Meghan Markle's Mother Won't Walk Daughter Down The Aisle, But She Still Has A Formal Role
There's only a month left until actress Meghan Markle weds Prince Harry and one question remains: who will walk Markle down the aisle?
Apparently, her mother will not do the honors anymore but will still have a formal role in the ceremony.
Wedding Updates
Kensington Palace has given an update on the wedding proceedings in a press release. In it, the palace mentioned that Markle's father, Mr. Thomas Markle, will walk his daughter down the aisle at the ceremony which will take place at St. George's Chapel.
Meanwhile, Markle's mother, Ms. Doria Ragland, still has an important role to play in the wedding. On the morning of the wedding, she will ride the same car as her daughter to Windsor Castle.
The former Suits star will wed Prince Harry on May 19. Her parents will arrive in the UK on the week of the wedding. It will allow Prince Harry and his family to get to know his fiancée's family before the big day.
Harry's father Prince Charles, brother Prince William, and sister-in-law Kate Middleton are expected to be there to welcome Markle's parents to Windsor. Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, and the British monarch herself, Queen Elizabeth II, will also be there to meet the future royal's parents.
However, this will not be the first time for Prince Harry to meet Ms. Ragland. He already spent time with her before and according to reports, he even asked her for Markle's hand in marriage.
Royal Wedding Tradition
The update to the wedding proceedings comes after several speculations claimed that Markle's mother will walk her down the aisle on her wedding. This assumption was brought by the fact that Ms. Ragland raised the actress on her own following her divorce from Mr. Markle.
The actress was largely raised by her mother, a social worker and yoga instructor, whom she remains very close with. This is why Markle reportedly lobbied behind-the-scenes for her mother to have a role during her special day.
Traditional royal weddings usually have the father of the bride walk her down the aisle and accompany her to the venue. Prince Harry's wedding to Markle departs from this tradition as both roles have been apparently split between the actress's parents.
"It's always been the father. In a wedding, the mother doesn't have a role. Meghan is making sure her mother does," Dickie Arbiter, a former spokesman for Queen Elizabeth II, said.
