SENIOR politicians may not have been invited to the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle but a Scottish councillor has made the list.
Robert Moran, former provost of Inverclyde, was nominated by the Lord Lieutenant of Renfrewshire for his community work and for helping to organise a visit by the Queen to Greenock in 2012.
The Labour councillor and his partner Margaret will be among 1,200 members of the public invited into the grounds of Windsor Castle to watch the arrivals of the bride and groom and their guests at St George's Chapel, and see the newlyweds start their carriage procession through Windsor.
Kensington Palace said it had been decided that an official list of political leaders – both UK and international – was not required for the wedding.
Mr Moran said: "I'm very humbled and surprised, and in fact I got such a shock I called one of my colleagues to see if he had received a letter as well.
"He said no and hadn't heard about anyone else, so I got it checked out in case someone was winding me up.
"I checked with the chief executive's secretary who said it was genuine and they phoned Guy to confirm it was a genuine letter.
"By that point I was mystified but he said it was because of the work I did when Her Majesty came in 2012.
"That in itself was a fantastic honour to welcome her here and this just tops it off really."
The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh visited Greenock in 2012 as part of her diamond jubilee and helped open a refurbished contact centre at Inverclyde Council head quarters.
Lord Lieutenant Guy Clark nominated Mr Moran for his work as provost for five years and his role in the royal visit.
He said: "Robert was incredibly supportive when Her Majesty the Queen came to Greenock as part of a visit for her diamond jubilee in 2012.
"It's my way of thanking him for the support he gave myself and the people of Greenock on that auspicious day.
"I'm not going to Windsor myself but I'm delighted others are. I shall be watching, I think with many others, on the television and I'm looking forward to it hugely."
Mr Moran was Inverclyde provost for five years until 2017 during which time he worked with community groups and veterans' organisations as his brother served in the Army.
He said meeting the Queen during her 2012 visit was a major highlight of his term.
Mr Moran said: "I was a bit nervous beforehand but once you actually meet the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh the nerves leave you because they're such nice people.
"I'm very much looking forward to going to Windsor. If we weren't going I'm sure we would be watching on TV, so it will be a great trip."
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