He Liked It So Much He Put a Ring on It: The Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton

This is not a recap of the wedding of the new Duke and Duchess of Cambridge per se. After watching about a zillion hours of royal wedding programming leading up to yesterday's nuptials, I'm a little burnt out.  Seriously, I felt I had waited almost as long as Kate for the wedding.  When Prince Charles married Lady Diana Spencer in 1981, there was hoopla, but nothing like this.  I don't remember quite as many books or TV specials. Of course it was a different world. No internet, no Twitter, Facebook, or blogs.  What did we do back then in the stone age?

The only thing that was the same between that wedding and this was the sense of anticipation.  The biggest difference is here we have a royal couple who are genuinely in love with each other and enjoy each other's company.  The secret smiles they shared during the service, and the slight smirks from Prince William proved that this was an altogether different wedding. Not to mention the best man Prince Harry's stated intention to party all night long!

The night before the wedding, Catherine was at the Goring Hotel, spending her last night as a single woman in the bosom of her family.  Contrast that with Lady Diana who was alone at Clarence House with the Queen Mother. No friends, and no family to soothe any anxieties she might have had.  Prince William also spent the night with his family, Prince Charles and Prince Harry doing some male bonding.

I was lucky enough to be there in England when Prince Charles married Diana, and I remember thinking how surreal it was that a 19 year old girl was marrying a much older Prince and settling down before she had barely lived.  William and Catherine however have grown up together, he's eased her into the family, he's protected her from the beginning.  They are best friends as well as lovers.

However it didn't disappoint. What I loved about Catherine and William's nuptials was how they were able to make it seem like a family wedding, albeit a family with 1,900 guests.  It was royal yet it felt intimate at the same time. I loved that Catherine was able to keep her wedding dress a secret until the day of the ceremony (although already there's apparently backlash against Sarah Burton and the House of Alexander McQueen because they denied making the dress when they were asked. Seriously? What did the press expect them to say?).  I also loved that she didn't want William to see her until she was actually walking down the aisle. Loved that Prince Harry couldn't hellp turning around and then telling his brother that she looked fabulous. How sweet was that?


There were some nice moments during the ceremony. I liked that they both looked at each other when they said their vows.  Although who didn't get the giggles when William said for 'richer or for poorer'? How about just for rich? The whole thing with the wedding ring though, didn't he have that sized before they made it? Watching him having to shove her wedding ring on her finger kind of ruined the moment. Brother James Middleton's rather dramatic reading was a hoot, particularly since I think the Queen slept through it. He looked like he was auditioning to be the 2nd spear carrier in the new RSC production of Antony & Cleopatra.  I don't know what is orientation is, but I bet you he pulled last night at the evening reception at Buckingham Palace.

Love this photo taken on the balcony as the planes flyo overhead, little Grace van Cutsem was just not having it. The planes were too loud and it hurt her ears.

Official Family photo of the happy couple, Windsors on one side, Middletons on the other.  You just know the Pipster knows how gorgeous she looks.

The happy couple drive off in a vintage Aston-Martin with the vanity licence plate of JU5T WED on the back and a big L for learner's permit on the front. Love that Prince William was driving the car himself. Not too thrilled when he kept taking his hand off the wheel to wave to the crowds.  William, you now have a wife, let her do that while you drive.

Royal bridesmaid Pippa Middleton has apparently rocked the Internet after her appearance yesterday at the nuptials. It just goes to show you how confidant Kate is that she had no problem having her sister look as hot as she did in her dress.  According to the Daily Mail there are now Facebook pages devoted to her posterior.  Commenters yesterday were speculating that since it's something of a tradition for the maid of honor and the best man to hook up, that Prince Harry might try to hit on Pippa at the reception.  Two problems with that. One, I just don't think she's into him judging by this photo.

Doesn't it look like Harry just farted or told some really filthy joke? Pippa is clearly not amused by whatever he's saying.  Anyway, Pippa is dating Alexander Loudon, who was her date at the reception, where she showed up looking like this.

If you thought she looked hot at the wedding, just look at her now! Seriously what a gorgeous dress. It's an Alice Temperley and I can tell you, there are going to be knockoffs in the stores before the week is out.  The color looks amazing on Pippa, but I think she needs to lay off the self-tanner a bit. Not that it matters, because Pippa Middleton is now the most eligible bachelorette in the UK.

