Every day, we’re getting closer and closer to the wedding of the year. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding, which will take place on May 19, 2018, is less than two months away!
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And just a few days ago, in mid-March, the lovebirds sent out their wedding invitation. The invitation is beautiful — it has all the ceremony details listed in stunning script, and features the Three-Feathered Badge of the Prince of Wales.
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The invitation looks lovely, but royal fans have noticed something interesting about the invitation: it doesn’t include Meghan’s full name!
That’s right, there’s part of Meghan’s name missing from the invitation — but was it a mistake or intentional?
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Meghan’s actual name is Rachel Meghan Markle, but she’s gone by her middle name for almost her entire life.
It might seem like no big deal that they left “Rachel” off the invitation, but it does seem to go against the Queen’s insistence on following protocol.
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When Queen Elizabeth issued her formal consent for the wedding, she referred to Meghan as Rachel Meghan Markle. “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,” she wrote in a note to her Privy Council.
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So why does the invitation only refer to her as Meghan Markle? A royal etiquette expert on Twitter explains that it’s all about personal choice. Because the invitations are not as formal as the Queen’s granting of consent for the wedding, Prince Harry and Meghan probably had more of a say on what names were on the invitations.
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Some fans have pointed out another fascinating detail: Meghan and Harry’s invitation refers to Meghan as “Ms. Meghan Markle,” while Kate and William’s wedding referred to Catherine as “Miss Catherine Middleton.”
Meghan is referred to as “Ms.” instead of “Miss” because she was married before. Fascinating, isn’t it?
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Credit: GoodHousekeeping