Tony Blair not offended by royal wedding snub

Tony Blair has insisted that he is "absolutely not" offended about being left off the Royal Wedding guest list.

The former Prime Minister was not invited to the nuptials of Prince William and the now-Duchess of Cambridge despite the fact that other former leaders such as Baroness Thatcher and Sir John Major were.

Blair told The Daily Telegraph: "I'm delighted for the royal couple. It is completely sensible to invite people from different walks of life instead of politicians. [I'm] absolutely not [offended] at all. It's not an issue and I wish them every happiness."

St James's Palace defended the decision, saying that the royal couple had no obligation to invite Blair or his successor Gordon Brown, but former Labour foreign secretary Jack Straw said that all former prime ministers should have been invited.

Straw added: "My guess is that, reviewing the way the guest list has worked, the decision-makers probably would have made some different decisions in respect of former prime ministers."

Fellow politician Michael Dugher added: "The palace keeps saying this is a private wedding but it's a national celebration. There should be extraordinary sensitivity in relation to the invitations."

> Live Blog: Royal wedding highlights
> Prince William marries Kate Middleton
> Live Photos: The royal wedding
> Kate Middleton wedding dress revealed
> Video: Celebrities reveal royal wedding plans
> The royal wedding in numbers
> Read our full royal wedding coverage