Ah, Chelsy Davy, Harry's on/off and apparently on again girlfriend, wearing one of the two Alberta Ferretti outfits that she bought for the day's festivities.  I'm sorry but she looks like Prince Harry pulled her into the vestibule for a quickie before the ceremony. (Come on, you totally know he's capable of it). The color totally doesn't suit her, it makes her look too pale and washed out.  It's also too tight in the wrong places, and her fascinator blends in with her hair. Not a good choice Chelse.

Speaking of bad fashion choices, Tara Palmer-Tomkinson looks like she bought her dress from the Elmo Collection. It's just too much blue. Seriously, blue shoes, blue hat, blue gloves, way too matchy-matchy. The dress on it's own might not have been bad with a pair of nude shoes, but right now she looks like a giant blueberry.

Ah, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, I see they inherited their fashion sense from their mother. There is so much wrong with both their outfits, I don't know where to start. Eugenie, on the left, is wearing Vivienne Westwood which would normally be a good thing but this time, her outfit makes her look like a Watteau shepherdess looking for her lost flock. The hat is hideous and her hair looks like she just rolled out of bed. Beatrice is wearing a Valentino which she has ruined by wearing a satellite dish on her forehead.

Catherine's dress for the dinner that Prince Charles threw for the couple at Buckingham Palace. Not as thrilled with it as I was with the dress, but god her waist is miniscule isn't it?

The royal couple leave for their weekend mini-honeymoon from the lawn at Buckingham Palace.  They look relaxed and very happy. Nice to see them holding hands! So different from when Charles and Diana left after the wedding breakfast on the day of their wedding.  Diana was wearing a pink dress and hat that wouldn't have looked out of place at Royal Ascot and Charles was in a stiff suit. They took a carriage to the station, before they headed off to Broadlands. I think I much prefer this casual but happy photo of William and Catherine.

Northern Ireland Celebrates Royal Wedding in style

STREET CELEBRATIONS and house parties across Northern Ireland marked the royal wedding of Prince William, the newly entitled Baron Carrickfergus, and Kate Middleton.

In the Co Antrim town which has given its name to the latest of the prince’s titles there was quiet satisfaction and new hope that the happy couple would visit one day.

After the nuptials in which the prince appeared in the bright red dress uniform of the Irish Guards mayor Jim McClurg said: “It’s an extreme thrill for the people of Carrickfergus to have this honour bestowed on them. It’s taken us completely by surprise. We certainly hope this means we can expect a special royal visitor in the near future.”

The Barony of Carickfergus, revived from the 18th century, holds one of the finest castles in Ireland and was the reputed landing spot for the original King William in Ireland.

Belfast was as at its quietest as people retreated indoors for the wedding ceremony.

Bathed in warm bank holiday sunshine the streets of republican and unionist communities have rarely been so empty.

Traffic was next to non-existent and it was easy to find a parking spot right outside Sinn Féin headquarters.

The gates and traffic barriers along the peacelines with the loyalist Shankill area lay open and the police were not to be seen as people casually came and went.

The Shankill Road fluttered with union flags, red, white and blue bunting and toothy images of the newly-weds beamed from windows everywhere.

The weather suggested the beginning of the Twelfth celebrations and one or two street parties off the main thoroughfare started early. But the scenes were less boozy and more relaxed than mid-July.

This was much the same in largely loyalist east Belfast. Communities along the Cregagh, Castlereagh and Newtownards roads abandoned the glorious morning to follow the television coverage along with billions of others worldwide.

Along other interface areas, local communities tried to turn the event into an opportunity for progress.

Community workers at the Suffolk-Lenadoon Interface Group (Slig), building on the success of a cross-community celebration of St Patrick’s Day organised a get-together and a football tournament involving teams from Suffolk FC and St Oliver Plunkett’s.

Belfast, unlike other main cities across the UK, however did not have the royal wedding shown on a public TV screen.

A large 25sq m screen already stands in the grounds of City Hall and will show sporting and music events up to and including the London Olympic Games next summer.

According to the BBC the screen was not ready for showing anything let alone the royal wedding and preparations won’t be completed until the middle of May.

Traditional Unionist Voice leader Jim Allister dismissed the BBC statement saying: “The extremely lame excuse that the screen isn’t ready simply won’t wash. It’s not as if His Royal Highness Prince William and Ms Middleton announced that they were going to get married a few days ago.”

