US President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, will not be invited to the London wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, Britain’s the Daily Mail reported Friday.
Since Prince William is “neither the sovereign or the heir to the throne,” according to a spokesman from St. James’ Palace, his April 29 wedding is not classified as a “state occasion” and escapes the more formal trappings of such events — including the high profile guest list.
The royal couple reportedly wants to fill the 2,000 seats of Westminster Abbey with charity workers and citizens deserving of special recognition as opposed to heads of state.
“It is certainly not the case that all foreign heads of state will be excluded. The guest list is still being drawn up and could change, but as things stand it’s right [to say Mr. Obama will not be invited],” said an unnamed courtier quoted by the paper.
It is thought that French President Nicolas Sarkozy will be among the chosen few to attend, as well as a handful of leaders of commonwealth nations.
Not inviting the American First Family would be a break from royal tradition. Former first lady Nancy Reagan traveled to the nuptials of Prince Charles and Diana Spencer, as well as the non-state occasion wedding of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson.