her, she would have gone to the wedding ceremony.
In assless chaps, just to give everyone a good look 😆
😂😂😂
Pippa looked so happy and pretty on her wedding day. I kinda miss her socialite days
But isn’t she still a socialite? I don’t think she has an actual job…
I don’t think she was ever a socialite!
The Middletons.
Literally the blandest, most Wonder Bread, melted vanilla ice cream climbers in British history. Like, how did two sisters from a tacky party supply store manage to bigfoot their way into these two families?
Here’s another prediction: I don’t know if Harry and Meghan are gonna make it. (I hope like hell they do.) But if they eventually do split, I suspect the knives will be out for poor Meghan. They will abandon any and all impulse toward civility and go all in with the British tabs. I honestly believe she and Harry are truly in love, but his brother and sister-in-law literally ran her off over nothing more than petty jealousy.
I feel so sorry for her. Truly.
Anon, I hoped getting away from the UK and the insanity is good for their marriage. I think if they remained, they would have taken their frustrations with the RF and the press on each other. Bring a baby into it and having conflict on how the Palace thinks he should be raised would make the pressure worse. Couples can fight healthily but external factors which you cannot control can really strain a marriage and the two of them could start blaming each other and themselves.
Are you forgetting how racisty and snobby the Pigeons are?
Who the FFFF do these people think they are? In what world would PIPPA VANILLA BASIC be more important than Prince Harry’s WIFE? I am now positive the Middletons own the pot garden next door, it’s the only possible explanation.
Haha well said! 👏👏😀
It’s very possible. I know a guy who owns a pot farm in Colorado and he is making MONEY. Like biiiig money.
That would be right up James’ alley…along with the countless puppies he appears to sell.
Carole never privately worried about anything. She gleefully contributed to the DM when she could and that interview she gave criticizing work ethic was classless and pathetic. Especially considering her children, especially Kate, have no work ethic whatsoever.
2nd pic of James Middleton arm in arm with a lady in a pink coat dress — legit thought that was Kate. Sorry not Sorry
Then you saw the pic of Kate dressed for a wedding in the war years and thought it was Ma.
Ma Kettle!!
Does anyone else think it’s weird to invite your brother-in-law’s brother to your wedding?
I do but I don’t think it’s terribly weird. If Harry found it very weird he could RSVP no. I’m South East Asian lol our parents dictate who to invite.
Harry again being supportive of Will and Kate, even going to Kate’s sisters wedding.
Especially when you tag line is you don’t want to be overshadowed, so invite another Prince.
I don’t think so. My brother in law’s brother regularly comes to our family functions and spends the holidays with us so I feel like it is just a further extension of the family!
Of course I had to Google “Wedding of the Rears”! 😂
How do you overshadow a non-MFing-factor??
The Middleton’s are irrelevant
Omg the drama around Pippa’s wedding was SO ridiculous. I still remember the video of Pippa and her husband slowly exiting the church after the ceremony and then just standing there for a few minutes for no reason, letting the press take a million pictures as Pippa smiled widely. It was soooo cheesy. I understand she was happy to get married, I’m sure that was exciting. But her glee at seeing the media there just like they were for her sister, she absolutely loved it. Then they sloowwwwly walked out to a car waiting for them, finally letting their poor wedding guests waiting behind them. I don’t remember how Kate pulled focus, she went off to the side with the kids to give her sister her moment? Sure, the media took a lot of pics of her which makes sense but her dress was awful and that’s all I remember. I will say I really did love Pippa’s wedding dress, it was so much better than Kate’s. So Pippa outshined her sister in the wedding dress department.
As for Meghan, how stressful that must have been to not decide until the last minute to not go to the ceremony. That stupid article definitely didn’t help but if I were in Meghan’s shoes, I would have been so upset at being left at an Airbnb during the ceremony, like some kind of booty call. I wished Harry had decided to not go to the ceremony either. I get it’s his brother’s SIL so he probably didn’t want to ruffle feathers that early on. And I guess that might have caused more drama but I can’t imagine what Meghan must have been thinking. And then to get to the reception and to not be seated next to your significant other. I would have hated that whole trip. Side note: I hate weddings that do not seat their plus ones at the same table. I think it’s fine if you want to stagger plus ones but they should be at the SAME table as their date. This nonsense of separating couples is just stupid. I get it at formal events like a state dinner but most weddings are not state dinners.
