Prince Harry and Meghan Markle already decided on a "small" royal wedding when they picked
St George's Chapel as their venue, but make no mistake: this wedding will be massive.
The sweet couple has already invited more than 2,500 members of the public to the Windsor
Castle grounds to watch their arrival and departure from the ceremony. The Lord Lieutenants,
representatives of the Queen, will nominate 1,200 people with additional guests from their
respective charities and local schools rounding out the list.
Another 900 invites will go out for the actual ceremony in the chapel, less than half of
the 1,900 spots in Westminster Abbey for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's wedding.
There's also much talk about Barack and Michelle Obama making the trip across the pond, but
don't expect the former First Lady to turn up in a fascinator. While the Obamas maintain
a close friendship with the prince through their work on the Invictus Games, political
complications may keep them away. Etiquette experts predict that inviting the former POTUS
while excluding the current one would cause a bit of a scandal, so both Barack Obama and
Donald Trump may just have to watch the celebrations on TV like the rest of us commoners.
That said, there's already a number of sure-bets who likely made the cut. Here's who you can
expect to see all dressed up on May 19, 2018.
Prince Harry dated the English actress and
model from 2014 to 2016 before pairing up with Markle, and they reportedly ended things
on good terms. Both Bonas and other ex, Chelsy Davy, will be there. "He made sure there were
no hard feelings when they split up," an anonymous source alleged. "I don't think Meghan will
mind."
Davy has a longer history with Prince Harry,
maintaining an on-again-off-again relationship from 2004 to 2011. The Zimbabwe native met
the royal while she attended Stowe School and she now manages a jewelry company, Aya.
Meghan Markle's ex-husband, Trevor Engelson, is apparently not attending.
According to diplomacy, current and former
heads of state like the Obamas usually don't receive invites, but foreign royals normally
do. Queen Elizabeth is reportedly close to Queen Margrethe of Denmark, so it's safe to
say she'll make the list once again. Heir apparent Prince Frederick and his wife Crown
Princess Mary of Denmark will also likely tag along.
Mel B. basically spilled the beans on the
girl group reuniting at the wedding during an appearance on daytime talk show The Real.
"I don't know if I should have said that," she added afterwards. "Why am I so honest?"
With Victoria Beckham Posh Spice a lock, it's
fair to extrapolate husband David Beckham will also suit up. He attended the Duke and
Duchess of Cambridge's wedding and he openly described his friendship with both princes
back in 2012.
Queen Sofia and King Juan Carlos of Spain
will also make the journey. However, the duo actually declined to attend Prince Charles
and Princess Diana's wedding back in 1981 because the British couple planned to start
their honeymoon in Gibraltar, a disputed British overseas territory on Spain's south coast.
Things have luckily smoothed over in the past three decades though.
The singer hasn't outwardly confirmed his
plans, but there's no hiding the fact he recently rescheduled two concert dates that fell on
that weekend. Elton John and husband David Furnish attended Will and Kate's wedding,
and he was famously close to Princess Diana. The musician also has worked with Prince Harry
on his charity Sentebale, which supports children affected by AIDS.
According to Margot Robbie, the model frequently
texts Prince Harry and they've known each for years. Apparently, Delevingne has also
introduced the prince to other Hollywood celebs.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle attended his
sister-in-law's wedding last year, so it seems fair that they'd repay the favor. Plus who
can forget their star turn together back in 2011?! While viewers might have hoped they'd
, their continued friendship is just as sweet.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge just made
the trip out to Scandinavia to visit King Carl XVI Gustaf, Queen Silvia, Prince Daniel,
and Crown Princess Victoria, so they'll probably fly over to England to spring.
On the bride's side, all of her colleagues
from the USA legal drama will make the cut, royal biographer Duncan Larcombe told Town
& Country. Costar Patrick J. Adams has even equated Markle with a "sister" after seven
seasons of working together.
Markle didn't attend the tennis player's 2017
wedding to Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian, but it wasn't intentional. A Suits filming
conflict kept her from making an appearance, but their friendship dates back to 2014, when
they first met at a celebrity flag football game. Markle has since cheered on her pal
at multiple tennis tournaments.
The Quantico star bonded with the fellow actress
after meeting at the annual ELLE Women in Television dinner, and now they're close friends.
"I don't think anybody else would be able to do it the way she will," Chopra said of
Markle's new royal role. "She's just right for it." While she evaded questions about
serving as a bridesmaid, Chopra did state, "If you see me there, you'll know."
Initially rumored to be the couple's matchmaker,
Nonoo knew both Markle and the prince before they got together. The fashion designer is
married to one of Harry's best friends from Eton, and she met Meghan through a mutual
friend in Miami. "We were seated next to one another at a lunch, and we got along like
a house on fire," Nonoo told The Evening Standard. "I love her to death. She is the coolest girl
in the world."
While she's less famous than some other people
on the guest list, Markle's BFF will most certainly be there. She reportedly helped
Markle pick her dress and even hosted low-key dinner parties for the couple when they first
started dating. Her appearance at the Invictus Games in Toronto cemented her as a member
of their inner circle. The fashion stylist, who dresses Justin Trudeau's wife, is married
to Ben Mulroney, the son of former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. So she's kinda
like Canadian royalty, in a way.