Why does Queen Elizabeth never attend European royal weddings?

In fact, it has long been customary -- since before Elizabeth became Queen -- for the British monarch to send a family representative to foreign royal weddings. She is following custom.

One problem is that the Queen is the Head of the Commonwealth and has had to do a great deal of official traveling to Commonwealth nations over the years. She doesn't have a lot of extra travel time to spare for things like weddings. Other European monarchs don't have to deal with a Commonwealth.

It's true that some foreign royal watchers have been offended by this. They think that the Queen somehow believes herself to be superior to other royals. I doubt this very much. She receives plenty of royals in private when they visit informally, and she was happy to attend the weddings of Greek ex-royals when they took place in London.

As far as non-royal, non-family weddings in the UK are concerned, she rarely goes because she doesn't want any of the attention to be on her. Her arrival, her security needs, and so forth could be very distracting for everyone.

British Royal Weddings

Queen Elizabeth is to tight and she is not invited because they know she will not buy them a wedding gift.

She's been on the throne for 60 years or sometng. She is elderly and has been to more events than we could ever imagine.

I would think that most people understand and respect her slowing down theses days.

Because she is a snob....and her husband would be an embarrassment to the wedding. He IS the roay amoeba, after all....well...so is she. Utterly useless, the whole family.

@ Dart: Can you give an example?

Maybe if their weddings weren't so BORING she might be arsed to go.

She DOES go to them.