You may have a genuine excuse to miss attending a wedding, but some excuses may be more unusual than others.

Disputes over honeymoon plans, unexploded bombs and elections have all been used to get guests off the hook from attending royal weddings and CTVNews.ca has rounded up some of the more memorable excuses.

It's my birthday

King Carl XVI Gustaf declined an invite to Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding in 2011 due to a celebration closer to home: his birthday. The King's 65th birthday was a day after the nuptials and he skipped out on the big day for his own celebration.

Have to work

Work commitments can also get in the way of attending a wedding, demonstrated by rugby stars Brian O'Driscoll and Richie McCaw both turning down invitations to the 2011 bash. O'Driscoll's club team Leinster had a game scheduled for the day after the wedding, and McCaw wanted to prepare for the Rugby World Cup.

Divorces and elections

Occasionally, timing or personal circumstances can force guests to say 'no' an invite to the big day. The Duke and Duchess of Norfolk said 'no' to attending Prince William's wedding in 2011 due to the announcement of their separation and divorce.

Arab Spring protests

Meanwhile other royals turned down the invitation over ongoing protests in their home countries. The King and Queen of Jordan, along with the Crown Prince of Bahrain, were forced to decline due to the Arab Spring protests in their countries.

Disaster strikes

The Crown Prince and Princess of Japan also turned down an invite to Prince William's wedding due to the aftermath of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami that killed nearly 16,000 people and left hundreds of thousands of Japanese residents displaced from their homes.

Election time

Timing can also be a factor and force political leaders to send their regrets. Former Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper refused an invite to the 2011 celebration due to the federal election being held three days afterwards.

Feuding and snubs

Other times, political disputes can get in the way of enjoying a celebration. Such was the case for the King and Queen of Spain during Prince Charles and Diana's wedding in 1981. Disputes over the royal couple's planned honeymoon – which started with a cruise originating from Gibraltar – led to a snub from Spanish royalty. Spain claims the island of Gibraltar and politicians called the decision to visit the island "inopportune and gratuitous."

It was a similar story for the presidents of Greece, Republic of Ireland and Malta after they received their invites to Prince Charles’ first wedding. The president of Greece spurned an invite after former Greek king Constantine was invited as a friend of the royal couple.

The president of Malta gave a more personal reason when declining the invite, citing "pending issues with Britain related to World War II, unexploded bombs on the island and sunken ships in the water.”

Then-Irish president Patrick Hillery said ‘no’ to attending due to "other commitments," which sources told The Associated Press was related to two hunger-striking Irish Republican Army prisoners near death in Northern Ireland.

Uninvited

It's rare to be uninvited to a wedding of any sort, but that's the situation the Syrian ambassador to the United Kingdom found himself in. Sami Khiyami had his invitation to Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge's wedding rescinded due to criticism from the U.K. government over the Syrian regime's killing of civilian protesters in 2011.

"I find it a bit embarrassing but I don't consider it a matter that would jeopardize any ongoing relations and discussions with the British government," he told the BBC.

Looking ahead

But building up to the wedding, the focus is firmly on who will be invited to the celebration of the fifth in line to the throne, and not on who will turn down the chance to rub shoulders with royals and celebrities.

"I think there is a lot of interest in who will be invited," said CTV News Royal Commentator Richard Berthelsen. "As this is not a state occasion but still an important royal event with enormous public interest who is on the list will be closely watched."