Was the spare seat at St George's Chapel an homage to Diana?

Was the spare seat at St  George's Chapel an homage to Diana?

Fans have suggested an empty seat inside Harry and Meghan's wedding chapel could have been a tribute to the late Princess of Wales.

The chair in front of the Queen was mysteriously left empty, fuelling speculation that it was a nod to Harry's mother, Diana, who died in a car crash in Paris more than 20 years ago.

As images from inside St. George's Chapel surfaced this afternoon, dozens of royal watchers took to Twitter to question why the front-row seat next to the Duke of Cambridge had been left empty.

One wrote: 'Just found out the empty seat next beside William was left for Diana. I'm gonna go cry now.' 

However, others have argued the seating plan was simply following royal protocol that dictates nobody can sit in front of the monarch. 

At the 2011 Royal wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the Queen was seated in the front row, meaning nobody could obscure her view. 

MailOnline has contacted Kensington Palace for comment.

It comes after the Palace told how Meghan Markle paid a touching tribute to Diana with her bridal bouquet. 

The stunning arrangement contained forget-me-nots - the Princess of Wales' favourite flowers - along with stems hand picked by Harry from their private garden at Kensington Palace.

'Forget me not' is also the meaning behind Sentebale, the charity set up by Harry in 2005 to help disadvantaged children in the southern African kingdom of Lesotho.

The bridal bouquet was arranged by 'queen of London florists' Philippa Craddock, who is also behind the jaw-dropping display inside St. George's Chapel.  

It featured astilbe - meaning of 'I will be waiting for you' or 'I'll still be waiting' - symbolising patience and dedication to a loved one, according to Katie-Jane. 

There was also lily-of-the-valley (convallaria); symbolising sweetness and the return of happiness, it is also the birth flower of May. 

Meghan's bouquet also contained the obligatory sprig of myrtle, a tradition going back to the reign of Queen Victoria and previously observed by the Duchess of Cambridge, the Princess of Wales and even the Queen at their own weddings.

Finally, the bouquet contained astrantia meaning strength, courage and protection, and forget-me-nots - a nod to the Princess of Wales, as they were her favourite flower. 

And according to Katie-Jane Hermes of Florismart, Meghan's bouquet, made from locally-sourced foliage, speaks volumes about her personality - as well as giving a nod to royal tradition. 

Katie-Jane said: 'Meghan chose a petit, delicate hand-tied bouquet of Astilbe, Lily of the Valley and Astrantia.  

Very similar in style to Kate’s but not a wired design, it was finished with an ivory satin ribbon. This is a very simplistic style bouquet, and seems to be the recent royal trend.' 

'The couple specifically chose them to be included in Ms. Markle’s bouquet to honour the memory of the late Princess on this special day,' a spokesperson for Kensington Palace said. 

Craddock's staff were pictured last week transporting a huge delivery of artificial flowers from her depot in London to Windsor ahead of the big day.

Just one day earlier, Craddock took to Instagram to reflect on her starring role in the wedding of the year.

She wrote: 'Taking a quiet moment in the garden before I head into town to start a marathon of a week ahead, it is such an exciting week.'

In an interview with The Times earlier this month, she revealed that working with the royal couple had been an 'absolute pleasure'.

'The process has been highly collaborative, free-flowing, creative and fun,' she said. 

It was revealed in March that Craddock had been hand-picked by the couple to deck out Windsor in stunning blooms for their May 19 nuptials.

Kensington Palace officially announced the news via a series of tweets describing in detail how society favourite Craddock was chosen for the hotly-contested role.

The decadent floral displays in St. George's Chapel were created using locally sourced foliage, they said, much of which has been taken from the gardens and parkland of The Crown Estate and Windsor Great Park. 

Described by Tatler as 'a floral mastermind', Craddock claims to be able to create any bride's dream - from 'a secret garden in a palace' to 'an outdoor botanical romance'.

Her extravagant displays in St George's Chapel today featured foliage from Windsor Great Park, including beech, birch and hornbeam branches, as well as white garden roses, peonies and foxgloves. 

Speaking earlier this year about being chosen for the Royal Wedding on May 19, she said: 'I am excited and honoured. The pr