Time goes so fast as the popular son of late Lady Diana Prince William and kate Middleton are getting married. The Britain Royal wedding is at Westminster Abbey, London church steeped in royal history. The funeral of Princess Diana, his mother, took place there in 1997, and the first king William was crowned in the abbey in 1066 after the Norman conquest of England.
William's brother Prince Harry will be his best man, while Kate's sister Pippa will be her maid of honour. Harry, dubbed the "Party Prince" by the British press, has promised some cracking tales in his best man's speech - but nothing too colourful infront of his grandmother Queen Elizabeth.
Kate Middleton will travel to the wedding in a Rolls Royce limousine that was damaged when student protesters attacked Prince Charles and his wife Camilla in December. Royal watchers may be hoping for rain at the wedding and the appearance of the famed horse-drawn Glass Coach used by William's mother at her wedding in 1981, which will only be used in the event of wet weather.
The spirit of Diana, who died in a car crash in Paris in 1997, will hang over the wedding, which is taking place 30 years since her own marriage to Charles.
The menu lunch is closely guarded secret, but one thing is assured: it will be "so British". The black sheep of the royal family, aunt Sarah Ferguson has not been invited to the wedding after a series of tabloid revelations.
No food mixers or bath towels on this wedding list: the royal couple have named 26 charitable organisations to which they want their guests to donate. Queen Elizabeth received more than 2,500 presents at her wedding. Kenya? Mauritius? Speculation is rife about where the newlywed will spend their honeymoon before starting married life in a cottage in Wales.
It will be the most hotly anticipated "I do" of the year, witnessed by a global TV audience of some two billion plus huge crowds in London and media from around the world. Addicts of royal pageantry need not despair after the wedding, for Queen Elizabeth will celebrate her diamond jubilee in June next year. But not for long. After the wedding she will be officially known as Catherine. The couple fell in love while studying at St Andrews University in Scotland.
Her background is not nearly as blue-blooded as her future husband's. Her parents, Michael and Carole, met while working as airline staff in the 1970's but made a fortune by starting a children's partyware business, called Party Places, in 1987.
While most of the guest will go home after the ceremony, a select group of 300 will head to Buckingham Palace for dinner and dancing late into the night hosted by Prince Charles. William is a Royal Air Force search and rescue helicopter pilot and an RAF fanfare will lead the musical entertainment at the wedding. Musicians from the Household Cavalry, a chamber orchestra and two choirs will also be involved. This traditional pubs beloved of Britons will be open several hours later on the wedding day, allowing revellers to down a few more pints of "Kiss Me Kate", a beer especially invented by one brewery for the occassion.
Queen Elizabeth will hope the marriage of her grandson will turn page on the royals' turbulent recent past, from the divorce of Charles and Camilia to Fergie's embarassing escapades. Anti monarchists from across Europe are flocking to London for the wedding to try to boost their republican cause.
London police will lay on a massive security operation in a bid to prevent trouble at the wedding, following riots in London at the end of March on the sidelines of a huge rally against government cuts. The dress will most likely have a train tailing behind it. But like all the details about the garment, it will be top secret until wedding day. He will do his RAF helicopter pilot's uniform when he weds Kate.
British artist Lydia Leith has produced souvenir sick bags for those who find the hype around the wedding too much to stomach. Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, the head of the Church of England and the leader of the world's Anglicans, will marry the couple. They reportedly amd bravely, invited several of their old flames. He is said to have asked former girlfriends Rose Farquhar and Jecca Craig, while she invited Rupert Finch.
The video sharing website will offer live streaming. They will also use microblogging site Twitter to announce their engagement in the November - alongside an old-fashioned press release. The second royal wedding this year will see cousin Zara wed England rugby union captain Mike Tindall on July 30. She has reportedly dubbed William and Kate "Ken and barbie".
Source - AFP
