This is why Kate Middleton, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle weren't at the Order of the Garter

Maybe next year, Harry.

One of the grandest events in the British royal calendar took place yesterday: the Order of the Garter ceremony. As Prince William, Prince Charles and Queen Elizabeth rolled out in their best navy velvet, elaborate feathered caps and gold finery, people quickly noticed that three popular royals weren’t in attendance. So, where were Kate Middleton, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle?

Well, the answer isn’t as complicated as you’d think. Kate Middleton is technically on maternity leave and wasn’t obligated to go, however she’s previously attended the the event to support her husband.

Prince William is officially a member of the Order of the Garter - an exclusive group modelled after King Arthur’s Knights of the Round Table handpicked by the Queen - which is why he was all suited and booted alongside fellow member and his father Prince Charles.

And that brings us onto Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. The Duke of Sussex isn’t actually a member of the garter just yet, so he didn’t need to go along and therefore the pressure was off Meghan too to attend.

In all honesty, it might be a little while till he’s inducted into the club. According to Harper’s Bazaar, a royal expert revealed that it was a little out of the ordinary that Prince William joined the Garter at such a young age. However as second-in-line to the throne, it could be ‘one reason why the Queen named him, despite him being [so] young’. For reference, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward had to wait until their 40s to don the feathered caps.

The expert also said, ‘The Duke of Sussex is not a Knight of the Garter and will probably not be invested until his father is King. The Duchess of Sussex has never attended and will probably not attend until Harry is named.’

Although the newlyweds weren’t in attendance on Monday, they were snapped attending another wedding over the weekend for Princess Diana’s niece. It was an emotional one, as it was one of the first times that Princess Diana’s iconic Spencer tiara was worn in public since her death.

Meghan also gave Princess Diana a lovely nod in a blue and white porcelain Oscar de la Renta dress, which was the spitting image of a similar one the late royal had worn previously.