As the countdown to the wedding of Prince Harry and American actress Meghan Markle begins, Indian actress Priyanka Chopra clarified to People magazine that she will not be a bridesmaid. She will, however, be attending the wedding, scheduled to take place on May 19, as a guest.
The 35-year-old actress shared her excitement about the upcoming wedding in an interview with the magazine, saying it is going to be “life-changing for the world.” She told the magazine: “I’m super excited about her and her big day. It’s not just going to be life-changing for both of them, it’s life-changing for the world that needs to see strong women as icons, and I think Meghan has the potential to be that.”
Priyanka Chopra Responds to Rumors That She Will Be a Bridesmaid for Meghan Markle #PeopleNow https://t.co/kK2z0J7Oxt pic.twitter.com/57XLlZnKnO
— People (@people) April 25, 2018
Chopra, in her earlier interviews, had called the wedding, which will happen at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle, “a big step in the direction of so many things; of women, of feminism, of diversity, of race, of the monarchy versus everyone else.”
The actress, who wrote an essay about her close friend for her profile in Time magazine’s list of 100 Most Influential People, further said to the magazine: “She’s a girl’s girl. She’s a really relatable young woman who is concerned about the world just like you and I are. That’s what I love the most about her. I feel like her authenticity is what’s going to make her really stand out in this new life she’s going to take on.”
In her essay for Time magazine, in which she called Markle a “princess of the people,” Chopra said: “Somewhere among biryani, poutine and endless conversations, I realized just how deeply Meghan Markle cares for the world.”
It is said that the two friends met at ELLE’s Women in Television dinner in 2016.
Prince William will be the best man at the upcoming wedding, Kensington Palace said on April 26. Prince Harry was the best man at Prince William’s wedding in 2011.
As is typical at royal weddings, it is expected that the bride and groom will have a group of younger relatives serve as bridesmaids and page boys, media reports say. This is what happened at Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding, and Princess Diana and Prince Charles’ wedding in 1981. Prince George and Princess Charlotte, who played these roles at their aunt Pippa Middleton’s wedding last year, may reprise them for this wedding as well, the report said. Markle’s maid of honor has not been revealed yet.