Prince William wants his wedding to Kate Middleton be less of a state occasion and more for the ordinary people who make up the United Kingdom, and is therefore keen to fill his 2,000 strong guest list with everyday workers and charity campaigners rather than VIPs and foreign dignitaries.
A senior courtier told the Daily Mail: “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).”
While the president is not on the guest list, a handful of other heads of state are likely to be invited, including France’s President Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife Carla Bruni.
As the wedding is also not be a formal state occasion - like that of William’s father, heir to the throne Prince Charles, who married Lady Diana in a lavish ceremony at London’s St Paul’s Cathedral in 1981 – there is no pressure to invite officials such Barack and his wife Michelle Obama.
A St James’s Palace spokesman confirmed: “The wedding will not be a formal state occasion since Prince William is neither the sovereign nor the heir to the throne.”
Another palace source said the wedding will have more in common that of Queen Elizabeth II - which was in 1947, shortly after World War II, and austere by royal standards – especially compared to Charles’ nuptials.
The source said: “It will be done properly and well, but not in an ostentatious and lavish manner. This time is more analogous with 1947.
“In 1981 a lot more people were invited to the wedding. The route to St Paul's was also longer than it is to the abbey. It was undeniably a bigger wedding.”
