Talk about a royal screwup!
The British Foreign Office is red-faced and apologizing after inviting a Danish princess to the funeral of Queen Elizabeth, only to rescind the invitation after realizing it was a mistake. The humiliating faux pas prompted an official mea culpa from the British Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office.
“The FCDO has passed on their profound apologies to the Danish Royal Household through the Danish Embassy,” a spokesperson said.
Princess Mary had been invited Monday’s funeral and was confirmed to attend, with the Danish royals RSVPing a week ago, the Daily Mail reported.
“HM The Queen and the Crown Prince Couple [will be] present at the State Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II,” the Danish royals wrote.
She wasn't invited to William & Kate's wedding.
She is disinvited from #QueenElizabeth's funeral.
Poor Princess Mary ☹️
The British #RoyalFamily is classless and rude!#NotMyKing pic.twitter.com/PmHePgBI5K
— Murielle de Brazen-Hussy 🇫🇷 🇬🇦 (@Mu_Ri_Elle) September 18, 2022
But on Monday, the family followed up with a new statement that belied the royal indignity.
“Her Majesty the Queen and His Royal Highness The Crown Prince” would do their mourning back home, a statement said.
Some 2,000 heads of state and other leaders attended Monday’s service in Westminster Abbey, prior to the queen’s interment at Windsor Castle. The beloved monarch died September 8 at age 96 after a record 70-year reign. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden represented the U.S. at the event.
The British Foreign Office on Tuesday confirmed to the Daily Mail that it sent an apology to the Danish Royal Household via the Danish Embassy. The mistake was deemed a “regrettable error” by the Foreign Office, which was pressed to send out hundreds of invitations in a short window.
Each guest was officially allowed to bring one other person, and with Queen Margrethe and her son, Crown Prince Frederik, on the list, there was no “plus 1” for the prince. The Australian-born, 50-year-old princess was left behind.
“There has been a regrettable error in the invitation from the British Foreign Office’s protocol,” The Danish Royal House said.
Princess Mary, who married Frederik in 2004, is a high-profile figure in European circles, carrying out numerous engagements on behalf of her 82-year-old mother-in-law and serving on organizations including the United Nations Population Fund, World Health Organization, and the Danish Refugee Council.
Still, the rules were apparently bent for other European royals. King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima, of the Netherlands, brought his mother Princess Beatrix, and King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, of Spain came along with former King Juan Carlos I, who abdicated in 2014, and his wife Sofia.
Danish royal watchers said the whole thing was embarrassing.
“It’s really clumsy and unfortunate,” said BT’s royal correspondent Jacob Heinel Jensen. “It has meant that the Royal House must now say that a mistake had been made, and that is embarrassing.”