Meghan Markle was nowhere to be seen at this year's Met Gala, despite mounting speculation the Duchess of Sussex would attend the fashion extravaganza.
The actress, 41, was rumoured to be making her debut at this year's star-studded red carpet as her husband Prince Harry prepares to attend King Charles' Coronation next week.
However, it seems Meghan and Harry remained at home in California as the Met Gala unfolded in New York.
The royal couple are currently busy getting ready to celebrate their son Archie's fourth birthday, which falls on the same day as the Coronation.
It's thought one issue for Meghan attending the Met Gala would have been the amount of security needed to ensure her safety.
Back in 2018, Harry and Meghan almost served as Oscars hosts but security risks prevented it from happening, according to reports.
"There were calls back and forth between teams, some early fashion queries were even made," gossip blogger Elaine Lui wrote on LaineyGossip at the time.
She added: "They couldn't make it work. My sources told me, though the willingness was strong on both sides, it's very unlikely that it will happen."
The theme for this year's Met Gala centred around fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld.
The subsequent exhibition, titled 'Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty', will celebrate the late style icon's work at Balmain, Patou, Chloé, Fendi, Chanel, and his eponymous label.
While Met Gala veterans such as Kim Kardashian confirmed their attendance prior to the fundraiser, Meghan's possible attendance on the famous red carpet was shrouded in secrecy.
Many fashion PR experts suggested Anna Wintour, a chairwoman of the Gala event since 1995, would be keen to snub the Duchess of Sussex, but some argued Meghan was the perfect fit for the Vogue editor's brand.
"Kim [Kardashian] is famous for being famous and a controversial figure, and so is Meghan," Matt Yafonsky told the Mirror earlier this year when discussing the chances of Meghan walking the Met Gala red carpet.
"It makes sense Vogue would invite two controversial celebrities. They guarantee press attention, which guarantees eyeballs, which guarantees advertisers money. It may be classy, but it’s still all about the Benjamins at the end of the day."
British-Born Wintour has previously praised Meghan and mocked critics of the mum-of-two's daily routine.
In her Vogue series Go Ask Anna, Wintour said: "I read somewhere that there were members of the royal household that were confused and upset that she woke up so early, at 5 a.m.
"She’s a normal California girl who gets up early and does yoga and meditates. She also sent a lot of text messages. I mean, what did they expect? That she was going to send messages via pigeon? I think she’s amazing."
The Vogue editor went on to gush over Meghan's wedding to Prince Harry, noting how their nuptials in May 2019 "had the whole world watching".
"I think that her choice was brilliant. It was sophisticated, it was chic, it was grown up," Wintour added when praising Markle's bridal gown.
Meghan's sharp sense of day-to-day style has also caught the eye of the notoriously hard-to-please fashion icon over the years, with Wintour previously gushing over the former Suits star's sartorial choices.
In a 2019 appearance at the Women in the World summit in New York, according to Page Six, Wintour said: "Maybe it’s a little bit boring and time to change. I’ve been thinking a lot about suits recently so … thank you to the Duchess of Sussex!"
She added: "Obviously, her style is fantastic.
"When she went on that trip to Australia and New Zealand, she was very respectful in choosing a lot of unknown Australian designers to wear, which was great. But I think, more importantly, she’s really bringing modernity to the royal family in a way that is inspiring."
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