Forwarded email claims Barack and Michelle Obama won't be invited to Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding because the British royal family considers the Obamas 'low class' and 'tacky.'
Description: Forwarded email
Circulating since: Jan. 2011
Status: Illiterate tripe / Mostly false
Example:
Email text contributed by Julie A., Jan. 6, 2011:
FW: Royal snub for the Obama's:
Prince William and Kate Middleton wedding: President Barack Obama and Michelle are not invited!
Michelle is livid over the snub and Obama can't believe it... What is happening and what can I do about it seems to be the thoughts in Obama's head. Meanwhile, William and Kate have it together.
Prince William and Kate Middleton are planning a royal wedding April, 2011. Prince William personally told the wedding planners to strike the Obama's from the guest list. He stated, "He did not won't Michelle Obama trying to pull her center of attention ploy trying to upstage Kate on Kate's wedding day". Sources reveal that William states, "She may run Obama, but she doesn't run him or England". The Democrats and Obama would like to play the race card as they have done so many times in America, but it is difficult when other black heads of states are invited to the wedding and will be warmly received.
Now, what is the future King of England's reasons for Snubbing the Obama's to the world and making them a laughing stock. It has nothing to do with America beyond being so stupid as to elect such low class imperfection to the office of President and First Lady. The decisions that they make can and will affect the World. Secondly, Michelle called his mother Diana an over sexed cloths horse and further stated that she, Michelle, was more popular than Diana ever was. Thirdly, Michelle Obama showed her butt at every major social function endeavoring to be the Queen in the lime light. In other words, just a lack of class. Fourthly, the Queen Mother, William's grand mother also has her reasons. Obama refused to bow to her, but a few days later bowed to the King of Saudi Arabia. Michelle manhandled her by becoming too familiar by putting her arm around her. The Queen only shakes hands with gloves on... That are the Traditions and it is still honored by the Royals. The Queen said to her staff, "Never allow that woman to be in the same room with me again" and she meant every word of it. The gifts from Obama and Michelle were both tacky and in poor taste... It is all a matter of class. In addition the Queen Mother supported Prince William in his decision, due to the fact, the word is out about the lavish booze parties at the White House, the expensive vacations and state visits that cost the American tax payers billions of dollars un-necessarily when the American people need the resources... We here at True American can’t decide if it is Just low class, no class, big a_s or all that has just been mentioned.
The Obama's are desperately trying to make it a slight against America. Every past Head of State has always been invited... This is not a state function and William is not yet a Sovereign. It is just a multi-million dollar private wedding and the Obama's have been royally snubbed by the British Royals; not America, just the present classless leaders... The True American!
Analysis: The best that can be said for this scurrilous text, which has been reproduced verbatim on upwards of 3,000 blogs and websites, is that its primary claim — that the Obamas won't be invited to Prince William's wedding — was drawn from an actual news story published December 17, 2010 in the London Daily Mail. But even that, upon closer examination, turns out to be based on an unconfirmed tip from anonymous sources who admit the information is subject to change.
According to those sources, the royal wedding isn't classed as an official "state occasion," therefore William and his Princess-to-be are "under no pressure to fill the 2,000-strong guest list with heads of state." As things stand, the sources were quoted as saying, the Obamas aren't likely to be among those invited.
That was in December. As of late January 2011, the guest list still hadn't been made public, nor had it been confirmed that the Obamas were "snubbed." (UPDATE: Invitations to the royal wedding were sent out in February, at which time it was confirmed that the Obamas aren't among the recipients.)
Fictitious quotes
In any case, the reasons given above for the "royal snubbing" are obviously fictitious. To review, here are a few of the invented claims (note: all spelling and grammatical errors are in the original text):
- "Prince William personally told the wedding planners to strike the Obama's from the guest list. He stated, 'He did not won't Michelle Obama trying to pull her center of attention ploy trying to upstage Kate on Kate's wedding day'"
- "Now, what is the future King of England's reasons for Snubbing the Obama's to the world and making them a laughing stock. It has nothing to do with America beyond being so stupid as to elect such low class imperfection to the office of President and First Lady."
- "Secondly, Michelle called his mother Diana an over sexed cloths horse and further stated that she, Michelle, was more popular than Diana ever was."
- "Thirdly, Michelle Obama showed her butt at every major social function endeavoring to be the Queen in the lime light. In other words, just a lack of class."
And so on. None of these allegations — to the extent they can be made sense of at all — bear any relation to reality. They aren't to be found in the Daily Mail article, nor any other legitimate news source here or abroad.
Royal etiquette
As to the claim that Obama "refused to bow" to the Queen, video of their first meeting shows Obama nodding ever so slightly when he greets her, which is, in fact, acceptable etiquette. According to Paul Gauger, director of regional press for VisitBritain.com, "As an American when you're actually meeting the queen you don't have to do a curtsy or a bow because she's not the head of state of America. What might be a nice sign of respect if you're a gentleman, you can just do a slight nod." (source: ABC News).
It's true that Michelle Obama shook the Queen's hand, but in the video it appears Her Majesty extended her hand first, in which case the First Lady followed proper etiquette as well, gloves or no gloves.
It's also true that at a later function, the Queen and the First Lady engaged in what might best be described as a "half-hug," as each curved an arm around the other's back. Unprecedented though it may have been, onlookers say it was the Queen who initiated the partial embrace.
The assertion that Queen Elizabeth responded to these supposed "breaches of etiquette" by demanding, "Never allow that woman to be in the same room with me again," is patently false. In point of fact, the Queen has invited the President and First Lady to stay Buckingham Palace for a three-day visit in May 2011.
FYI: The Queen is not her own mother
Finally, at several points in the forwarded message the Queen is referred to as "the Queen Mother."
Now hear this: she is not "the Queen Mother." The real Queen Mother — that is, Queen Elizabeth II's mother, Prince William's great-grandmother — died in 2002, six years before Obama was elected.
Need I restate the perils of getting one's "news" via forwarded email?
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Sources and further reading:
Snub for Obamas as Royal Sources Reveal They Will Not Be Invited to Prince William's Wedding
Daily Mail, 17 December 2010Prince William and Kate Middleton Reveal Wedding Plans
BBC News, 5 January 2011Five Things We Know About the Wedding (and Five We Don't)
BBC News, 15 January 2011Rumors Swirling About Royal Wedding Details
CTV.ca News, 19 January 2011Obamas Not Invited to Prince William and Kate Middleton's Royal Wedding
Daily Mail, 21 February 2011Royal Etiquette: Taling to the Queen
ABC News, 7 May 2007Michelle Obama Partially Embraces the Queen; Brits Go a Bit Mad
New YOrk Magazine, 4 February 2009Barack Obama Books in for a Stay at Buckingham Palace
Guardian, 17 February 2011
Last updated 02/25/11
