国际英语新闻：Celebrities, Sports Stars Among Royal Wedding Guests

Some of the biggest names in Britain and around the world gathered in London Friday to witness the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton.

Football (soccer) star David Beckham and his wife Victoria, British Prime Minister David Cameron, the king of Norway and singer Elton John were among the nearly 2,000 guests inside Westminster Abbey for the ceremony.

Other invitees included Australian Olympic swimmer Ian Thorpe, British filmmaker Guy Ritchie and actor Rowan Atkinson, known for his "Mr. Bean" character.

Maid of Honor, Best Man

Middleton's sister, Philippa, was her maid of honor, while Prince William's brother Harry was his best man.

Prince Harry's on-again, off-again girlfriend Chelsy Davy also attended the ceremony, feeding the ever-present speculation in the media about the status of their relationship.

Members of the military were also invited to the service, as well as the heads of several charities.

Who was left out?

Bahrain's crown prince declined his invitation to the wedding because of unrest in his Gulf nation. And Britain withdrew the Syrian ambassador's invite ahead of the ceremony, saying Syrian security forces' crackdown on protesters made it "unacceptable" for him to attend.

Other prominent world leaders were left off the guest list, including U.S. President Barack Obama and French President Nicolas Sarkozy. The Associated Press quoted palace officials as saying only crowned heads of state are traditionally invited to royal weddings, and that political leaders not from the 54-member Commonwealth of nations, such as Obama and Sarkozy, did not receive invites.