Source; irishtimes.com

Women go for stylish hats at royal wedding

From simple, elegant to elaborate hats enhanced with nets, lace and feathers - women made style statements with hats and other headgear in various shapes and shades at the Westminster Abbey where royal couple Kate Middleton and Prince Williams exchanged wedding vows Friday.

Most of the women guests came in knee-length dresses in neutral to bright shades like blues, pinks, yellows and greens that boasted of elegant cuts and styles and they matched it with hats and other headgear.

Singer-turned fashion designer Victoria Beckham, who was one amongst the first guests to arrive at Westminster Abbey with her footballer husband David, wore a navy blue dress, which she designed herself. She acessorised it with an elegant Philip Treacy pillbox hat and a pair of Christian Louboutin stilettos customised in collaboration with Louboutin himself, reports telegraph .

Chelsy Davy, Prince Harry's on-off girlfriend, came dressed in a wide-neck turquoise two-piece knee-length outfit with a bow on the back. Instead of a hat, she wore a flat cap with a net covering half her face.

Kate's mother, Carol, chose to attend her daughter's wedding in a sky blue wool crepe coat dress and hat by Jane Corbett, while Kate's only sister Pippa, wore a mermaid fitted scoopy pretty cowl-neck white gown by American standards sans any hat.

Queen Elizabeth came in a bright yellow crepe wool primerose dress beaded at the neck and with a matching hat with silk roses and the entire outfit was by designer Angela Kelly.

Prime Minister David Cameron's wife, Samantha Cameron, known for her good fashion sense, wore a teal sheath dress with elaborate pleats by Burberry, but she was one of the few guests who left her head bare.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg's wife, Miriam Gonzalez Duantez, wore the most eye-popping headwear, a huge flower-shaped hat in bright oranage that she teamed with a metallic and grey dress with black dots.

The Queen's granddaughters were not far behind - Princess Eugenie wore an aqua-blue knee length dreas and a boat shaped hat decorated with white feathers, while her sister Beatrice chose a summery pale peach dress and her headgear was quite unusual -- it was like a ribbon bow with several layers.

Tara Palmer-Tomkinson, socialite and friend of Prince Charles, sported a British designer Stephen Jonesan creation at the wedding. She wore a bright royal blue dress and accessorised it with a matching boat-shaped pillbox hat with a flower in the middle.

Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com

The Royal Wedding Cake- The Full Details

The wedding cake had a strong British floral theme, using elements of the Joseph Lambeth technique. It was a multi-tiered traditional fruit cake decorated with cream and white icing. The Lambeth technique is based on a style of decorating that was popular in England where chefs and decorators would use a lot of intricate piping to create 3-D scrollwork, leaves, flowers, and other decoration.

The method is still popular today and is frequently used by wedding cake designers and decorators to create ornate wedding cakes. The cake designer Fiona Cairns was chosen in February 2011 to create the wedding cake. Furthermore, McVitie's created a special cake from chocolate biscuit for the reception at Buckingham Palace. The chocolate biscuit cake was made from a Royal Family recipe and was specially requested by Prince William.

The sugar flowers are elaborate and the whole design is very ornate - but still tasteful, thanks to sticking to a colour scheme of white and cream. It is a traditional fruit cake made by Fiona Cairns and her team.

The eight-tiered cake has around 900 sugar paste flowers. The details of the room are mirrored on one tier of the cake, with the roses, acorns, ivy leaves, apple blossom and bridal rose from the wall's garlands all used.

Seventeen different blooms and foliage have also been used for their symbolism. Along the cake’s base ran ivy leaves, symbolising marriage, and the bottom three tiers were decorated with piped lace work and daisies, meaning innocence, sweet William, and lavender.

There was also cascading orange and apple blossom, honeysuckle, acorns with oak leaves - meaning strength and endurance - and bridal rose, which symbolises happiness, and myrtle.

Lily of the valley - representing sweetness and humility - covered the sixth tier which also had an artistic interpretation of the couple’s cipher - their initials intertwined below a coronet.

The four flowers of the home nations - English rose, Scottish thistle, Welsh daffodil and Irish shamrock - were featured on the penultimate tier and the top was covered with lace with a garland of lily of the valley and heather on top - no model of the happy couple!


More about cake designs? Click here

The Royal Wedding-The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge

On Friday, 29 April 2011, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge married Catherine Middleton at Westminster Abbey, at 11:00 am BST (UTC+1). William, who is second in the line of succession to Elizabeth II, first met Middleton in 2001, while both were students at the University of St Andrews. Their engagement, which began on 20 October 2010, was announced on 16 November 2010.

