May Says Don't Blame Me If Trump Not Invited to Royal Wedding

(Bloomberg) -- Prime Minister Theresa May tried to paper over the cracks in the U.K.’s so-called “special relationship” with the U.S., after Donald Trump scrapped a planned visit to London.

Trump’s decision not to attend next month’s opening of the new U.S. Embassy building has left May’s team scratching their heads -- with some speculating that he might be annoyed at reports that he won’t be invited to Prince Harry’s wedding to the actress Meghan Markle.

May also advised Queen Elizabeth to invite Trump on a “state visit” -- the highest honor the U.K. can give a foreign leader -- but he has so far not set a date. Amid warnings that any such trip will spark street protests, British officials think it’s possible that the president may never make the trip across the Atlantic.

“We have a special and enduring relationship with the United States,” May told lawmakers in the House of Commons on Wednesday. “I’m not responsible for invitations to the royal wedding.”

May’s relationship with Trump has been troubled since his election victory, with arguments over anti-terror measures, intelligence leaks, and a very public clash over the president’s re-tweeting of a far-right anti-Muslim activist.

©2018 Bloomberg L.P.