Will the Obamas Be Invited to the Royal Wedding?
Political leaders will not be in attendance at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's royal wedding on Saturday, including Barack and Michelle Obama.
"It has been decided that an official list of political leaders – both UK and international - is not required for Prince Harry and Ms. Markle's wedding," a Kensington Palace Spokesman told Harper's BAZAAR. "Her Majesty's Government was consulted on this decision, which was taken by The Royal Household."
"President and Mrs. Obama are not coming to the wedding, but the couples look forward to seeing each other soon," a royal source added.
In January, royal biographer Duncan Larcombe told TownandCountrymag.com that despite Barack Obama and Prince Harry’s budding friendship, it would be “extremely unlikely” that the former President and First Lady of the United States would be invited to this year’s royal wedding,
In December, CNN reported that Prince Harry told the BBC he didn't want to "ruin that surprise," when asked if he would invite Obama, but Larcombe said he was "almost certain" that the Obamas will not be going to the wedding. Larcombe's predictions have now been confirmed.
Larcombe, a British journalist and biographer of Prince Harry: The Inside Story, added that reports of the British government pleading for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to exclude Michelle and Barack are likely true. “Diplomacy is very important,” he explained. “Harry and Meghan will be guided by the Foreign Office’s advice."
The Foreign Office, which is responsible for protecting and promoting British interests worldwide, typically advises inviting foreign royals, dignitaries, and diplomats to royal weddings, Larcombe said. At Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding in 2011, no heads of state were invited.
“There were religious leaders, members of the royal family, and commonwealth countries that were invited. I suspect that will be the same blueprint that [Meghan and Harry] will use," he said, adding that the British royal family have historically remained politically neutral. "It’s all very carefully orchestrated to make sure that there’s no political overtones."
However, Larcombe acknowledged that Prince Harry and Obama have forged a very genuine friendship over the years. The pair were photographed together at the 2017 Invictus Games, Harry attended the first Obama Foundation Summit, Obama sent the newly engaged couple a congratulatory tweet in November, and Harry most recently interviewed the former president for the BBC.
“I think part of their understanding is that Harry served as a soldier at the time when Obama was Commander-in-Chief,” Larcombe explained. “But there’s a different friendship there, rather than like a business relationship.”
Larcombe added that he expects Harry might reach out to Obama personally to explain, since they are friends-and that Obama won't be offended. “I’m sure of all the people that would understand, it would be Barack Obama,” Larcombe said.
Despite Harry and Megan noticeable attempts at ripping up the royal rule book (case and point: their unconventional engagement photoshoot), Larcombe said he thinks that Harry will still heed the Foreign Office’s advice.
“[Harry and Meghan] are real people and they do want to do their own thing, but I think they’ll also be very conscious of the fact that, from a [public relations] point of view, any major mistakes…you could regret that for a very long time,” he says.
Another obstacle that Meghan and Harry had to confront is the size of the venue. The will be getting married at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. The church has a maximum capacity of 900 guests, which Larcombe said is less than half the number of people invited to William and Kate’s wedding at Westminster Abbey, where 1,900 invites went out. In the end, they chose to invite only 600 people to attend.
“I honestly think they will be tearing their hair out trying to work out the list and it has to go through so many hoops,” Larcombe added.
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