George and Charlotte will attend Harry's wedding
Let the countdown begin. In May 2018, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will tie the knot at Windsor Castle with plenty of royalty in attendance, including, we hope, our favourite brother-sister duo: Princess Charlotte and Prince George.
There's a good chance the tiny royals - children of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge - will not only attend the wedding, they'll actually participate as members of the bridal party.
Marlene Koenig, a British and European royalty expert, tells BAZAAR.com she'd be "shocked" if we didn't see Prince George and Princess Charlotte walking down the aisle as a page boy and a bridesmaid for the occasion.
"George and Charlotte are Harry's only niece and nephew, so it would be a real shocker if they were not included," she explains. "In Britain, the bride goes down the aisle first, followed by attendants or bridesmaids and page boys holding the train."
When asked whether the two would follow Meghan down the aisle, a spokesperson for the royal family seemed to confirm their participation: “The wedding will be a family event," the spokesman told The Sunday Times. "You can expect the family to be involved.”
The royal tots have already met Markle "several times," Kensington Palace told The Times.
Luckily, Prince George, 4, and Princess Charlotte, 2, have previous wedding experience - the pros stole the show at their aunt Pippa Middleton's nuptials to James Matthews at St. Mark's Church in England in May. George, a page boy, walked down the aisle carrying a flower basket, and Charlotte donned an adorable floral crown as a flower girl.
Charlotte will likely wear a similar white dress to the one she wore at Harry and Meghan's wedding. However, George, as a page boy, will forgo the blouse and knickerbockers in favour of something with a "military theme," according to Koenig.
Kate chose not to participate in the her sister's wedding, so as not to overshadow Pippa on her big day. “Kate would upstage her sister,” royals expert Judy Wade told People magazine prior to the wedding in 2016. “It’s a tricky situation for Pippa. She would want her sister by her side, as who else would she trust to make things go well? But if your sister is a future Queen, she is going to upstage the bride and draw attention. Kate would want to be in the background as much as possible.”
However, we can't forget that relatable moment after the ceremony when George left the church in tears, after receiving a stern scolding from his mother. Photos of Kate having a strong word with her son, after he played with Pippa's dress, quickly went viral. George was seemingly embarrassed about the whole situation, but returned to his outgoing, smiley self in no time.
Kate will likely not join Meghan's bridal party for similar reasons. But we're sure she and her nanny, Maria Borrallo, will both keep a close eye on her children at Harry and Meghan's wedding, so as to avoid another incident.
"There will be several rehearsals for this wedding, as there is for all royal weddings, and I can only assume that Catherine or Nanny Maria will spend some time talking to the children about their roles, responsibilities, as a part of the bridal party," says Koenig. "Young kids in wedding parties will fuss and fidget. If George or Charlotte makes funny faces or does something silly, their antics will be recorded for posterity." (Remeber the "Frowning Flower Girl" at William and Kate's royal wedding?)
Kate will surely appreciate the extra help, as she is due with the couple's third child in April - just weeks before the nuptials.
Other possibilities for the wedding party - at least from the groom's side of the family - include Harry's first cousins, Lady Louise Windsor and her brother Viscount Severn, as well as the children of his two first cousins, Mia Tindall (whose mother is Zara Phillips) and Savannah and Isla Phillips (the daughters of Peter Phillips).
[editoriallinks id='adb40927-789c-4d04-85a6-92d837640d27'][/editoriallinks]
You Might Also Like