Following the wedding, the couple intend to continue residing on the Isle of Anglesey in North Wales, where Prince William is based as an RAF Search and Rescue pilot.

Wedding service

The ceremony was to start at 11:00 local time and that the bride arrived at the abbey by car rather than by carriage (the latter is the traditional transport for royal brides.) The route was along The Mall, through Horse Guards Parade, and down Whitehall to the abbey. After the ceremony, the bridal couple returned along the same route by carriage to a reception hosted by the Queen at Buckingham Palace. The Prince of Wales is to host a private dinner in the evening.

In a break with royal tradition, the groom had a best man—his brother, Prince Harry—rather than a supporter, while the bride chose her sister, Pippa, as maid of honour. There were four bridesmaids—Lady Louise Windsor, the seven-year old daughter of the Earl and Countess of Wessex; The Hon. Margarita Armstrong-Jones, the eight-year old daughter of Viscount and Viscountess Linley; Grace van Cutsem, the three-year old daughter of the couple's friend Hugh van Cutsem; and Eliza Lopes, the three-year old granddaughter of The Duchess of Cornwall. Two page boys participated: William Lowther-Pinkerton, the ten-year old son of William's private secretary Major Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, and Tom Pettifer, the eight-year old son of Princes William and Harry's former nanny, "Tiggy" Pettifer.

The Dean of Westminster officiated for most of the service, with Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, conducting the marriage ceremony itself and Richard Chartres, the Bishop of London, giving the sermon. It has long been traditional for the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Church of England's most senior bishop, to officiate at the weddings of England's monarchs and future monarchs, but as Chartres is a close friend of the Prince of Wales, he was invited to take part in the ceremony.

Prince William and Kate Middleton's new titles revealed

Buckingham Palace announced at 8am on Friday that the Queen had bestowed the title of Duke of Cambridge on her grandson.

His bride, Miss Middleton, will be known as the Duchess of Cambridge after the royal wedding ceremony at Westminster Abbey.

A dukedom is the highest rank in the British peerage.

They have also been given the Scottish titles of Earl and Countess of Strathearn, which may reflect the fact that they met at St Andrews University.



The couple's third title is a Northern Irish one, Baron and Baroness Carrickfergus.
Buckingham Palace said in a statement: "The Queen has today been pleased to confer a Dukedom on Prince William of Wales.

"His titles will be Duke of Cambridge, Earl of Strathearn and Baron Carrickfergus.

"Prince William thus becomes His Royal Highness The Duke of Cambridge and Miss Catherine Middleton on marriage will become Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge."

Fittingly, the last Duke of Cambridge married a commoner for love just like Prince William.

Prince George, known as the 2nd Duke of Cambridge, was born in 1819. He was a grandson of George III and the only son of Prince Adolphus Frederick, the 1st Duke of Cambridge.

He refused to have an arranged marriage and declared such unions were "doomed to failure".

He became captivated by the actress Sarah Louisa Fairbrother, who was said to be a classic beauty and a graceful dancer. They wed in 1847 when she was already the mother of two of his children and pregnant with his third.

It is customary for members of the Royal family to be offered at least one title by the monarch when they are married.

When the royal wedding was announced last year, it was expected that the second-in-line to the throne would be offered a Dukedom, making his wife a Duchess, and Cambridge was the favourite title.

Other possibilities were said to have included the Duke of Clarence and the Duke of Sussex.

If the Prince had turned down the titles, he would have remained HRH Prince William of Wales.

His wife would likely have been known as HRH Princess William of Wales, rather than HRH Princess Catherine, as she is not a princess in her own right.


Source: www.telegraph.co.uk 

Royal Wedding Souvenir 

Mexican teenager's hunger strike leads to royal wedding trip

A Mexican teenager who went on hunger strike in February in a bid to win an invite to the royal wedding has had her trip to London paid for by a wealthy businessman.

Estibalis Chavez, 19, staged her hunger strike outside the British embassy in Mexico City, in the hope of gaining an invite.

And now a Mexican lobbyist, Octavio Fitch Lazo, has agreed to lend her money for the flight.

Miss Chavez was repeatedly told by British officials that there were no more invitations available, but she refused to be dissuaded.



