Why Meghan Markle and Prince Harry may skip Princess Eugenie’s wedding reception

WHILE it will be Princess Eugenie’s big day, all eyes will be on Meghan Markle and whether she and Prince Harry will attend all the festivities.

THE second royal wedding of the year is nearly upon us, and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle may skip part of the celebrations.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will most likely be present for Princess Eugenie’s wedding ceremony tonight Australian time, but could miss part of the evening celebrations.

“They’ll unfortunately miss part of the after-party to allow ample travel preparation time for their flight to Australia for their upcoming tour,” a source told Bazaar.com.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will arrive Down Under next week.

Princess Eugenie’s wedding will kick off with a ceremony at 11am (9pm Friday AEDST), followed by a champagne afternoon reception hosted by the Queen.

She will then have a celeb-heavy evening bash, that has been organised by wedding planner Peregrine Armstrong-Jones, the man behind David and Victoria Beckham’s 1999 big day.

They will have a sit-down meal at the Royal Lodge, where Princess Eugenie grew up and Prince Andrew and mum Sarah Ferguson still live, despite being divorced for 22 years.

Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank are set to wed at 9pm AEDST. Picture: Tristan Fewings/Getty Images for Qatar Goodwood Festival

Princess Eugenie has broken with royal tradition to throw a two-day wedding bash, with a festival-themed party being thrown on Saturday.

RELATED: Inside Eugenie’s wedding rehearsal

The source said unfortunately Meghan and Prince Harry may also have to miss out on the second day of celebrations due to trip preparation.

A source told the Sunday Times, guests can expect “dodgems and funfair rides, coconut shies (fairground game), lots of food stalls, loads of cocktails, bloody Marys for the hangovers and a festival vibe”.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will be jetting Down Under on Monday, and will return on November 1.

A source reports Prince Harry and Meghan will attend Princess Eugenie’s wedding but will likely miss later parts of the celebrations. Picture: Jeff Spicer/Getty Images

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are preparing for their trip Down Under, which will include a Bridge Climb and trip to Dubbo. Picture: Chris Jackson/Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Kensington Palace announced that the trip would coincide with the Invictus Games, which is being held in Sydney from October 20-27.

They will be spending time in Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and the Kingdom of Tonga.

Kensington Palace was contacted but declined to comment.

This story originally appeared in The Sun and is republished with permission.