Meghan Markle’s Invites Have A Weird Detail
If you haven't checked your mailbox recently, you might want to. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding invitations just went out yesterday, and they're the real-life equivalent of a golden ticket.
Even if your name somehow didn't make the list (us too, it's fine), Kensington Palace oh-so-kindly allowed the world to catch a glimpse of the coveted cards by releasing a few photos. Eagle-eyed fans quickly noticed one major word missing from the formal request. Can you see it?
Hint: It has to do with Meghan's or should we say Rachel's name. The former actress was actually born Rachel Meghan Markle, but has gone by her middle name almost her entire life. The discrepancy recently came up when Queen Elizabeth issued her formal consent for the marriage. In her note to her Privy Council, she wrote, "I declare My Consent to a Contract of Matrimony between My Most Dearly Beloved Grandson Prince Henry Charles Albert David of Wales and Rachel Meghan Markle."
So why does the Queen use Rachel but the invite says Meghan? It all comes down to personal choice, explains Grant Harrold, a British etiquette expert known as the The Royal Butler online and on Twitter.
"Buckingham Palace does things by the book, so they will list your full name," he told GoodHousekeeping.com. It's understandable that the Queen likes using the utmost formalities; she's a very classy lady, after all. But even though the sovereign is in charge of granting permission, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have a lot more say when it came to the actual invitations.
They clearly obeyed all of the formal etiquette, with the groom understandably forgoing his nickname for the invites. The cards read "His Royal Highness Prince Henry of Wales." As for the bride, they went with "Ms Meghan Markle." Dropping the Rachel acknowledges how the rest of the world recognizes her, Harrold explains.
"Even though it's an official occasion, they've obviously decided that she's known to as everybody as Meghan Markle and issued the invitations under that name," he says. Plus, it's still a lot more formal than the uber-casual "Meg" that her dad apparently uses.
The choice seems especially interesting when you compare the invitations to the ones the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge sent out for their 2011 wedding.
First of all, Kate was referred to as "Miss" while Meghan uses the address "Ms." This subtle difference acknowledges the fact that Meghan was previously married while the Duchess was not.
As for the name itself, the invite used "Catherine Middleton," not the nickname she's known by in the media. Apparently, Prince William uses Catherine at home too, while Prince Harry once referred to her as "Cath" in an interview. As for the Duchess herself, she once politely remarked, "I will answer to most things.”
So as you can see, these royals go by a lot of names. Meghan (Rachel? Meg?) will fit right in.
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