Pippa Middleton, Kate Middleton
Britain's Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge (R) sits with her sister Pippa Middleton on Centre Court for the men's singles final tennis match between Roger Federer of Switzerland and Andy Murray of Britain at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London July 8, 2012. Reuters/Toby Melville

Traditionally, some cultures believe wearing black in weddings is bad luck. Several fashion experts advise against it. But Prince Harry’s girlfriend Meghan Markle reportedly chose to not follow this tradition at Pippa Middleton’s wedding day.

The television actress was in attendance at Middleton’s wedding reception in a long black dress, sunglasses and a white jacket, The Sun reports. The prince personally collected Markle and escorted her to the reception, according to news.com.au.

There are reports that Markle waited until the big day to pick what she would wear for the wedding as she wanted to see what Kate Middleton would wear first. Per E! News, Jessica Mulroney, her friend and stylist, made sure the “Suits” actress looked her best, but they also needed to be mindful about what Kate was wearing to avoid similar colour or design and attract the wrong kind of attention.

Harry and Markle arrived in an Audi for the second reception at the Middleton home. The couple was reportedly in time to watch a majestic fly-past by a World War II-era Spitfire plane during the society wedding of the year.

Meanwhile, a source told The Sun that Harry and Meghan jointly decided they would not upstage the bride. The source’s statement may explain why the actress was not spotted during the wedding ceremony.

Fashion faux

Julie Lamberg-Burnet, chief executive of The Sydney School of Protocol, said she thinks things have changed as far as wearing black to weddings is concerned. “It certainly wasn’t appropriate many decades ago but today it’s universally accepted,” The Daily Telegraph quoteds her as saying.

The news outlet notes there was a strict no social media rule at the event. As of writing, the only evidence that Markle has been to Pippa’s wedding reception is a photo featuring a brief glimpse of her being driven into the Middleton home by Harry on Saturday. There are reports suggesting she had been seen in the Berkshire village of Bucklebury Bucklebury earlier on the day.

Pippa exempted Markle from her “no ring, no bring” policy. Markles’ proximity to high-profile members of the royal family fuels speculations that another royal wedding could be happening soon. There are reports that Queen Elizabeth has approved Harry’s plans to pop the question.

The couple has been dating since last year. It is believed they have crossed paths while Harry was in Canada promoting his Invictus Games for disabled servicemen.

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