Prince Harry and his fiancee Meghan Markle haven’t invited any politicians to their wedding next month, avoiding a potential controversy over whether to include U.S. President Donald Trump. Not even the British prime minister will be coming.
“It has been decided that an official list of political leaders — both U.K. and international — is not required for Prince Harry and Ms. Markle’s wedding,” a spokesman for the prince’s office said in a statement, adding that the government had been consulted on the plan.
The engagement of the grandson of Queen Elizabeth II sparked a flurry of speculation that Trump may be on the guest list — especially as Markle is a U.S. citizen. Despite being invited to make a state visit more than a year ago, the president has yet to come to Britain, where he’s been warned he’s likely to be greeted by protests.
When Prince Harry’s older brother, William, got married in 2011, he invited a limited set of foreign heads of state but not Trump’s predecessor, Barack Obama. The attendance of a U.S. president would have required a much heavier security presence.
Still, the U.K. has been looking for ways to improve its often tense relationship with Trump as it looks for new trade deals ahead of its departure from the European Union.
As well as a heavily-embossed, gilt-edged invitation, Trump will also be missing out on a slice of lemon and elderflower cake, and the sight of a royal carriage ride to Windsor Castle.