Following reports that Meghan Markle will be present at Pippa Middleton and financier James Matthews’ wedding, her boyfriend Prince Harry was spotted without her. Harry was photographed with his brother Prince William instead when they arrived at the St. Mark’s Church in Englefield on Saturday morning.
Meghan Markle was nowhere in sight, but it is believed that she may have been waiting at the reception. Earlier reports suggested that the American actress may not have been invited to the ceremony itself since it is reportedly reserved only for close friends and family members.
There had been rumors that Harry showed up to church without Meghan because he can’t bring her, Mirror reported. It was said that Pippa set a rule that all guests should either be married or engaged and since the younger prince and Markle are neither, she couldn’t be with him. There was also the speculation that Markle would, no doubt, steal the spotlight from the bride if she were to attend the ceremony.
Markle has yet to be spotted at the reception, which will be held on the grounds of the Middleton home in Bucklebury village. If the 35-year-old brunette does appear at the reception, that would only prove that she has been accepted into the royal circle as it would be her first event where royal family members are in attendance.
Meghan’s presence at Pippa and James’ wedding, as reports suggested, has sparked rumors that she and Prince Harry will be next in line to tie the knot. The couple, who was recently spotted kissing at the prince’s polo match, has been dating since last year, and it is believed that an engagement will be announced soon.
According to a source, who revealed to Star Magazine , Prince Harry could pop the question to Meghan before this year ends. Reportedly, he already asked permission from the Queen, and Her Majesty gave the go signal.
“The way it’s going, the engagement will probably happen this year. Harry has got approval from the Queen to propose to Meghan, he’s already had those conversations with Her Majesty. An engagement is imminent.”
If there is truth to this claim, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle shippers will surely be delighted. If not, there are other signs that the couple is headed to the direction of matrimony, according to Hello Magazine. One of the more obvious hints that Markle and Prince Harry’s relationship is getting more and more serious is when the actress shut down her fashion, beauty, travel and food blog, The Tig.
She also gave up her role as the ambassador for Reitmans clothing. According to the publication, personal blogs and endorsements are considered inappropriate for royals since they mostly devote their time to official duties for the Queen. Also, Markle is observed to have lesser posts on Instagram, which is unusual considering the Suits star has 1.6 million followers.
At the recent Audi Polo Cup Challenge at Coworth Park, Ascot, Harry didn’t seem to mind kissing his girl in public, knowing that there could photographers stealing shots of them. The same thing happened to Kate and Prince William in 2009, where they were spotted at the same park and announced their engagement a year later. That said, it is assumed that Meghan and Harry will follow the same path.
There was also the fact that Harry came to Meghan’s rescue after she had been bombarded with criticism for dating a royal by issuing a sincere statement through the Kensington Palace. In his statement, Harry appealed to the public to stop harassing his girlfriend and to respect her privacy.
Do you think Meghan and Harry will be engaged before 2017 ends? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
[Featured Image by Arthur Edwards/Getty Images]