Will Harry and Meghan snub Princess Beatrice's wedding after their recent veiled attack on the York sisters?
There are conflicting reports whether Harry and Meghan Markle will attend Princess Beatrice's wedding to Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi to be held at the Chapel Royal at St James Palace on May 29.
As Harry and Meghan are currently in Canada, there was speculation that they would choose to snub the 35-year-old's cousin's marriage ceremony, especially after a recent statement uploaded on their website seemed to take a silent "dig" at both Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice by making examples out of them when it came to pointing at royals who earned an income outside the monarchy.
“While there is precedent for other titled members of the Royal Family to seek employment outside of the institution, for The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, a 12-month review period has been put in place," part of the statement said.
Although the statement took no names, the “precedent” was taken to refer to Beatrice and Eugenie, both of whom are engaged in doing charity work in their capacity as royal family members but also hold private jobs as "non-working royals” of “The Firm.”
An anonymous friend of the Sussexes, who spoke to the Telegraph, said that despite Beatrice's team extending a heartfelt invitation to the couple, there was a distinct possibility that Harry and Meghan were not going to attend the wedding.
"Of course Harry and Meghan will still be invited, but it's up to them whether or not they choose to attend. The trouble with Harry and Meghan is that they think they are bigger than the institution. It's such a shame things have turned out like this," the friend said.
Another friend quipped, "It’s fair to say the relationship is not what it was.”
There were also concerns that Harry and Meghan's appearance at the wedding - which could be the pair's first appearance in the UK after Megxit - will create so much interest in the press that it might take attention away from the newlyweds.
Harry and Meghan have not always had the best relationship with Beatrice and Eugenie's family. For example, Harry and Meghan did not invite the sisters' mother, Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, to their wedding reception. They also sparked a controversy by announcing Meghan’s pregnancy at Princess Eugenie’s wedding reception in October 2018.
However, despite all that, Page Six reported that the couple fully intended to attend Beatrice's wedding in London in the following month.