There's a good chance that Prince William will not be his brother's best man at Prince Harry's wedding to Meghan Markle on May 19th—because he'll be walking Meghan down the aisle instead.
While it's been rumored that the bride-to-be wanted to have her mother, Doria Ragland, walk her down the aisle, that idea has been sidelined in favor of William doing the honors.
While Harry and Meghan have been granted some leeway in breaking with tradition, a royal insider told me the idea of a woman walking a bride down the aisle isn't exactly what officials want to see at the upcoming royal wedding. William is reported to have suggested the idea, which both Harry and Meghan like, as a compromise.
The future King of England performing a traditional duty like walking the royal bride-to-be down the aisle would make for a memorable moment in the history-making wedding—and the royal family is all for it.
The former Suits star has divorced parents and is only close to her mother. According to multiple sources, Meghan doesn't plan on inviting her half-brother, Thomas Markle, or half-sister, Samantha Markle, to the wedding. Samantha has not spoken to Meghan in years and has done several television interviews where she was somewhat critical of her. She went as far as to suggest that Meghan should pay for the family to travel to England for the nuptials because of their limited resources. She also took Prince Harry to task on Twitter after he made comments on BBC radio about Meghan getting "the family she never had" by marrying him. Thomas has had no contact with Meghan since she got her role on Suits in 2011.
Meghan's father, former Hollywood lighting director Thomas Markle, has been reportedly living like a recluse in Mexico, although he made some short remarks on camera when his daughter first got engaged. Harry has not yet met him, which suggests he won't play a role in the wedding—and may not even attend.
Since the wedding is taking place at Windsor Chapel and not Westminster Abbey, Queen Elizabeth II is open to making some changes—"within reason"—to the wedding ceremony.
Meghan has wholeheartedly embraced royal life and recently made her first official appearance with the Queen on Commonwealth Day carrying out duties that have been reserved strictly for family members in the past. The effort has not been lost on her future in-laws.
"Meghan is trying very hard to do everything she can to fit in and show she is up for the job of being a member of the royal family," revealed the insider. "The Queen and Prince Charles appreciate that and want to help make the wedding day as stress-free and memorable as they can." And for more coverage of the wedding of the year, here are the 20 Things We Know About Harry and Meghan's Wedding.
Diane Clehane is a New York-based journalist and author of Imagining Diana and Diana: The Secrets of Her Style.
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