The new education minister was asked on BBC Radio 4’s Today program whether Johnson should still hold the celebration at the prime minister’s mansion in July if it is in someone else’s hands by then.
Mr Cleverly said: “I think if that happens at the time I suspect it would be quite a generous move by the new Prime Minister to allow that to go through.
“These kinds of private functions do not burden the state treasury…
“I think it’s rude to be negative about two people who want to celebrate their marriage and their love for each other.”
A spokesman for No. 10 said: “The Prime Minister has a strong sense of duty and will continue to serve his country until there is a new leader, solely to continue his obligation to the public.”
Checkers features an indoor heated pool in the Orangerie, a putting green and expansive 1,500 acres of lawns.
It was gifted to the nation in 1917 by Lord and Lady Lee of Fareham as a “place of rest and recreation for Prime Ministers” as those who came to power increasingly lacked their own estates.
It was built in 1565 and costs taxpayers nearly £1 million a year.