20 May 2024 , 11:26
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When Princess Kate's sister Pippa Middleton got married to James Matthew she had one unusual rule for her guests.
The bizarre request had a direct impact on Prince Harry and his girlfriend at the time Meghan Markle. Pippa and James tied the knot at St Mark's Church in Englefield on May 20, 2017 with Prince George and Princess Charlotte serving their aunt as pageboy and bridesmaid.
After the ceremony their guests departed to head to their reception venue Bucklebury Village Hall to park their cars before undergoing an ID check and providing a password to head on to Pippa's parents' estate. Upon arrival they were welcomed into a 140-foot glass marquee in the garden decorated to an enchanted forest theme.
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Pippa and James tied the knot in 2017 (AFP/Getty Images)It's here where Meghan joined back up with Harry. There was plenty of fun and games at the bash and even an extravagant light show before guests were served food and drink from a luxury menu that included mini haggis, deer carpaccio, langoustine claws and asparagus with Hollandaise sauce. However, upon taking to their seats the guests discovered that they had been banned from sitting with their other halves on the seating plan.
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According to Harpers Bazaar, the etiquette guide Debretts says: "It is up to the host to decide whether husbands and wives are to be seated together or apart at formal events." The move is thought to help guests get to know one another better.
The move meant that having travelled 3000 miles from the US to attend with Harry, Meghan was not allowed to sit with him. But, she almost didn't get to attend at all when Pippa also implemented a "no ring, no bring" rule at her wedding. The request meant that guests could only bring a spouse or a fiancé as their date.
Meghan was almost banned from attending at all (Getty Images)But Pippa must have made an exception for Meghan as she was in attendance at the after party with Harry with the pair photographed at the event. It seems Pippa's brother James was also given a pass for the rule as he also brought a date who was not wearing an engagement or wedding ring with him.
At the time he was in a relationship with TV presenter Donna Air and she accompanied him to the bash as his date. James and Donna later broke up and he began dating french beauty Alizee Thevenet who he later wed in 2021. Harry would of course go on to wed Meghan just a year later in May 2018, following their engagement in November 2017.