Royal wedding: Will Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's guests be allowed plus ones?

Not all couples will be able to bring their partners to the plush affair

Anticipation surrounding the royal wedding is on the rise as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle prepare to wed under the watchful eye of the entire world.

Invitations have been distributed to 600 guests, with 200 close friends also invited to a private celebration at Frogmore House following the ceremony at St George’s Chapel on 19 May.

However, a senior royal editor has claimed that not all couples will be guaranteed a plus one at the lavish affair.

Chris Ship, royal editor for ITV News, says that he has seen an invitation first-hand in which a man’s wife was purposely omitted.

“Unlike most other weddings, Harry and Meghan are inviting only one half of couples,” he wrote on Twitter.

“Seen an invite for a husband but not his wife. Sounds a bit tight, but I’m sure they’d claim space is limited in St George’s Chapel…”

After further research, Ship revealed that he had seen several invitations to the royal wedding, some of which included both names of couples and others that specified a single individual of a married pair.

“The 6th invite I’ve seen is for a Mrs without her Mr,” he continued. “So we’re back to the ‘no spouse’ rule which kicked off this thread.”

The question over whether Prince Harry and Markle should feel obliged to invite both members of a married couple to their big day is debatable.

According to The Emily Post Institute, an organisation that provides expert advice on etiquette, the spouses of individuals who have been invited to a wedding should also unquestionably be asked to attend as well.

“Brides and grooms should be aware that spouses, fiancé(e)s and live-in romantic partners (no matter the sex) must be invited with your guests; boyfriends and girlfriends who don’t reside together don’t need to be,” Emily Post states.

However, should a wedding invitation fail to mention a plus one, guests shouldn’t assume that they can automatically bring one along.

“Wedding invitations are not negotiations; the inner envelope is the final word on who exactly is being invited, and the names listed there are the only guests included in the invitation.”

According to national etiquette expert Diane Gottsman, you may be able to nab an invitation for your significant other if they’ve been accidentally missed.

“Unless a specific name, or the word ‘guest’ is cited on the envelope of the invitation, asking to bring a ‘plus one’ may push the host to agree to the added guest under duress,” she said.

“If your husband or fiancé was left off the invitation, you can assume it may have been an oversight and double check with your host, but if your children are not named on the envelope, it’s a good bet they are not invited.”

Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem likely that invitees will be able to squeeze extra guests into the royal wedding taking place on May 19, regardless of their married status.

This article was originally published in April 2018