At every wedding, there is always one glamorous¹ guest who risks upstaging the bride. So it is brave indeed of Kate Middleton to extend an invitation to Victoria Beckham.

在每场婚礼上，总有一位闪耀的宾客想大胆地抢走新娘的风头。所以，英国准王妃凯特·米德尔顿邀请维多利亚·贝克汉姆来参加自己的婚礼可真是勇敢。

The Beckhams are invited on account of David's work with Prince William.
The former Spice Girl and her husband, David, are among the celebrities² invited to the wedding of Miss Middleton and Prince William at Westminster Abbey on April 29. They were two of the 1,900 guests who found a gold-embossed invitation on their doormat at the weekend.

The Beckhams are invited on account of David's work with Prince William on England's 2018 World Cup bid. The Prince is president of the Football Association and the pair spearheaded（带头，做先锋） the bid at a presentation in Zurich last year.

A spokesman for the footballer declined to confirm the invitation, but sources said the couple had received one. Mrs Beckham, now a fashion designer of note, has stolen the limelight at weddings in the past. In 2006, she arrived for the Italian nuptials³ of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes in a revealing strapless dress and enormous hat, to the delight of the paparazzi（狗仔队） .

While Clarence House insisted that the wedding will not be a celebrity-studded affair, there are plenty of famous names on the list.

They include Ben Fogle, the television presenter⁴, and his wife, Marina, who are personal friends of the Prince and Miss Middleton.

The 1,900-strong guest list includes more than 1,000 friends and family of the Prince and Miss Middleton. There will be 200 members of the Government, Parliament and diplomatic corps⁵. David and Samantha Cameron have been invited to the ceremony and Buckingham Palace reception, while Ed Miliband has received an invitation to the ceremony only. Around 80 representatives of the Prince's charities will also attend.

There was no word from the White House on whether Barack and Michelle Obama have been invited, but it is thought unlikely. As the Prince is not yet heir to the throne, the wedding is not classed as a state occasion and protocol⁶ dictates⁷ that elected foreign leaders should not expect an invitation.

The Duchess of York is definitely not on the list. A spokesman said she "was never expecting to attend" and plans to be overseas on April 29.

The invitations, with a dress code of "uniform, morning coat or lounge suit（普通西装） ", were sent out by first class Royal Mail.