Princess Kate's sister, Pippa Middleton, celebrates her seventh wedding anniversary with financier husband, James Matthews, on May 20, marking an important milestone for the couple who have largely remained out of the public eye, despite their close relationships with the possible future queen.
Pippa became the standout star of Kate's wedding to Prince William in 2011. Photographs of the maid of honor in her figure hugging Alexander McQueen gown went viral around the world.
At the time, hopeful speculation among fans suggested that Pippa would be a perfect match for the then-single Prince Harry.
Fast-forward to 2017, it was at Pippa's wedding to Matthews in Berkshire, England, that Harry caused his own sensation by evading the media to smuggle in unobserved his then-girlfriend, Meghan Markle, to the reception.
Harry and Meghan Markle married a year later on May 19, 2018, at Windsor Castle, and while the day appeared to be one of royal unity and hope, the couple would step away from the monarchy less than two years later, revealing a chasm that had developed between the Sussexes and William and Kate.
In his 2023 memoir, Spare, Harry revealed never before heard details about altercations with William and Kate that led to the breakdown in their relationship, including incidents which added to the strain over the years, one of which took place at Pippa Middleton's 2017 wedding.
Here, Newsweek looks at everything Harry said about the wedding dispute which developed with William and Kate.
Wedding of Pippa Middleton and James Matthews
Pippa Middleton married hedge fund manager James Matthews at St. Mark's Church in Berkshire, England, a short distance from the Middleton family home of Bucklebury Manor, on May 20, 2017.
William and Kate were guests at the event. Their oldest son, Prince George, acted as a page boy and their daughter, Princess Charlotte, as a bridesmaid.
Harry was also included on the guest list. At the time he had attracted a large amount of media interest after confirming his relationship with American actor Meghan Markle.
Harry attended the church service alone, but it was later revealed that Meghan had joined him for the reception.
Seating Plan Drama
In his 2023 memoir, Spare, Harry detailed his side of events which led to the breakdown in the relationships between himself and Meghan and William and Kate.
Harry told readers he was saddened by the fact that his brother and sister-in-law hadn't bonded with Meghan in the way he had hoped and that tensions were such that crisis meetings needed to be called.
In one meeting Kensington Palace in June 2018, Harry wrote that one of the issues which was causing tension between the group was that William and Kate had switched name cards at his wedding.
"We'd followed the American tradition, placing couples next to each other, but Willy and Kate didn't like that tradition, so their table was the only one where spouses were apart," he told readers. "They insisted it wasn't them."
William and Kate, Harry said, turned the issue around by saying that he and Meghan had done the same thing at Pippa's wedding.
"We hadn't. Much as we'd wanted to," he said. "We'd been separated by a huge flower arrangement between us, and though we'd desperately wanted to sit together, we hadn't done a thing about it."
Rehashing old dramas did not appear to be helping issues. "We weren't getting anywhere," he said.
Prince Harry in Spare
"For our part, we chipped in that we weren't too pleased when Willy and Kate switched place cards and changed seats at our wedding. We'd followed the American tradition, placing couples next to each other, but Willy and Kate didn't like that tradition, so their table was the only one where spouses were apart. They insisted it wasn't them, it was someone else. And they said we'd done the same thing at Pippa's wedding. We hadn't. Much as we'd wanted to. We'd been separated by a huge flower arrangement between us, and though we'd desperately wanted to sit together, we hadn't done a thing about it. None of this airing of grievances was doing us any good, I felt. We weren't getting anywhere."
Harry and Meghan announced their split with the monarchy and move to the U.S. in 2020. When Harry published his memoir, his frank, and in some cases highly critical, portrayal of William surprised readers.
Harry stated in an interview at the time that: "My brother and I love each other. I love him deeply. There has been a lot of pain between the two of us, especially the last six years. None of anything I've written, anything that I've included is ever intended to hurt my family."
For their part, William and Kate did not publicly respond to Harry's book or its claims, in line with a blanket "no comment" position adopted by Buckingham Palace.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III and Queen Camilla, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more
