The Beckhams are invited on account of David’s work with Prince William.(telegraph.co.uk)

At every wedding, there is always one glamorous guest who risks upstaging the bride.

So it is brave indeed of Kate Middleton to extend an invitation to Victoria Beckham.

The former Spice Girl and her husband, David, are among the celebrities 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 spearheadedthe 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 nuptials of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes in a revealing strapless dress and enormous hat, to the delight of the paparazzi.

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 presenter, 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 corps. 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 protocol dictates 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 coator lounge suit", were sent out by first class Royal Mail.

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。

准王妃米德尔顿和威廉王子将于4月29日在威斯敏斯特教堂举办婚礼，前辣妹组合成员维多利亚和老公大卫在受邀宾客之列。上周末，共有1900名宾客收到了参加威廉王子婚礼的镀金请帖。

贝克汉姆夫妇因小贝在英格兰2018年世界杯申办中与威廉王子协同作战而拿到婚礼请柬。威廉王子现任英足总主席，而在去年于苏黎世举办的世界杯申办陈述中，威廉和贝克汉姆充当了先锋。

贝克汉姆的发言人拒绝透露受邀是否属实，但有消息称夫妇俩已经收到请帖。目前身为著名时装设计师的维多利亚曾在多场婚礼中抢走新人的风头。在2006年，她身着一件非常暴露的无肩礼服，头戴一顶巨大的帽子参加汤姆 克鲁斯和凯蒂 赫尔姆斯在意大利举办的婚礼，成为狗仔队追逐的焦点。

尽管克拉伦斯王府坚称婚礼不会办成明星会，但宾客名单显示，已有多位明星受邀。

其中包括电视节目主持人本 福格尔和妻子玛丽娜。他们是威廉和米德尔顿的私人好友。

受邀的1900多位宾客包括1000名友人以及两位新人的家人。另有200人来自政府机构、议会和外交使节团。英国首相大卫 卡梅伦和夫人萨曼莎已受邀参加婚礼和白金汉宫婚宴招待会。（英国工党领袖）埃德 米利班德只受邀参加婚礼。另有大约80名宾客来自威廉王子资助的慈善团体。

白宫尚未证实奥巴马夫妇是否收到请帖，但可能性比较小。由于威廉王子还不是王位首位继承人，这场婚礼并未被定为国事活动。婚礼草案显示，民选产生的国外领导人不在受邀之列。

约克公爵夫人当然也未受邀。一位发言人称她“从没想过要去参加”，计划在4月29日前往国外。

请帖由头等的皇家邮政投递，并要求宾客身着“制服、晨礼服或套装”。

Vocabulary:

spearhead: to lead or initiate an attack, a campaign, etc.（带头做，充当先锋）

of note: important, of distinction, famous（著名的，引人注目的）

paparazzi: a freelance photographer, especially one who takes candid pictures of celebrities for publication（猎奇名流的摄影记者，狗仔队）

morning coat: （男子日间穿的黑色或灰色）晨燕尾服，常燕尾服

lounge suit: （尤指在办公室及较正式场合穿的）男西装套服