Church Ruling Allows Public to Attend Pippa Middleton's Wedding
Local residents could gate-crash one of the biggest weddings of the year after the Church of England ruled that all parishioners are "entitled to attend" the ceremony. The exclusive event that is being referred to is Pippa Middleton's wedding to millionaire banker James Matthews.
The Church of England recently published a guide on celebrity weddings, stating that "a marriage is a public ceremony which at the least all parishioners are entitled to attend."
This means all residents of the parish of Englefield, which surrounds St Mark's Church, have the right to be part of the exclusive event.
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It went on to say that the public is entitled to attend "as long as there is available seating or standing room unless a genuine question of safety or security arises."
This could mean that all commoners in attendance could mingle with Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge, Daily Mail reported.
Stephen Borton, an ecclesiastical law expert, said parishioners cannot be legally refused by the church.
"The document is pretty clear. Parishioners and those on the electoral roll have the absolute right to attend services of public worship and they can't be denied access," he said.
"That of course does not extend to those from outside, such as the press. Marriages are not a private event, they are public," he went on to say.
However, there are no indications that the younger sister of Kate Middleton and her beau will relent to the ruling.
A spokesman for Englefield Estate said access to the church would be "restricted for security reasons."
"The wedding is a private family event. I can confirm that all pedestrian and vehicle routes to Englefield House will be closed on May 20th, and access to the church will be restricted for reasons of safety and security," he said.
