Trumps, Trudeaus, Obamas not invited to wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

U.S. President Donald Trump,his predecessor Barack Obama and British Prime Minister TheresaMay have not been invited to the wedding of Prince Harry andMeghan Markle on May 19, royal and British government sourcessaid on Tuesday.

Neither has Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

"While the prime minister and Sophie Grgoire Trudeau will not be attending the wedding, we congratulate Prince Harry and Ms. Markle and wish them the best," Trudeau's office said in a statement Tuesday.

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Governor General JuliePayette'soffice also sent out a statement saying she will not be attending. "She will send personal congratulations and wishes to the new couple on the occasion of their wedding," the statement said.

Harry, grandson of Queen Elizabeth and younger brother ofPrince William, will marry Markle, an American actress best known for her role in the TV series Suits, at St George'sChapel in Windsor Castle.

"It has been decided that an official list of politicalleaders both U.K. and international is not required for Prince Harry and Ms. Markle's wedding," said a spokesperson for KensingtonPalace, the official residence of William and Harry.

"Her Majesty's Government was consulted on this decision,which was taken by the Royal Household," the spokespersonsaid."Her Majesty's Government" is the official name of the Britishgovernment.

British PM not attending

A Kensington Palace source confirmed the Obamas would not beattending and said the wedding guests would be people who havean existing direct relationship with the groom or the bride orwith both. That excludes Trump.

• Read CBC's complete coverage of the royal wedding

There had been some speculation that the Obamas might beinvited due to the personal rapport between the former presidentand Harry, but it would have been diplomatically awkward toinvite the Obamas and not the Trumps.

Although the royal family is expected to steer well clear ofpolitics, Britain's delicate constitutional balance means that its members have to consult discreetly with the government toensure their public actions comply with foreign policy.

A British government source confirmed May would not beattending and said there had been no expectation that she would.

The government source noted that the wedding venue wassignificantly smaller than Westminster Abbey, where Harry's
older brother William wed Kate Middleton in 2011 in the presenceof then-prime minister David Cameron and other politicians anddiplomats.

Obama, who was then in office, was not invited to thatwedding and the United States was represented by its ambassadorto the United Kingdom.

Kensington Palace on Tuesday named some of the 1,200 people,chosen because of their strong leadership and community service,who have been invited into the grounds of Windsor Castle on thewedding day to join the celebrations.

The list included people who ran a wide variety of charityorganizations as well as veterans from the armed forces who havesuffered life-changing injuries.