Guest house owners Gill and David Reynard could not believe their eyes when an invitation dropped through their letterbox to join the US Ambassador for dinner in London.

Earlier this year Ambassador Philip Lader visited York with his family partly on business and partly for a holiday.

Wanting to keep his stay in the city low key he chose the Arndale Hotel, a bed- and-breakfast in Tadcaster Road.

Together with his entourage - his wife, two daughters and three Scotland Yard detectives - he moved into the ten-room guest house and struck up a friendship with owners Gill and David.

Gill, who has run the family hotel with her husband for 13 years, said: "When a detective phoned us up saying he was from Scotland Yard and told us to book a room for the US Ambassador of course we thought it was a friend playing a joke on us.

"We certainly didn't believe it. I thought we are just a bed and breakfast, not a big posh hotel. When the family arrived we weren't quite sure how to treat them. We thought they might want to be left alone. But Mrs Lader invited us to join them at the table and we got chatting."

"The family were delightful," said Gill who has since received a tankard from the Lader's home state of North Carolina and a thank you letter.

On leaving, the ambassador signed the visitors' book with the comment: "I cannot imagine a finer place to stay in York."

And this week, to their surprise, the Reynards received the personal invitation asking them to join him at the family's exclusive Holland Park residence in July for an American festival to celebrate American independence.

"We can't wait," said Gill excitedly. "I will have to go out and buy something to wear. I will make sure my husband gets his suit dry-cleaned too!"

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