John Major trumps leaders with place at royal wedding
WHEN Theresa May, Donald Trump and even Prince Harry’s old friend Barack Obama failed to receive invitations to the royal wedding, at least they could console themselves with the knowledge that no politician would be present.
I hear there is, however, one exception: Sir John Major has been invited to the May 19 ceremony at St George’s Chapel, Windsor.
To stop the other former Prime Ministers Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and David Cameron becoming even more jealous, courtiers are keen to stress that Major has not made the guest list because of his political position.
‘Sir John has been invited because of his role as a guardian to Harry,’ a source tells me.
Following the death of Princess Diana in 1997, Major was appointed special guardian to Princes Harry and William, responsible for legal and administrative matters.
Major, whose appointment was reported to have been made at the suggestion of Prince Charles, was asked to protect the interests of Harry and William in negotiations over their mother’s will.
The year after Diana’s death, Major called for ‘respect’ for her memory after the Princess’s signature was used on tubs of margarine.
Hinting that his words had been sanctioned by her loved ones, he said: ‘The Princess’s reputation is very precious to her family and friends and her memory deserves respect.’ He previously said much of the publicity concerning Diana was ‘shoddy’ and could only add to the Princes’ distress.
Sir John was also invited to Prince William’s wedding in 2011, but on that occasion he was joined by David Cameron, who was Prime Minister at the time.
Their invitations caused controversy because both former Labour PMs, Blair and Brown, were not on the guest list. Palace sources insisted this was because, unlike Major, neither Blair nor Brown was a Knight of the Garter.
Spokesmen for Sir John and Kensington Palace declined to comment. However, a Palace source stressed that all those at Harry and Meghan’s wedding would be there ‘due to their relationship with the couple rather than the positions they hold’.