When Grace Kelly married
Prince Rainier III of
Monaco in 1956, there was
something highly unusual
about the guests lining the pews of the
cathedral. Among the minor royals, foreign
dignitaries and papal representatives, there
were celebrities. Not those famed for their
duchy or estate, but bona fide Hollywood
A-listers: Cary Grant, Ava Gardner, Gloria
Swanson (Frank Sinatra was apparently too
busy to attend). And royal weddings have
never been dull since.
Welcome to the phenomenon of the celeb-
rity guest, currently on show at all good society
weddings. See Princess Eugenie’s to Jack
Brooksbank: Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell,
Liv Tyler. Or Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s:
David and Victoria, Amal and George, Oprah
and Serena. Or Prince William and Kate
Middleton’s: a celebrity party including Guy
Ritchie, Joss Stone and Rowan Atkinson.
Once upon a time, this was unthinkable.
Would the Queen have invited Vivien Leigh
and Charlie Chaplin to her wedding in 1947?
Certainly not. Such weddings were once
strictly close-family and foreign-royal affairs.
But as society and celebrity circles have
merged – sipping cocktails at Soho House à la
Harry and Meghan, snapping selfies at fund-
raisers like Eugenie and Naomi – the guest
lists have got glitzier.
The United States’ obsession with our mon-
archy and quaint little aristocracy means that
American celebs get a particular kick out of a
society wedding invitation – and will accept
even if their connection is dubious. Look at
the unexplained appearance of Demi Moore
at Eugenie and Jack’s, and her emotional/
bonkers Instagram post (geo-tagged ‘Wind-
sor’). Or Serena Williams, who snapped a viral
series of stories charting her preparations for
her pal Meghan’s wedding: gold face mask,
check; view of the castle from the limo, check.
(Coincidentally, what was Serena’s agent do-
ing in the stalls?) Call it new money smugly
extracting recognition from old money, call it
the Hollywood homing instinct for the lime-
light: either way, a celebrity wedding guest
will never be a wallflower.
British stars are far from blameless, however.Jerry Hall at
Viscount Linley
and the Hon
Serena Stanhope’s
marriage
ceremony, 1993Joss Stone attends
Prince William
and Kate
Middleton’s
wedding, 2011Demi Moore (above) and Kate Moss & Lila
Grace Moss Hack (right) at Princess Eugenie
and Jack Brooksbank’s wedding, 2018Serena Williams and Alexis
Ohanian at Prince Harry and
Meghan Markle’s wedding, 2018Diana, Princess of Wales at the
wedding of Viscount Linley and
the Hon Serena Stanhope, 1993Cara Delevingne (above) and Liv Tyler (right) at the
wedding of Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank, 2018The
Linle
SeSir Elton John at the
wedding of Prince
William and Kate
Middleton, 201168 Tatler Wedding Guide 2019 tatler.comPHOTOGRAPHS: GETTY IMAGES; BARRY BATCHELOR/PA ARCHIVE/PA IMAGES; ALAN DAVIDSON/SHUTTERSTOCK; ALPHA PHOTO PRESS AGENCY; MIKE FORSTER/DAILY MAIL/SHUTTERSTOCK; PASCAL LE SEGRETAIN/GETTY IMAGES07-19-CelebrityGuests.indd 68 02/05/2019 17:13