Tim Mosenfelder/WireImage.comIs it true that Kanye West was invited to the royal wedding but the Obamas weren't? What kind of insult is that?
—Marta, Maine, via the inbox
No, a real insult would be Kanye West jumping up in Westminster Abbey and yelling, "Yo, Kate, I'mma let you finish, but Diana's was the best royal wedding of all time."
That said, here's what I can tell you:
First, Kanye West.
There is a chance he was invited to the wedding, as some news outlets are reporting. No, he wasn't on the official list released by the royal family—the list with Mr. Bean on it, and the Beckhams on it, and...Joss Stone on it? Yes.
But you should know it was a partial list.
"There are 1900 people" invited to the big show at Westminster Abbey, reminds Angela Rippon, the longtime British journalist who has covered three royal weddings as well as Diana's funeral. "And not every name has been released. He may very well be on it."
Or not. I reached out to Kanye's people for comment. They declined—perhaps they were all on their way to London?
Or, really, not.
Now, about those Obamas:
No, they were not invited to the so-called Wedding of the Century. But the real question for any proper royals watcher is: Why would they be invited?
"This is not a full state occasion," Rippon reminds us. "If it were, then Great Britain would invite the people representing their closest allies. When Charles married Diana, he was the heir to the British throne, so they invited all sorts of heads of state."
William is not the direct heir to the throne, which makes this more of a family wedding, you see.
And by all reports, the Obamas just are not all that close to the royal family, not even the queen. Even the Beckhams are closer to Will and Kate, with David having worked with Will in an attempt to bring the World Cup to England.
"This really is Will and Kate's wedding," Rippon tells me. "And they don't want strangers there. They want their friends."
And maybe Kanye West.