Britain’s Prince Harry was evasive about the guest list for his wedding to American actress, Meghan Markle, on Wednesday, on a BBC radio programme
Asked whether he would invite former US President Barack Obama, Harry said a guest list had not yet been put together.
There has been speculation in the UK media that the White House might take offence if the couple decide to invite Barack and Michelle Obama, with whom they are friends, but not President Donald Trump.
Harry was asked whether his friendship with Obama warranted an invitation to the wedding, while guest-editing a BBC radio program for which he had taped an interview with the former US President.
“We haven’t put the invites or the guest list together yet so who knows whether he’s going to be invited or not. I wouldn’t want to ruin that surprise.”
A report released on Christmas Day by The Sun claims that the 33-year-old royal and his wife-to-be hope to invite the Obamas, but not the current White House inhabitants.
“Harry has made it clear he wants the Obamas at the wedding, so it’s causing a lot of nervousness,” a senior government official told The Sun, according to the report. “Trump could react very badly if the Obamas get to a Royal wedding before he has had a chance to meet the Queen.”
The wedding will not be subject to the full regulations of a state wedding, but the government will play a “consultative role” and could put significant pressure on Buckingham Palace — which is controlling the guest list — to keep the Obamas off the guest list if they fear it could have damaging impacts to international relations between the two countries.
The relationship between Britain and the U.S. has been icy in recent months, with British lawmakers repeatedly criticising the president over his various comments and actions.
British Prime Minister, Theresa May, went as far as to say the president was “wrong” after he retweeted anti-Islam videos originally posted by a leader of a far-right British fringe party.
The London mayor has said the president shouldn’t be invited for an official state visit, and parliament debated banning him from the country before he took office.
Meghan Markle has also made disparaging comments about President Donald Trump in the past, calling him misogynistic in a 2016 interview. She has, however, praised his daughter Ivanka Trump on a handful of occasions.
