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Will Prince William Walk Meghan Markle Down The Aisle?

Is there any truth in the latest batch of royal engagement rumours? Each week, we apply our smell test to tell you what’s true and what stinks worse than rotten kippers.
william walk meghan down the aisle Photo, Paul Grover/AFP/Getty Images.

The rumour: Prince William will walk Meghan Markle down the aisle

Where you heard it: The Sun
The report: Since the moment of engagement, speculation on who will escort Markle on her trip down the aisle has been a preferred pastime for royal fans. There are reports that her dad is either too shy or too not invited (per The Sun’s story) to do the job. At one point we read that the bride wanted her mom to do the honours, but now a new candidate has emerged in the form of the future king. Apparently certain royal stuffer-nutters feel that a woman (even the mother of the bride) is not a suitable candidate, and given that, have marked Wills as “the obvious choice.” The smell test: This rumour lines up with the larger royal narrative around Markle’s family — i.e., let’s pretend they’re dead. (Remember Harry’s comment about how she was getting the “family she never had”? Ouch.) Prince William stepping in is also not unprecedented: As we Crown fans are well aware, Prince Phillip walked Princess Margaret down the aisle at her royal wedding (to Tony Armstrong-Jones) in 1960.

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The rumour: Meghan Markle could play herself in The Crown

Where you heard it: The show’s executive producer Suzanne Mackie

The report: The comment was made during a panel on the popular Netflix series, which took place on Tuesday as part of the INTV conference in Jerusalem. Speaking about just how far into the future the series could go, Mackie noted that present day is not out of the question: “I want to see an episode where Trump comes to Buckingham Palace,” she said. Adding that Markle “can play herself” when and if the time comes. The smell test: The idea of a soon-to-be IRL royal playing herself on our favourite royal TV series is almost too exciting to contemplate … and it’s probably best that we don’t. Both because Markle has retired from acting to begin a “new chapter." And because The Crown is a highly prestigious series, and presumably above the kind of stunt casting one might see on, well, Suits. Oh, and it seems like Mackie was probably kidding, so there’s that too.


The Queen Is Reportedly Giving Meghan Markle A Naughty Bachelorette GiftThe Queen Is Reportedly Giving Meghan Markle A Naughty Bachelorette Gift

The rumour: Meghan Markle’s beret had a subtle feminist message

Where you heard it: The Telegraph 
The report: Markle can’t wear (or not wear) a pair of pantyhose without the public presuming a political message. For her first-ever public appearance with the full royal family (including the Queen), she wore a classic-but-fresh look — a navy dress and white jacket by Amanda Wakeley and a chic white beret by British milliner Stephen Jones. Headgear is, of course, a basic wardrobe requirement for royal engagements, but according to The Telegraph, MM’s look may have been about more than dress code. The theory goes that Jones’s “protest berets” have previously been created in collaboration with Maria Grazia Chiuri, the Dior designer whose work is frequently woven with feminist messaging. In this context, the jaunty caps were seen as a nod to French revolutionaries of the 1960s. The smell test: On the one hand, that’s a lot to put on a little hat. On the other, Markle’s fashion decisions are extremely calculated and if the beret has a message, that is not an accident. Even if you discount the whole protest angle, a French hat does seem like an interesting choice for one’s first outing with the reigning English monarch. Particularly one so linked to Princess Diana. You can almost hear Her Majesty: “Oh, Meghan, dear — how, er, chic.”

The rumour: Prince Charles prefers Meghan Markle over Kate Middleton(and Kate is jealous)

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Where you heard it: Star magazine
The report: The latest tale of friction between the future sister-in-laws centres around the Prince of Wales, who (according to Star’s source) is charmed by his youngest son’s significant other — not only that, he prefers Markle to “upper crust Kate.” (Ha! Remember when the narrative around Middleton was that she was too low-rent for the royal family?). A second “insider” notes that the vibe between Charles and Kate is often quite “awkward,” whereas “With Meg, Charles feels more himself.” The smell test: “Meg??!!” The notion that Star’s source is on a nickname basis with Markle is utter bollocks, as the Brits would say. Still, while this particular story stinks like yesterday’s kippers, it does contain a couple of plausible narratives. Could Prince Charles prefer his future daughter-in-law to his current one? Of course (his preference for unstuffy women is the stuff of tabloid history). And is it conceivable that Kate may have had it up to here with Markle-mania? Of course! After years of adoration, Middleton now finds herself playing the Jan Brady to Meghan, Meghan, Meghan. (No doubt the Queen would have some wise words on how to cope with a celebrity sister who wouldn’t know duty if it smacked her in the beret.)

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