Bettina Anderson, the Palm Beach socialite whose name has become synonymous with Florida’s high-society circuit, will walk down the aisle without her father-in-law in the front row. President Donald Trump announced on Friday that he will not attend the wedding of his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., to Anderson. The reason, according to a Truth Social post, is a sudden case of “government business.”

“While I very much wanted to be with my son, Don Jr., and the newest member of the Trump Family, his soon to be wife, Bettina, circumstances pertaining to Government... do not allow me to do so,” the President wrote. The snub has sent shockwaves through Mar-a-Lago, where the nuptials were expected to be the social event of the season.

Don Jr. and Bettina Anderson arrived at the White House together on May 3, but it seems the gilded halls of Washington have more gravity than the champagne tents of Palm Beach this weekend. In the world of the Trumps, the spectacle of power always precedes the intimacy of the family table. Whether the “government business” involves the 250-foot Washington arch or the ongoing DHS payroll default remains a matter of delicious speculation for the Doral set.