Meghan Markle Reportedly Skipped Pippa Middleton's Wedding For One Reason
Pippa Middleton's wedding to James Matthews in May 2017 would never match the spectacle of Catherine, Princess of Wales, and William, Prince of Wales' April 2011 extravaganza, watched by an estimated 162 million people worldwide. That said, the event was still super posh, especially by commoner standards, and it was pretty star-studded, with even members of the royal family sitting amongst the hoi polloi in the pews, including Harry, Duke of Sussex. However, there was someone you didn't see at Pippa's wedding: Meghan, Duchess of Sussex.
Sources told The Telegraph that Meghan had scored an invite to Pippa's wedding as Harry's plus one, despite "a no ring, no bring" guest policy. The couple had officially only been dating for around six months at the time, so Harry hadn't put a ring on it yet, but Pippa had decided to make an exception in this case and allow Meghan to tag along. However, ultimately, she was a no-show for one of the most tabloidish supposed reported reasons ever: she wanted to avoid a battle of the butts.
According to "Finding Freedom," by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, Meghan apparently became concerned that her backside would overshadow Pippa's big day — no pun intended — after The Sun ran an article on the morning of the ceremony, headlined "It's Meghan v. Pippa in the ... Wedding of the Rears." So, she decided it was best to skip the church proceedings and just attend the reception, which, let's face it, is the fun part anyway.
The battle of the butts
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, reportedly skipped Pippa Middleton's wedding to prevent tabloid tush tittle-tattle. However, according to "Finding Freedom," Pippa was reluctant to invite Meghan in the first place. "The media frenzy that followed [Meghan and Harry, Duke of Sussex's] every move made them somewhat of a reluctant addition to the guest list for Pippa Middleton's vows on May 20, 2017," the biography claimed. "Both the bride and her mom, Carole, privately harbored concerns that the American actress's presence alongside [Harry] might overshadow the main event."
Pippa had (unintentionally) nearly overshadowed her big sister, Catherine, Princess of Wales' ceremony. The press dedicated a ludicrous amount of column inches to the dress Pippa wore to William and Kate's wedding. Or rather, what Pippa's behind looked like in the dress. Despite Sir Mix-a-Lot probably not giving it a second glance, Pippa's butt was the talk of the town. It trended on X, formerly known as Twitter, sparked a multitude of memes, and even had its own Facebook group titled "Pippa Middleton A** Appreciation Society."
Kim Kardashian wasn't an official member, but she paid some serious props. "She has an amazing booty. She's beautiful," Kardashian told E! News. Meanwhile, The Daily Mirror speculated Pippa's derrière wasn't au natural. "[Her] bottom 'was FALSE' during royal wedding of William and Kate — claims French expert," a headline screamed. Even the Los Angeles Times jumped on the butt bandwagon with an article titled "Pippa Middleton's buoyant bum still a royal wedding talking point."
Harry and Meghan kept it low key
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex may have skipped Pippa Middleton's wedding, but apparently, she was all in for the reception. After Meghan landed in London from Toronto, where she was filming "Suits," she went straight to the beauty parlor to ensure she looked her very best despite the inevitable trans-Atlantic jet lag. A source told E! News that Meghan visited her longtime London-based esthetician, Nichola Joss, at her Covent Garden spa for a $325 "Inner Sculpting Facial," which involves lymphatic massage to reduce puffiness and tighten facial muscles.
After her pampering session and some much-needed rest, Meghan was whisked from Kensington Palace to the Middleton family home in Bucklebury. According to The Sun, Harry acted as chauffeur, ditching the post-ceremony champagne reception to jump into his Audi RS6 and make the 100-mile round trip to pick up Meghan personally and drive her back to West Berkshire for the evening's festivities.
In a separate report from E! News, a source said that despite Meghan making a "big arrival," both she and Harry were keen — sort of, maybe — to stay out of the spotlight as much as possible and allow Pippa to shine on her big day. "Right now, Harry and Meghan are leaning towards not wanting to attract extra attention, especially on a day that's not about them," the source said. "It takes the pressure off."