Today, it would be uncommon to see Princess Eugenie attend a wedding without Jack Brooksbank or Duchess Sophie fail to accompany Prince Edward to their friends or family’s nuptials.
Before officially uniting in marriage, members of the royal family proved their relationships were very serious the moment they were willing to invite a plus one to a wedding. After all, wedding photos are used as memories for an eternity!
We’ve looked back through the archives to unearth exactly when Prince William debuted his then-girlfriend Princess Kate and Princess Beatrice first made a wedding outing with then-boyfriend Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi.
Prince Harry and Prince William looking at each other in morning suits
Just months after news broke of their relationship, Prince Harry proudly showed off his girlfriend Meghan Markle at his friend Tom ‘Skippy’ Inskip and Hon Lara Hughes-Young’s wedding in Jamaica in March 2017.
The couple were spotted leaving the church and heading to the reception at the Round Hill Hotel and Villas for the evening celebrations. American actress Meghan then returned to Toronto to continue filming the TV show Suits, which she left later that year before announcing her engagement to Harry.
Meghan and Harry made another high-profile appearance as a couple two months later in May 2017 for Pippa Middleton’s wedding. Although the Duchess of Sussex was notably absent for the ceremony at St. Mark’s Englefield, with Harry making a solo entrance with his brother sans date, she reportedly joined for the evening reception at the Middleton family home in Bucklebury.
Prince William
Prince William didn’t announce his engagement to Princess Kate until 2010, but he had invited her to two royal weddings years beforehand.
Rewind to 2008, Kate joined Chelsy Davy at Peter Phillips and Autumn Kelly’s wedding day in May. The now-Princess opted for a daring sheer black dress covered with a pink jacket for her solo appearance without William, who was attending another wedding in Kenya.
Two months later in July, Kate looked radiant in a blue floral dress for Lady Rose Windsor and George Gilman’s nuptials, while her partner was away on military operations in the Caribbean.
Princess Eugenie
Pippa’s big day with James Matthews also saw Princess Eugenie reinforce her serious romance with Jack Brooksbank. Eugenie – who had first made an appearance with Jack at Royal Ascot in 2011 – attended the lavish event in a stunning Paule Ka dress, while Jack looked suave in a traditional tailcoat.
Eight months later, the couple revealed they were engaged.
Princess Beatrice
2019 was a milestone year in Princess Beatrice’s relationship with Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi. After debuting her boyfriend at the National Portrait Gallery’s 2019 Gala, Beatrice also asked Edoardo to be her plus one at Lady Gabriella Windsor’s May wedding to the late Thomas Kingston.
The stylish duo stepped out in a Self-Portrait blue tiered dress with Tabitha Simmons heels (which revealed her bruised foot) and a morning suit with pinstripe trousers and a tailcoat.
Prince Edward
One year after they began dating, Prince Edward invited Duchess Sophie to join him at two royal weddings.
First to his mother’s cousin, Lord Ivar Mountbatten, where Sophie looked ravishing in red, followed by his cousin Lady Sarah Chatto’s big day, which saw the PR boss look beautiful in an understated pastel blue frock.
Despite keenly highlighting the seriousness of their relationship very early on, Edward was in no rush to conform to societal pressures, waiting until 1999 to confirm his engagement.
