The Queen has sent out nearly 2,000 invitations to her grandson Prince William’s wedding to Kate Middleton, and it appears President Obama and his wife Michelle are among those who didn’t make the cut, the Daily Telegraph reports.
Obama has been criticized by some for not embracing the ‘special relationship’ that has existed between the U.S. and Britain since the Second World War. Shortly after he arrived in the White House, the president presented Queen Elizabeth with an iPod and then-Prime Minister Gordon Brown with a bundle of American DVDs that would not work on British players. He also returned a bust of Winston Churchill that had stood in President George W. Bush’s Oval Office.
Last year, Mrs. Obama also touched the back of Queen Elizabeth’s back which, as White House watcher Keith Koffler notes, is considered a major breach of protocol when dealing with the royals.
During the last major royal wedding between Prince Charles and Lady Diana in 1981, both President Reagan and his wife Nancy were invited to the ceremony. Mrs. Reagan attended the event.
French President Nicholas Sarkozy and his wife Carla Bruni were likewise not invited to Prince William’s wedding. Sarah Ferguson, the Dutchess of York and frequent target of Britain’s tabloids, was left off the guest list as well.