In a country where crime and poverty are serious concerns, the local press scorned her actions, labelling her "The crazy girl from the embassy".

"At the time I didn't see it as something so drastic and dramatic," she said.

"[People] said I risked my health for something many believe to be frivolous and silly. But, I think that for me, it was the only way to achieve my goal."

Miss Chavez lost 17 pounds during her fast, and painted a portrait of Prince William and his fiance Kate Middleton, which the embassy also refused to deliver.

She was spotted by Mr Lazo, who decided to help her out.

"It moved me to see that no one understood her very well... I think she is right to fight for what she wants," he said.

Miss Chavez has long had an interest in the British Royal Family, having been told by her father that her mother - who died when she was born - had been a big fan of Princess Diana.

She said that she plans to take her painting, in the hope that one of the photographers will be able to present it to the couple, and plans to watch the ceremony from outside Westminster Abbey.

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Update

MADRID --A Mexican girl who staged a 16-day hunger strike in Mexico to get an invitation to the Royal Wedding has been denied entry into Britain.

Estibalis Chavez began painting a portrait of Prince William and Kate Middleton the day she started her hunger strike in Mexico.

Someone in Mexico donated the money to her so she was able to get to Madrid.

But she was denied a Visa into Britain because she couldn't prove she had enough money to support herself while in England.

Source: www2.nbc17.com


Royal Wedding Souvenirs 

Kate Middleton's secret pain: I can't be a mum

The popular princess-in-waiting is devastated that she might never have the children she so desperately yearns for.

Kate Middleton is riddled with anguish after realising she and Prince William may never have the family she's always dreamed of.

She is said to be devastated since being told she can't be a mum, and will have to wait until her late thirties.

While Princess Diana was married at 20 and had produced "an heir and a spare" by the age of 23, Kate, 27, will have to put any hope of motherhood on the backburner until career-driven Wills has fulfilled his desire to become an officer.

With a wait of eight to 10 years before she can even begin trying to have a child, Kate is worried she will miss her chance. Certainly, her "dream family" of several children now seems totally out of the question.



At 26, William has just begun a five-year training course to become a Search and Rescue helicopter pilot. And he has pledged to spend at least three more years with the service after that. With the British Ministry of Defence spending a fortune on his training, William is said to be keen not to waste it.

With reports that the royal family is unlikely to put on a wedding until his training is finished, this means by the time he is free to marry and take on official royal duties in 2017, Kate will be in her late thirties — when a woman's fertility is on the wane.

Source: http://womansday.ninemsn.com.au/celebrity/celebrityheadlines/997423/kate-middletons-secret-pain-i-cant-be-a-mum

Royal Wedding Souvenirs

   

A Review of The Movie: William and Kate

Sticklers for detail might have been confused by the opening of William and Kate – the Movie (Channel 5, Sunday), when Prince William’s arrival at St Andrews was introduced by an aerial shot of Christ Church, Oxford. But then, sticklers for detail were never likely to be satisfied by an 87-minute TV movie about the Royal family made for the Lifetime cable network in the US.

This was a St Andrews which its students called ‘school’, where they lived in ‘dorms’. These were rooms with so much dark wood paneling and so many Tudor beams that it would have been no surprise to see Diana Dors pop out in full Hammer Horror costume. And while this movie was ‘based on true events’, it certainly wasn’t based on true hairdos or soft furnishings.



Prince William met Kate Middleton, but Kate had a boyfriend. William didn’t like St Andrews and threatened to leave. But William was thwarted by his father, an enjoyably articulate Prince Charles played with evident relish by Ben Cross. ‘There are always repercussions when one changes one’s mind,’ warned Charles darkly, and the wooden paneling creaked with deeper meaning.

Even when William and Kate properly started going out, they were still so constantly surrounded by their perky gang of university friends that the atmosphere was more like Dawson’s Creek than Clarence House. At the famed fashion show, as Kate strutted down the catwalk in her revealing outfit, the scriptwriter finally let loose with the kind of lightly whipped banter that should have been peppered throughout.

‘She’s hot,’ said William’s blokey mate.

‘She’s hot,’ said William.

‘I just said that,’ chided blokey mate.

‘It’s worth repeating,’ responded William firmly.

And so we were whisked off into a romantic world of champagne and private planes, with William looking more like the captain of a winning team on The Apprentice than the heir to the throne. Of course, Wills and Kate had eventually to break up. But even then Kate mourned, lonely on her sofa, in full pearlescent eye make-up.