Lol, Meghan can be stressed but she cannot cry. Meghan was stressed at her own wedding, but had to show her game face on but Kate can cry.
And the media following Pippa on her honeymoon continued the ridiculousness.
As a tennis fan, I would DIE to sit next to Mirka. What if she liked to drink and gossip? But that’s not the point, but still… Pipa’s weeding lead up was a mess. But, she looked nice and put Kate in a frumpy dress which made me laugh. I have a sister, I know this game.
Legit concerns since Pippa is easy to overshadow 🙂
I’m glad the Middletons are getting dragged in this, especially if being part of the smear campaign. Tatler told the awful truth about them.
Story is that Pippa and Carole were also leaking to the press and Harry’s lawsuit found the receipts. The Mids have a loooooooooooong history of leaking RF stories to the media.
Very interesting. That may also explain why the Middleton presence at royal events has decreased noticeably in recent years (along with their entitled desperation). I always thought it so odd that they were at the Diamond Jubilee on the Queen’s boats and some of the family hunts.
The fact that these people got an invite to Harry and Meghan’s wedding still tick me off. Harry even attending Pippa’s wedding shows how well he supported William and Kate through the years and again highlight how they, neither of them did nothing to return that support.
They wanted it both ways. I didn’t care at all about Pip’s wedding, but I watched the arrivals, based on the VERY CAREFULLY curated thought that Meghan might be there. Eugenie and Jack were in attendance, so that ‘no ring, no bring’ nonsense the Midds floated didn’t materialize. They got way more media interest in that wedding than they would have otherwise. I certainly wouldn’t have been interested other than to check out pictures of George and Charlotte afterward, if that. So they got eyeballs, clicks for the tabs, and the ability to keep Meghan out of sight. So I think this was a win for Mama Carole. And maybe a harbinger of things to come.
Exactly. They wanted the clicks and hype that Meghan’s presence would bring to Pippa’s wedding, but without Meghan actually being there. Users through and through. It summed the Middletons up so well.
Hahahahahaha
Yes the hot smart American MIGHT overshadow the orange frumpy female Wallace (of Wallace And Gromit fame…the smile is the same!). I wonder how she would have managed that, truly a mystery.
Pippa was certainly the best looking Middleton bride.
True.
But the choice is between A Living Cheeto and Cone-Boob Eyeliner Disaster, so.
OMG HAHAHAHAHAAH
I am more interested in the Spencer Diana memorial service than these inane distasteful shenanigans
Oh please a brown paper bag could pull attention from the Middleton’s their are dulled boring basic and think way to highly of themselves. They wanted the dose of drama with Pippa wedding they totally play into the media storm when it came to Meghan they completely used Meghan and harry relationship to hype up Pippa wedding with the press. While also throwing in little digs about harry relationship to the press . I wanted to point out that the daily mail started a rumor of doria doing a interview with Oprah and the press went wild and even people on this site claimed that she was going to do the interview it never happened. But somehow no one has a problem with Pippa using Kensington Palace to announce her wedding and her plans like how is ok for the sisters in law of the future king to used her palace connection to acted like she a royal family member when she not .
i watched something about charles and camillas relationship during his marriage to diana and they brought up that among this social set the acceptable behavior is to be monogamous to your spouse until your first child is born then its ok to have a mistress.
Im not saying for sure this is why they have this tradition during formal event for the elites but its what i thought of
How lucky of William and Kate their kids and the entire Middleton clan and their family and friends to be protected by any scrutiny at the expense of the black family. Smh.
Exactly. And how hard would it be to overshadow Pippa? I mean come off it. Exposed brick could do that.
