Prince William to miss Peter & Autumn’s Wedding?
Kate Middleton will attend Saturday’s royal wedding alone, while Prince William travels to Africa for another event.
Miss Middleton will represent the Prince at the marriage of the Queen’s eldest grandchild Peter Phillips, while her boyfriend attends a friend’s wedding in Kenya.
Her stand-in role indicates the status Miss Middleton, 26, now enjoys within royal circles, and is likely to fuel speculation that an engagement between the couple may be imminent.
While Miss Middleton sees Peter Phillips marry Canadian-born Autumn Kelly in St George’s Chapel, Windsor, the Prince will travel to an African game reserve for the Masaai-themed wedding of the brother of a former girlfriend, Jecca Craig.
Clarence House refused to comment on the diary clash. However a senior royal source insisted the Prince’s decision to miss the first significant royal wedding since that of the Earl of Wessex in 1999, is not being seen as a snub to the rest of his family.
“Prince William is going to be out of the country this weekend on a long-standing prior engagement,” the source said.
“It is an unfortunate clash but he spoke to his cousin Peter and he is fine with the situation. His girlfriend will be going in his absence.”
Most of the senior royals, including the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, will be among the 300 guests at the marriage of Miss Kelly and Mr Phillips, both 30.
The service will be conducted by the Dean of Windsor, the Right Revd David Conner, and is being used by Prince Harry as an opportunity to introduce his girlfriend Chelsy Davy to the Queen.
Friends of Prince William said he was asked by Miss Craig’s brother Batian to be guest of honour at his marriage before the date was set for his cousin’s wedding.
The Prince has made annual visits to Kenya since he spent several months working on Lewa Downs, the wildlife conservancy run by Jecca’s parents, as part of his gap year after Eton. He is said to regard the Craig family as something of a second family.
Three years ago, Miss Middleton flew out with the Prince to meet the family. (via The Telegraph)
May 16th, 2008 08:42
The plot thickens. I don’t think the press have a clue what is going on. Last week neither were going and now Kate is going on her own. To top it all off William has decided he’d rather go and see Jecca. The press have officially turned this wedding into a soap opera.
May 16th, 2008 10:33
since 1999, the author missed C&C wedding ! LOL
Seriously, I’ll be one stuck to the internet tomorrow, helping out the websites traffic
May 16th, 2008 12:56
If William and Kate didn’t intend to steal the limelight from this wedding they’ve certainly done so now. All we’ve heard in the run up to this wedding is whether or not either of these two will attend. Soap opera storyline of the year. The spotlight has been on these two constantly. The press are reporting whatever information they get and I don’t think they have a clue what is going on. So whether or not they intended to tomorrow the spotlight is going to be on them again. Noone will pay much attention to Peter and Autumn it’ll all be about William and Kate and whether either or these two turned up. It’s times like this where a simple statement from Clarence House is needed to say whether William will go or not so that rumours can stop and everyone can concerntrate on the wedding. Now it’s turned into a PR mess in which everyone is totally clueless.
May 16th, 2008 13:23
Jess you are right they should have said something to clear all this up but tomorrow is the day and it’s too late to do so. So we all have to sit and watch the coverage and see what happens. You are worried about what William & Kate will do but you forget that Harry & Chelsy will be there as well and no one upstages the bride so it’s not something they worry about much. The press isn’t worried about that either. They will all be there, celebrating this wonder event and the more attention William & Kate, Harry & Chelsy get will be better for Peter & Autumn because they have expressed that they want to remain a low profile as possible. As we know it, William might not be there and will be represented by his longtime companion. But we just might see him there so waiting is the best thing.
May 16th, 2008 13:28
I don’t care who you are the bride wants it to be her day,and now it’s kate’s day yet again
May 16th, 2008 13:40
Jenny, calm down. The girl is now considered family and William & Kate can’t just show up to events because they don’t want to upstage everyone. Some attention will be on them and they can’t do anything about it. Like I said before, Harry & Chelsy will be there as well and you bet that there will be some attention on them as well.
May 16th, 2008 14:25
Jenny - Take a chill pill. You’re obsessed and so angry with Kate Middleton. Claudius is absolutely right. If she and William marry you better comprehend exactly what Claudius said. They will always have attention on them - just like Diana & Charles and Fergie & Andrews. And also Chelsy & Harry. That’s the way it is and that’s the reality.
May 16th, 2008 15:04
she is not a member of the royal family yet,and according to previous statements from the press she said she didn’t want to upstage the bride,and that is exactly what she is doing.As for they’re strength to strength relationship ,he would rather go to a wedding of an ex girlfriends brother than a wedding with her.says alot.he knew about peters weddding since last august he could have made other arangements. people change they’re sceadules to suit the royals no the other way around .he knew in time there would be aconflict ,and could have other arangements made.I am obsessed because I do not like her,than what are you because you never seem to see her faults.your mad at peter,and autumn for selling out,but what of kate mooning people,and just last year posing for hello.your just as obsessed just in different pov
May 16th, 2008 15:20
I hope William will be able to get a belated present for his Cousin Peter and also for Autumn. Too bad he had to miss his cousins wedding tomorrow.
