Why The Royal Wedding Invitations Don’t Feature Meghan Markle’s Real Name

Was it a mistake or intentional?

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle‘s wedding invitations were issued this week, and they’re the real-life equivalent of a golden ticket.

Even if your name somehow didn’t make the list, Kensington Palace allowed the world to catch a glimpse of the coveted cards by releasing a few photos. Eagle-eyed fans quickly noticed one significant word missing from the formal request; Markle’s real first name.

The former actress was actually born Rachel Meghan Markle, but has gone by her middle name almost her entire life. The discrepancy recently came up when Queen Elizabeth issued her formal consent for the marriage. In her note to her Privy Council, she wrote, “I declare My Consent to a Contract of Matrimony between My Most Dearly Beloved Grandson Prince Henry Charles Albert David of Wales and Rachel Meghan Markle.”

So why does the Queen use Rachel but the invite says Meghan? It all comes down to personal choice, explains Grant Harrold, a British etiquette expert known as the The Royal Butler online and on Twitter.
“Buckingham Palace does things by the book, so they will list your full name,” he told GoodHousekeeping.com.

Obeying formal etiquette, the groom understandably eschewed his nickname for the invites, which referred to him as “His Royal Highness Prince Henry of Wales.” The choice to use “Ms Meghan Markle” on the invitations, dropping the Rachel, acknowledges how the rest of the world recognises her, Harrold explains.

“Even though it’s an official occasion, they’ve obviously decided that she’s known to everybody as Meghan Markle and issued the invitations under that name,” he says.

The choice seems especially interesting when you compare the invitations to the ones the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge sent out for their 2011 wedding.

From Harper’s Bazaar UK