Will Donald Trump Be Invited To The Royal Wedding?

Will Donald Trump Be Invited To The Royal Wedding?
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Meghan Markle is American, so will US President Donald Trump have to be invited to the royal wedding?

The prospect of Mr Trump attending Prince Harry and Ms Markle’s ceremony is an unlikely one.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will be expected to receive one of the sought-after invites, along with other Commonwealth leaders from across the globe.

But Mr Trump looks set to be left off the guest list because of the raft of problems it would cause.

With the level of protection that surrounds an American leader, the inclusion of Mr Trump would give security chiefs a headache as they work to police the high-profile event.

Mr Trump’s appearance could also spark mass protests.

When Prime Minister Theresa May offered Mr Trump an early invite for a state visit, the decision proved controversial – with polls suggesting up to two million people would take to the streets in demonstrations should the trip go ahead.

In 2011, the then US president Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama were not invited to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding, reportedly because of the added security costs.

But they were feted with a state visit to the UK a month later.

Should Mr Trump travel to the UK for a state visit, it would be expected that newly royal Ms Markle – as a fellow American – would meet him and join guests at the state banquet.

But the actress has previously been critical, branding him “misogynistic”.

Ms Markle, who backed Hillary Clinton for president, suggested in a television interview in 2016 that she would leave America and stay in Canada if Mr Trump won.

She said: “We film Suits in Toronto and I might just stay in Canada. I mean come on, if that’s reality we are talking about, come on, that is a game changer in terms of how we move in the world here.”

Ms Markle told Larry Wilmore’s Nightly Show in the US: “Yes, of course Trump is divisive.

“Think about just female voters alone. I think it was in 2012, the Republican Party lost the female vote by 12 points. That’s a huge number and as misogynistic as Trump is and so vocal about it, that’s a huge chunk of it.”

At the wedding of Harry’s parents, the Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer, in 1981 US president Ronald Reagan did not attend but his wife, first lady Nancy Reagan, did.

This could be an option for Harry, who has already met the current first lady Melania Trump.

They were pictured together in September in Canada ahead of the 2017 Invictus Games.

Harry has, however, forged a strong bond with the Obamas, through his work with servicemen and his trips to America, meaning a royal wedding invite is more likely to be on the cards for them.