Prince William and Kate Middleton's Wedding Guest List Had Some Surprising Inclusions—Here's Why They Invited 7 of Their Exes

Crafting your guest list can be one of the most stressful parts of the wedding-planning process. Regardless of whether you’re hosting an intimate gathering or a grand fête, determining who in your life will and will not receive an invitation can be an anxiety-inducing decision. However, when tackling this important to-do, there are typically a few groups that you’ll avoid including on your list, including those who dated in the past. Yet that wasn’t the case for Prince William and Kate Middleton during their 2011 wedding. Instead, according to the Daily Mail, the couple invited former boyfriends and girlfriends to their nuptials. 

William and Kate tied the knot on April 29, 2011, at Westminster Abbey in front of approximately 1,900 guests. And among those seated in the church were four of William’s former partners: Isabella Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe, Arabella Musgrave, Rose Farquhar, and Jecca Craig. While many of the details regarding these previous relationships are unknown, we do know when the prince was linked to each of these women. Farquhar and William dated in 2000, shortly after his graduation from Eton College. She was his first girlfriend and is described by many outlets as “his first love.” Before heading off to Scotland for university, William entered into a relationship with Musgrave, who he had known since childhood. Craig was also a close friend of William’s throughout his life—and the two were linked during William’s gap year. Soon after starting school at the University of St Andrews in 2001, William met Kate. They officially started dating in 2002. However, the couple reportedly took a break in 2004—and William was linked to Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe during the time. 

It wasn’t just the prince who invited his exes to the couple’s nuptials. Kate also issued invites to two of her former boyfriends, according to the Daily Mail. The outlet reported that Rupert Finch, whom she dated at the start of her time at St Andrews, and Willem Marx, whom she was linked to prior to heading off to university, were in attendance. Other reports indicate that Kate also invited Harry Blakelock, who was described as her “first love,” to her nuptials. Yet it appears that one of her former boyfriends may have been left off of the guest list. No reports indicate that Henry Ropner, whom Kate was linked to during her 2007 split from William, attended the royal nuptials in 2011. 

Yet it may not have been the couple’s desire or decision for their former partners to be at their nuptials. Rather, due to the familial ties of each of their exes, tradition may have mandated that they receive an invitation, according to the outlet. “The social circles of the Royal Family are small and for better or worse, exes in their society are expected to get along,” the Daily Mail reported. “Or act as if they do, anyway.”