Pippa Middleton's wedding could be open to the public

Pippa Middleton may not get her wish for an intimate wedding thanks to new guidelines from the Church of England.

Pippa’s wedding to hedge fund manager James Matthews may be open to the local public according to a report that states “a marriage is a public ceremony which at least all parishioners are entitled to attend.”

The couple are getting married on May 20 at St Mark’s Church in Englefield, Berkshire. Technically, the entire local community of Englefield now has an invite to the ceremony.

Even the likes of Prince Harry’s girlfriend, Meghan Markle, aren’t invited to the daytime celebrations due to Pippa’s strict no ring, no bring policy.

The only way Pippa can stop this is if “a genuine question of safety or security arises.” But “as long as there is available seating or standing room”, there isn’t much the high-profile couple can do.

Locals will certainly be excited at the prospect of rubbing shoulders with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge as well as Prince Harry.

In fact, some are almost certain to attend. “Some people will no doubt want to wish the couple well, especially those Englefield parishioners who knew the Middleton family from when they lived in the area,” Andrew House, chairman of the parish council for the neighbouring village of Bradford, told The Telegraph.

An ecclesiastical law expert also gave his opinion on the matter, stating: “The document is pretty clear. Parishioners and those on the electoral roll have the absolute right to attend services of public worship, and they can’t be denied access. Marriages are not a private event. They are public.”

“[St Mark’s] is a parish church and if any of the parishioners wished to attend, they could not legally be refused. That of course does not extend to those from outside such as the press.”

The Middleton family do not seem to have taken the news well with the Englefield Estate stating that the marriage was a “private ceremony.”

At least Pippa’s reception has zero chance of being gatecrashed.

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