Why Doesn't Meghan Markle Have A Maid Of Honor At The Royal Wedding?

Meghan Markle may have tried to find a way to make elements of her wedding unique, but there were definitely some U.K. traditions she kept to—including not having a Maid of Honor during her ceremony.

Unlike her sister-in-law, Kate Middleton, who asked her sister Pippa to serve in the role at her 2011 wedding to Prince William, Markle opted out of the tradition for her nuptials to Prince Harry. In a statement via Kensington Palace earlier this month, it was confirmed that Markle didn't want to single out only one of her close friends for the role, which led to her decision to not have one of them stand in the role.

"She has a very close-knit circle of friends and she didn't want to choose one over another," the statement said. "All have been actively involved in helping her prepare for the day and will be there in the days beforehand. She's very happy to have their support."

Among the women who were considered to take on the role at some point were Markle's college pal, Lindsay Roth, her longtime friend Jessica Mulroney, and even "Quantico" actress Priyanka Chopra.

However, Markle's decision to not have a Maid of Honor also goes with tradition in the U.K., where bridal parties are actually made up more often of younger children, consisting of bridesmaids and page boys, though Prince Harry's Best Man is his older brother, Prince William.

Joining him in the bridal party are two of his three children, with Prince George and Princess Charlotte selected to be among the page boys and bridesmaids. While Markle's close friend Mulroney isn't the Maid of Honor, her children are involved in the wedding. Her daughter, Ivy, is one of the other Bridesmaids, while her sons, Brian and John, are also Pageboys.

Rounding out the bridal party are Markle's goddaughters, Remi and Ryan Litt, and Harry's goddaughters, Florence van Custem and Zalie Warren. The Page boys also include Jasper Dyer, the son of Prince Harry's friends Amanda and Mark Dyer.