Prince William and Kate Middleton dislike the Obamas and 'snubbed' them by not inviting them to their upcoming wedding.
On 29 April 2011, Prince William will wed Kate Middleton, his girlfriend of eight years, at Westminster Abbey. Approximately 2,000 guests will reportedly receive invitations to that event, which is well down from the 3,500 persons invited to the 1981 wedding of Prince Charles to Lady Diana Spencer.The nuptial couple has announced its desire to hold a 'people's wedding' populated with invitees garnered from the Prince's work among his 21 charities rather than one with a guest list adorned with heads of state. The prince said in November 2010 instructions to his advisors that he wants 'to see a guest list that reflects our friends, beliefs and future.' Because William is not the heir to the throne (he stands second in the line of succession, behind his father, Charles), the couple enjoys more latitude in this regard as their wedding is not classed as a 'state occasion,' a designation that would necessitate a much stricter protocol.President and Mrs. Obama are not on the guest list. In this, they have plenty of company: few heads of state arelikely to be invited to the wedding. (One confirmed exception so far is President Nicolas Sarkozy of France, whose name is known to be on the guest list.)Ergo, while the e-mail is correct in its substance that the Obamas will not be invited to the royal wedding, the reasons given for that omission are not. There's no evidence for the tabloid-style claims that Prince William or Kate Middleton have taken a dislike to Michelle Obama, that either of them fear Mrs. Obama will attempt to upstage the bride, or that Mrs. Obama called Diana (William's mother) an 'over-sexed clothes horse' or maintained she was 'more popular than Diana ever was.'Regarding the claims that Mrs. Obama tried to put her arm around the Queen or that the Queen instructed her staff to 'Never allow that woman to be in the same room with me again,' a New York Daily News article about their April 2009 meeting described Mrs. Obama as shaking the Queen's hand and President Obama as producing 'an exaggerated nod in the queen's direction to serve as the optional bow.' Interestingly, that same article reports that the Queen uses her purse to signal attendants when she wants to be rescued from people she can't stand and in that meeting her handbag 'rested in the crook of the queen's left arm, which means that she's happy and relaxed with her guests.'The Queen did embrace Michelle Obama on a subsequent meeting, though, an act that was considered a departure from appropriate protocol on the Queen's part, An eyewitness to that event said:There was a bit of a bottleneck as all of the leaders filed out so the Queen started chatting to Michelle Obama. She appeared to look up at her and make a comment about how tall she was. As she did, she put her arm around Mrs. Obama and rested her gloved hand on the small of her back. Almost simultaneously, Mrs. Obama put her arm around the Queen's shoulders rather more firmly. The pair then looked at their feet and appeared to be discussing their shoes. The Queen then dropped her arm and, a few seconds later, Michelle did the same. The entire exchange lasted around eight to ten seconds but was absolutely extraordinary.This occurrence was noted as the first time in the 57 years of her reign that Elizabeth II had performed such a gesture.As to 'the gifts from Obama and Michelle were both tacky and in poor taste,' in April 2009 the Obamas presented the British sovereign with an iPod containing video and photos of her 2007 trip to the United States, plus a library of Broadway showtunes (which the Queen is rumored to love) and a rare songbook signed by the composer Richard Rodgers. The Queen presented the Obamas with a signed silver-framed photograph of herself and her husband, Prince Philip, a token she bestows on all visiting dignitaries.Finally, about the statements regarding the Queen Mother's supposed umbrage at President Obama's refusal to bow to her, and her alleged support of Prince William's decision not to invite the Obamas to his wedding, we note that the Queen Mother has been dead since 2002, which puts the kibosh on any claims that she has been harboring a dislike of President Obama for any reason.Barbara 'queen mum' Mikkelson
nan