In just two weeks, Pippa Middleton will marry James Matthews.
Usually, this close to a wedding (particularly a high-profile “almost royal” wedding), the guest list is pretty much etched in stone, but in this case it seems there’s a lot of last-minute tinkering going on.
In order to understand why the guest list is so important to Pippa, you have to remember that it was a wedding that made her a household name.
For much of the world, Kate and William’s wedding was the first time they laid eyes on the younger Middleton sister.
For reasons that remain unclear, Pippa’s butt became a worldwide trending topic, but the love affair between her pert backside and the public would prove short-lived.
After a few failed attempts at careers in the public eye, Pippa is mostly a footnote these days, but she reportedly sees this wedding as an opportunity to crawl back into the headlines, however briefly.
As such, the supporting cast that will surround her on the big day has to be meticulously curated.
Pippa is reportedly attempting a tricky balancing act – loading the guest with enough big names to ensure that her wedding is a star-studded affair, while at the same time avoiding being overshadowed by up-and-comers more famous than herself.
Obviously, Meghan Markle is the up-and-comer du jour, and Pippa is reportedly very concerned about being outshone.
As recently as last month, Meghan was not invited to Pippa’s wedding, a casualty of the “no ring, no bring policy” (guests who aren’t married or engaged aren’t permitted a “plus one).
After some cajoling, Pippa reportedly eased up and gave Harry permission to bring Meghan to the reception, but not to the ceremony.
Insiders say Harry made it clear that that wasn’t good enough, and if Meghan was not invited to the ceremony, he wouldn’t be attending either.
Apparently the ultimatum worked, because The Daily Express is reporting today that Pippa has broken down and offered Meghan a formal invitation to watch her say “I do.”
We imagine the evening will be more than a little awkward, as Pippa has indirectly made it quite clear that she doesn’t want Meghan there.
Of course, explaining to the press why Harry didn’t show up would be even more awkward.
