Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have not invited British Prime Minister Theresa May or US President Donald Trump to their wedding.

Kensington Palace announced on Wednesday (AEDT) that the royal couple would not be inviting any political leaders to the event, instead choosing people they have a direct connection to.

It was also confirmed Prince Harry’s friends Barack and Michelle Obama had not been invited.

No heads of state from the UK or abroad will be among the 600 guests handpicked by Meghan and Harry at Windsor Castle’s St George Chapel on May 19, as a result of the church’s size and the fact that the prince is only fifth in line to the throne, Kensington Palace said.

Despite Harry and Meghan’s royal nuptials being an important international occasion, the prince is not in the immediate line of succession, unlike his brother William.

By contrast the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s 2011 wedding had leading figures from national life and foreign heads of state or their representatives at the Westminster Abbey ceremony.

The nature of the guests, likely to be friends, work colleagues and good acquaintances of the couple, and the smaller venue, reflects Harry’s position, it said.

“It has been decided that an official list of political leaders – both UK and international – is not required for Prince Harry and Ms Markle’s wedding,” a Kensington Palace spokesman said.

“Her Majesty’s Government was consulted on this decision, which was taken by the royal household.”

While the former president Obama and his wife would not be attending the wedding, royal sources say Harry and Meghan hope to “see them soon”, suggesting a US tour could be on the cards, CNN reported.

The palace earlier named some of the 1200 members of the public chosen to join the crowds in the grounds of Windsor Castle on the couple’s wedding day.

Invited guests include a mother who uses the arts to help people with mental health issues and a schoolgirl who was caught up in the Manchester Arena suicide bombing last year.

-with AAP