May 16th, 2008 15:51
Jenny we know she’s not a member of the family yet but she is regarded as one of them. Her status with the royal family is on a high level because she is the companion of a senior member of the Royal family, William. Just as Camilla was before her marriage to Charles. Before her marriage and engagement she attended royal events as well. We also know you don’t like her but none of that matters because William & Kate always have the last word and don’t really seem to care about what others think.
May 16th, 2008 17:12
Well put Claudius. Especially the last line,”William and Kate…don’t really seem to care about what others think”. Hopefully they’ll start to care, when their popularity starts to wane, or they do something awefully stupid again and they need to have damage control. I do hope, however, that all of these stories/rumors, end up on the cutting room floor. And we will see them at the wedding together.,smiling briliantly at the bride and groom, and toasting and roasting them at the recepiton.
May 16th, 2008 18:00
The tabs are in fault so I really haven’t read any tabs given as a statement directly from PW or KM saying anything of all the articles that have appeared since they have been together. All comes from ’sources’. So guys, whatever it is, try to understand that when giving an opinion state the fact that according to the article, not according to KM or PW, cause we really don’t know and there names are plastered in the articles without mentioning “we just interviewed KM and she said or with PW.
May 16th, 2008 19:46
Maybe everyone should stop supporting the tabloids and then they would go out of business and then we could read only proven facts and William and Kate could truly have a private life. What a nightmare being in the tabloids all the time.
May 16th, 2008 22:44
Jenny - Jealousy is not a nice quality. I know you want William to dump Kate for you, but I doubt he will. How sad that you hate this woman so much.
May 17th, 2008 03:46
Claudius ,You should wire the Queen and tell her Kate is regarded as Royal, because I doubt the Queen regards Kate as one of the Royals. She is a girlfriend.
May 17th, 2008 04:34
Merrick, I don’t think Claudius meant it that way but is saying that their relationship is on a more formal footing like Harry’s relationship with Chelsy. So she is now in their circle.
May 17th, 2008 06:34
According to the press association CH confirmed that William won’t be there today.
http://ukpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5hitDCFCoup1AoskNDvMZD1jSsimw
Looks like the final version of the wedding story might actually be true.
Rman, I don’t think William and Kate’s relationship is any more formal than Harry and Chelsy’s. Harry will attend together with his g/f. That’s rather official. William won’t even be there. He missed another chance to make a public appearance with Kate. And I don’t think that the Craig’s would have been mad at him had he declined their invitaion after Peter let his wedding date be known. Yet William chose to go to Kenya instead (apparently without Kate). That doesn’t look good and the articles in the papers are accordingly. He gave them the perfect opportunity to suggest that he’s cheating on Kate with Jecca and that he doesn’t really love Kate. That could have been easily avoided if he attended either wedding with his g/f. IMO, he’s stupid for playing hide and seek with the press. If he loves Kate he should start showing some respect for her in pubic or otherwise noone will believe their love anymore and that will not only make him look bad but her as well. Doesn’t he mind that both Kate’s and Jecca’s reputation is suffering? Kate looks either like a blind naive dummy who allows her b/f to play her or like a coldhearted social climber who’s not in it with for love. And Jecca looks like a “mistress”. Very, very dumb move on William’s part.
May 17th, 2008 06:52
good pov trixie
May 17th, 2008 07:02
Oh Dear God Trixie, now don’t you start with that. All it takes is for one person on here to start a rumor and everybody else will follow. The fact that Kate is going, tells you where her relationship is with William.
May 17th, 2008 07:03
Besides I don’t think William will want Jecca anyway. That is one ugly girl.
May 17th, 2008 07:30
Rman, you are right that she is ugly but you should have known that people on this site will start that up again. It’sw what they do best. I’m excited that the wedding won’t be long from now.
May 17th, 2008 08:21
I didn’t say that William has something going on with Jecca - I’m sure he doesn’t but that’s the story the press will write. I’m sure he’ll come back all surprised at the media stories when it’s his own fault this time. This mess could have easily been avoided.
From all the choices he could have made he chose the worst.
IMO, it would have been best for him to attend Peter’s wedding together with Kate especially since Chelsy will be there, too.
But if he felt obliged to attend the Craig wedding instead because he had already accepted the invitation, he should have taken Kate with him and issue a short apology and best wishes for Peter and Autumn.
That would have been a clean solution and deprived the tabloids of an opportunity to write their usual rubbish.
But to go to Kenya alone when Jecca will be there and have Kate attend Peter’s wedding is the worst decision, IMO, because Kate and William do not appear as a couple but seperately. This leaves the papers exactly the type of situation to make up all sorts of unfounded speculation.
May 17th, 2008 17:57
I agree trixie. The press will be filled with stories.
I’ve already read gossip, that William’s still got ….well…..I won’t finish it.
Anyway I think Kate did not look happy at that wedding and she looked old in that hat in my opinion. Her face looks tired.
Major pr mistake for William,( unless he presents Kate with a ring on his return.)
Autumn and Peter looked quite nice and Pr. Harry and Chelsy looked full of smiles as did the entire family.