I can’t wait for my copy. I’ve never gotten the hype for Pippa. Her non-existent butt and all the attention paid to her because she’s Kate sister was so over the top. Of course, Meghan was going to over shadow Pippa. She’s Harry future wife, girlfriend at time. The Midds had no problem using her attendance for attention. They just didn’t want her to be better than them at everything royal, which Meghan did just by breathing.
How do you ‘over-shadow’ a non-entity? Pippa had tried to make something of herself both in the UK and in the United States and had failed MISERABLY.
If this book does anything to show the Middletons for the vicious climbers that they are, then it deserves a Pulitzer.
Who the hell do the Middletons think they are to act like this was a Royal Wedding too?! Dear lord-what a bunch of tacky, social climbers.
All I’m hearin’ in my head is: “Mr. Collins! You can’t sit next to your wife. Move!”
Them Middletons are hilarious. No self-awareness.
Haha haha!! I loved that shout from Dame Dench!! She is a treasure!!
Also, Pippa is a nobody as well as her social climbing, classless, uncooth, and mean spirited mother. How her husband puts up with her, I will never know! He doesn’t come off as socially grubby as she does. He seems to be a shadow just standing off to the side to eliminate any direct attacks from her. Given the way that she treats her employees, I would imagine that she is mean spirited and nasty to the bone.
I’ve been to many weddings, it’s really not possible to upstage a bride-but the tabloids are ruthless so I understand why she stayed home.
I dunno. This is the one concern that I feel is kinda valid. Every other reaction to H+M is so dramatic and overblown but I don’t think it’s out of line for a bride to want to be the focus on her wedding day. This seems less a case of ‘OMG MEGHAN WILL LOOK MORE FAMOUS THAN PIPPA’ and more a situation of recognizing the intense media scrutiny on Meghan and not wanting her attendance to be what everyone is looking at, talking about, etc. A wedding should be about the couple getting married, not about who is attending the service.
Like me, as a regular person, I would not want .. say .. Kim Khardasian to attend my wedding because dang it! It’s supposed to be my day!
Bringing up Kim Kardashian reminded me of when Taylor Swift crashed a Kennedy wedding!!
A cooled off piece of toast overshadows Pippa.
Omg lol. Pippa who? I bet Harry is halo to be far away from the Middleton clan
lol they’re right to feel threatened! Despite not being seen, all the tabloids were guessing Meghan’s outfits and how harry drove back to their place to pick her up.
The insecure idiots dont realise but Meghan did them a favour that day because no one cared about Pippa Middleton. I mean she barely got attention in the US during her stunt with todayshow(matt lauer seemed interested👀) and much like her random party book, she’s useless
The jokes on them now. James Middleton better follow Beatrice and have a private wedding because the sussexs are definitely NOT GOING TO ATTEND his wedding. I only see them coming for trooping the colour (if they ever)
Was there any concern about William and Harry outshining James in the conspicuous bulges in the the trouser dept? 🙄 The sexist language and invasive photos that the DM and Sun use are nothing new but sometimes I’m disgusted anew.
I really loved the whole look of the wedding, the Middletons are awful though. I really feel for Meghan in that situation, I would have been an anxious mess.
Ouch. Some pretty mean comments about Pippa here. I guess I am in the minority, but I understand why the sister of a very famous woman might want some of the spotlight on her wedding day. Everywhere Pippa goes, for the rest of her life, she is Kate’s sister. Her children are first and foremost George’s cousins etc. And then Harry’s controversial, stunningly beautiful fiancee makes her public debut (more or less) at her wedding? At the absolute peak point of global interest in her? I’m not sure I’d be happy about that either. Didn’t Meghan cancel her attendance at the wedding of a fellow Suits cast member because she didn’t want to overshadow the event? I actually think it was very gracious for the Middletons to extend the invitation and very mature and thoughtful for Meghan to skip the service.
I will never not think it’s hilarious that they had a ‘media pen’ at her wedding. The Middleton’s are so try hard it’s funny.