Why Meghan Markle, Prince Harry Aren’t Invited To BAFTAs like William, Kate

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry were not invited to the 2019 BAFTAs like Prince William and Kate Middleton for a reason.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge already confirmed their attendance for the 72nd British Academy Film and Televisions Arts (BAFTAs) awards in London on Sunday. But the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will not be joining them at the event.

Kensington Palace confirmed that Prince Harry and Markle are not attending BAFTAs this year. A palace spokesperson told Express that the couple has no connection to the film awards, unlike Prince William and Middleton. The Duke of Cambridge succeeded Lord Attenborough as the BAFTA’s fifth president in 2010, so his attendance is a must for the event.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will meet the BAFTA representatives and watch the ceremony. In addition, Prince William will also present the Fellowship Award.

Meanwhile, some netizens seemed to be happy that Prince Harry and Markle won’t be attending the event because they had enough of the Duchess of Sussex touching her baby bump. However, Markle’s critics predicted that she would make an epic PR stunt on that day to steal the spotlight.

“Thank you BAFTAs for sparing the public by exlcuding #MeghanMarkle & her #moonbump. Also, mark you calendar for epic PR fluff pieces from Meg that day…” the netizen wrote on Twitter.

Some social media users joked that Prince William will surely be shocked if Markle would make an unexpected appearance on the stage to present the Fellowship Award. Meanwhile, others suggested that Markle should be placed on lockdown that evening so that she wouldn’t crash the event.

In related news, Middleton sparked controversy last year when she wore a dark green dress by Jenny Packham for the event. Most of the guests adhered to the "unofficial black dress code" in support of the Time’s Up campaign against sexual harassment. Some were expecting to see the duchess follow the same dress code to show support for the campaign, and they were disappointed that she didn’t.

Reports have it that Middleton opted for the said color because royals are expected to be politically neutral. However, critics argued and pointed out that objecting to sexual harassment was not political.