Meghan Markle Desperately Wanted to Go to the Met Gala but Didn’t for 1 Simple Reason, Author Claims
The Met Gala has come and gone, and many celebrities were there, but not Meghan Markle. Despite being “hugely tempted” to climb the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art as part of the annual fashion benefit, according to an author, the Duchess of Sussex didn’t. Why? It fell on the same day as Prince Archie’s birthday.
Meghan reportedly declined a Met Gala invite because of Archie’s birthday
Although Meghan and Prince Harry have a busy schedule in the days ahead — the Duke of Sussex is in England to mark 10 years of the Invictus Games before a joint trip to Nigeria with Meghan — the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were both home in Montecito, California, on May 6, 2024, when their son, Archie, turned 5.
Meghan, per The Mirror, is “thought to have declined an invitation to the huge event due to a clash with son Archie’s birthday.” However, Tom Quinn, a royal commentator and author, claimed that Meghan would’ve considered a potential invite to the Met Gala. The reason, he claimed, is because it would’ve brought more publicity for her new lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard.
“Meghan was hugely tempted to go to the Met Gala,” he said. “She loves this kind of big, glitzy event, especially as it’s held to raise money for charity. And with the launch of her new online brand, she needs all the publicity she can get.”
Meghan has yet to officially launch American Riviera Orchard since revealing it in March 2024. Since then, she’s only offered a sneak peek to a select group of celebrity friends by sending them strawberry jam.
“She may no longer be a working actor, but she’s addicted to mixing with celebrities,” Quinn said. “That’s why she lives in Montecito next door to Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom and a host of other A-listers.”
“The glamour associated with being a celebrity in the States has always been something Meghan can’t do without. And an event such as the Met Gala is almost too tempting to resist.”
Meghan likely organized a ‘simple’ party for Archie as she’s ‘almost obsessed’ with keeping the Sussex kids’ birthdays ‘quiet’
Meghan likely put together a low-key celebration, according to Quinn. “When it comes to her children’s birthdays,” he said, “Meghan is almost obsessed with the idea that they should be quiet, very private affairs.”
As in, “simple games, a birthday cake, and ice cream.” It stems from Meghan’s “desire to make her children experience what she sees as the more ordinary things in life,” the Gilded Youth author explained.
Indeed, Archie and his sister, Princess Lilibet, who turns 3 on June 4, 2024, have reportedly had casual birthdays. They had a backyard party when Lilibet turned 1 and what appeared to be an intimate gathering for one of Archie’s earlier birthdays, as seen in Harry & Meghan.
Because Archie’s a “real live-wire who loves rushing around at top speed,” Quinn expected tag and other similar party games.
As for guests, there were likely “friends from school,” Meghan‘s mother, Doria Ragland, as well as celebrity neighbors in Montecito with kids around Archie’s age, such as Perry and Bloom and their daughter Daisy.
Anna Wintour previously called Meghan a ‘dream’ Met Gala guest
No one goes to the Met Gala without getting Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour’s stamp of approval. The reason is because it’s an invite-only event. Based on a past comment from Wintour, Meghan doesn’t have to worry about getting the green light. Wintour once called the former Suits star, along with her sister-in-law, Kate Middleton, two of her “dream” Met Gala guests.
Prior to the annual black-tie event in 2019, Wintour told Today she would’ve liked to see the royals there without Prince William and Harry.
“I would love to have the Duchess of Sussex and the Duchess of Cambridge together,” Wintour said, using the now-Princess of Wales’s previous title. “That would be my dream couple. They could leave their husbands at home. It’s the two of them I want.”
