Pippa’s secret weapon to make sure big day runs smoothly... Dad with a spreadsheet!
IF you thought the Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding was a masterpiece of timing... just wait for her sister’s.
Clutching what appeared to be seating plans and spreadsheets, Michael Middleton, 67, showed that his younger daughter’s wedding has been organised with a precision which could rival that of the royal family.
Dressed in blue jeans and a woollen blazer, Mr Middleton travelled to St Mark’s Church, Englefield, just six miles from the family home in Bucklebury, Berkshire, to ensure that proceedings were running smoothly.
He was armed with neatly-typed pages mapping out the plan for a week on Saturday when Miss Middleton, 33, will marry hedge fund chief executive James Matthews, 41.
As he met party planners who are helping to shape the society wedding of the year, Mr Middleton showed he meant business by striding towards the church to give the helpers their instructions.
The drive leading up to the 12th-century church in the grounds of the private Englefield Estate, owned by the
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family of MP Richard Benyon, was lined with Range Rovers, with Mr Middleton stepping out of one and his daughter out of another.
During his time at the church, Mr Middleton moved the cars around to replicate parking arrangements on the day.
It is believed the family were meeting with staff from Fait Accompli, an exclusive party planning company based in Chelsea, west London, which describes itself as one of the ‘world’s leading international event organisers’.
There has been much speculation about who might be invited, after Miss Middleton turned a blind eye to her previously strict ‘no ring no bring’ policy, meaning that Prince Harry’s girlfriend, actress Meghan Markle, could attend.
Miss Middleton’s brother James, 30, is also believed to have dodged the ban and will have his partner, former TV presenter Donna Air, 37, in tow.
It will be one of the few times Prince Harry, 32, and Miss Markle, 35, have been spotted together since the start of their relationship last year and comes after they were pictured kissing at a polo meeting at the weekend.