Pippa Middleton was reportedly 'reluctant' to invite Meghan Markle to her wedding in case she overshadowed her
- Pippa Middleton was concerned that Meghan Markle would "overshadow" her 2017 wedding, according to the new royal biography "Finding Freedom."
- "Both the bride and her mom, Carole, privately harbored concerns that the American actress's presence alongside Harry might overshadow the main event," the book reports.
- Markle was a "somewhat reluctant addition" to the guest list — but ended up not attending the ceremony after the press attention became too much, according to the book.
- "The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were not interviewed and did not contribute to 'Finding Freedom,'" a spokesperson for the Sussexes told Insider.
- Kensington Palace did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
Kate Middleton's sister Pippa reportedly thought Meghan Markle would "overshadow" her 2017 wedding to James Matthews.
According to the new royal biography "Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Family," the Duchess of Sussex almost didn't get an invite to the A-list wedding back when she was dating Prince Harry.
The then-actress was a "somewhat reluctant addition" to the guest list, the book reports. Apparently, Pippa was concerned that the press attention Markle was receiving at the time would disrupt her nuptials.
"Both the bride and her mom, Carole, privately harbored concerns that the American actress's presence alongside Harry might overshadow the main event," authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand report.
However, as it turns out, Markle reportedly didn't go to the ceremony.
On the day of the wedding, the book reports, The Sun ran a cover story with the headline "It's Meghan v Pippa in the ... Wedding of the Rears" alongside a rear-view paparazzi photo of Markle next to a photo of Pippa walking behind her sister at her royal wedding.
In the end, Markle reportedly decided it would be best not to show up at the ceremony. However, the book reports that she did attend the reception later that evening.
Pippa and Markle haven't been seen publicly together often. However, they appeared on good terms when they attended Wimbledon together with the Duchess of Cambridge last year.
"The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were not interviewed and did not contribute to 'Finding Freedom,'" a spokesperson for the couple said when approached by Insider.
"This book is based on the authors' own experiences as members of the royal press corps and their own independent reporting," they added.
Kensington Palace did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
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