By FAY SCHLESINGER

Off to the Abbey: David and Victoria Beckham look set to get a nice golden-embossed invitation on their doormat


David and Victoria Beckham have been invited to the royal wedding, sources indicated last night.

In a decision approved by the Queen and Prince Charles, the footballer and his wife are likely to be among the most high-profile celebrities on Prince William and Kate Middleton’s guest list of 1,900.

When the prince, who is president of the Football Association, and Beckham met in South Africa during last year’s World Cup they were said by insiders to ‘get on like a house on fire, professionally and personally’.

They also led England’s failed bid for the 2018 World Cup, while fashion designer Mrs Beckham revealed this month that she is sending a selection of dresses to the bride-to-be.

Courtiers said yesterday that the pews at Westminster Abbey will contain a ‘small number’ of A-list stars and a ‘good proportion’ of soldiers and pilots, as well as more than 1,000 friends and family and 80 charity workers to reflect the prince’s ‘fairly ordinary life’ living in North Wales and serving with the RAF.

William, 28, drew inspiration from Prince Andrew’s 1986 wedding, when he was a serving naval officer, a senior royal aide revealed – despite William failing to invite his uncle’s ex-wife and close friend Sarah Ferguson.


Getting ready for the big day: Prince William and Kate Middleton


Elegant: The Royal wedding invitation


Sticking with royal protocol, about 200 political figures – including Prime Minister David Cameron, his deputy Nick Clegg and Labour leader Ed Miliband – and 100 foreign royals and dignitaries have been asked.

But American President Barack Obama and French president Nicolas Sarkozy are thought to have been omitted because the wedding is not classed as a full state occasion as William is not yet heir to the throne.

Corgi crass: 'downright silly'
Corgis wearing crowns and union jacks with the slogan 'let them eat cake' are among the mementoes being sold by Kate Middleton's parents to mark the wedding.

Carole and Mike Middleton's mail order firm Party Pieces has launched a range of products apparently designed to cash in on the street parties expected to be held on April 29.

Beckham and the prince showed their closeness in Johannesburg last summer when William joked that an intruder who had got into the England players’ dressing room was actually him in a football shirt.

He then made Beckham, 35, burst out laughing by adding: ‘(Prince) Harry and I left the door open, that’s why it happened. It was our fault.’

Mrs Beckham, who is five months pregnant with the couple’s fourth child, heaped praise on Kate, 29, during a preview of her autumn/winter 2011 line at New York Fashion Week.

The former Spice Girl, 36, said: ‘Apparently, she likes my clothes and has asked to see a selection. I admire her tremendously. She’s a beautiful young girl, she has a wonderful figure and I think she wears clothes beautifully.’

The couple are thought to have been invited to the ceremony on April 29 and may also have been asked to a lunchtime buffet for 600 people hosted by the Queen at Buckingham Palace.


Busy lady: A member of the Lord Chamberlain's Office inserts Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding invitations into envelopes at Buckingham Palace


A senior courtier said of William and Kate: ‘The couple have made their own decisions about who to invite, with input from the Queen and Prince of Wales.

Kate's no style queen, says Viv
We don’t know who will create Kate’s wedding dress – but after some cutting words yesterday, it’s not likely to be Dame Vivienne Westwood.

The controversial 69-year-old designer appeared to suggest that the bride-to-be was not stylish enough to wear one of her outfits.

‘I would have loved to have dressed Kate Middleton but I have to wait until she kind of catches up a bit somewhere with style,’ she said.





source: dailymail