Not yet engaged and with less than a year of relationship, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry were ready to enjoy Pippa Middleton’s wedding reception in each other’s company.
But the Princess of Wales’ younger sister had other ideas: a strict seating plan that separated each couple present.
It meant that, instead of spending the night together as a new couple, Harry sat with ITV News at Ten presenter Tom Bradby while Meghan dined with Roger Federer’s wife Mirka.
Guests enjoyed a meal of trout and lamb at the 2017 nuptials of Pippa and hedge fund manager James Matthews, washed down with ‘2002 Dom Ruinart Champagne’, according to Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand’s biography of the Sussexes, Finding Freedom.
James Matthews and Pippa Middleton leave St Mark’s Church on their wedding day in 2017
“Sitting together in the custom glass marquee that had been erected on the 18-acre property should have been a fun night out for the couple, but, at Pippa’s request, neither couple sat together,” they wrote.
Harry and Meghan, who was still new to royal circles at the time, gathered near the dance floor after the meal. And although “old Harry would surely have closed the party with the rest of his friends,” Mr. Scobie and Mrs. Durand point out that The prince, then 32, spent the rest of the night catching up with his girlfriend.
The seating arrangement wasn’t the only challenge the couple faced that day, as Meghan was absent from the ceremony at St Mark’s Church in Englefield, West Berkshire.
Pippa and her mother, Carole Middleton, apparently shared concerns thatt the presence of the royal couple could overshadow the big day.
Meghan Markle wears a black dress at Luminato’s Big Bang Bash in 2016
Prince William and Prince Harry at Pippa’s wedding in Berkshire
St Mark’s Church in Englefield, where Pippa and James married in 2017
The future Duke and Duchess of Sussex eventually agreed that it would be best for Meghan to avoid the church and the media.
The authors of Finding Freedom say that Harry and Meghan came up with a plan that saw them drive to Berkshire on the wedding day.
Meghan stayed at an Airbnb that a close friend had rented on her behalf while Harry attended the service in Englefield.
Meghan did her own makeup and changed into a black dress before Harry returned to Airbnb to have lunch with his partner. He then took them both to the reception at Middleton’s home in Bucklebury.
Kate adjusting her sister’s dress as she entered the church on her wedding day
The glass marquee in Bucklebury, Berkshire, where Pippa’s wedding reception was held.
The beautiful bride Pippa wore a flowy lace dress with an open heart-shaped back, designed by Giles Deacon. She carried a bouquet of peonies, sweet peas, astilbe, freesia, wax flower, snowdrops and mollis.
Prince George, who was just three years old at the time, and Princess Charlotte, then two years old, stole the show as page boy and mini bridesmaid. (Pippa is said to dislike the term “flower girl.”)
George wore an adorable button-down shirt and beige pants, while his sister sported an ivory dress with a blush pink bow and a flower crown, along with a small basket.