It was never quite clear why Wills ‘needed space’. But Kate, every inch the Lifetime heroine, pulled herself together at lightning speed and turned into not only a career woman but a charity fundraising ninja. Much, in fact, like Wills’s dear departed mother, and this was where the script really clunked. In the pivotal scene, between Wills and Charles, Wills vowed never to let anyone he loved be as lonely and lost as Charles had let Diana be. It was a different era, said Charles helplessly.

But by this point, we all knew that Kate wouldn’t wait much longer. She would be loved and protected – and, most importantly, proposed to against the backdrop of an African sunset. Unlike the real Royal family, romantic Lifetime movies always come with an all-American happy ending.

Reviewed by Niel Midgley 

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Royal Wedding Souvenirs 

Mr Hugo Burnand Has Been Choosen As Official Royal Wedding Photographer

HRH Prince William of Wales and Miss Catherine Middleton have selected Hugo Burnand to be their official photographer at their wedding on the 29th April.  Mr Burnand will be take the official photographs at Buckingham Palace following the wedding at Westminster Abbey.

Mr Burnand has photographed Prince William privately before and was the official photographer at the wedding of The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall 2005.  He also took the official 60th birthday photograph of The Prince of Wales.

A well known portrait photographer, Hugo Burnand has also photographed Lucien Freud, Lady Thatcher, Victoria Beckham and John Magnier. Mr Burnand regularly works with Conde Nast Publications including House & Garden Magazine and Tatler.



Born in 1963, Hugo is married to Louisa and they have four children. Hugo learnt the basics of photography from his mother Ursy, who used to turn their kitchen at home into a dark room in the evenings and started with his first camera at age of seven.

He attended Harrow School and after spending 10 years travelling through America, France and Ireland as a stable hand and a brief job at Lloyds of London.   Hugo became a photographer's assistant to Julian Calder. Hugo later set up his own studio in Notting Hill.

Source: www.officialroyalwedding2011.org

Royal Wedding Souvenir



 

Her Majesty The Queen gives formal consent to the marriage of Prince William and Catherine Middleton

Her Majesty The Queen gave formal consent to Prince William and Catherine Middleton’s marriage today.

Under the Great Seal of the Realm, The Queen signed a notice of approval which proclaimed, in transcribed calligraphy, consent to the union of "Our Most Dearly Beloved Grandson Prince William Arthur Philip Louis of Wales, K.G. and Our Trusty and Well-beloved Catherine Elizabeth Middleton".

Tied to the bottom of the approval by gold braiding is a large red wax Great Seal of the Realm.

The law dates back to the 18th Century.

Under the Royal Marriages Act 1772, all descendants of King George II must obtain the Sovereign's agreement before they wed.

The "Instrument of Consent" features decorative artwork chosen by the artist to represent the groom and bride-to-be.

A white lily represents St. Catherine of Siena, whose feast day falls on April 29th and with whom Miss Middleton shares her name.

Beneath it is a Welsh leek surrounded by Prince William's white three-pronged second in line to the throne label and a tiny red escallop from the Spencer family Arms.

There is also a red dragon - the heraldic symbol of Wales, the UK's floral emblems - the rose, thistle and shamrock - and the Garter belt, Prince William's blue and gold Order of the Garter belt, as well as a large gold E for Elizabeth.

The Queen's signature "Elizabeth R" can be seen at the top right of the Instrument of Consent, which is dated "the ninth day of February Two Thousand and Eleven in the Sixtieth year of Our Reign".

It was signed "by The Queen herself, signed with her own hand" at a Privy Council meeting after the Monarch made a formal Declaration of Consent.

It reads: "NOW KNOW YE that We have consented and do by these Presents signify Our Consent to the contracting of Matrimony between Our Most Dearly Beloved Grandson Prince William Arthur Philip Louis of Wales K.G. and Our Trusty and Well-beloved Catherine Elizabeth Middleton."

Source: www.officialroyalwedding2011.org

Royal Wedding Souvenir 

Kate Middleton's Wedding Dress

Specific details regarding Kate Middleton's wedding dress have been kept under tight wraps…until now.

While the soon-to-be-newlywed has managed to keep her dress design a secret, London's Daily Mail is reporting she designed the gown herself, drawing on the fashions of the Renaissance period for inspiration.

So, what will the highly anticipated design look like?

The reportedly ivory, satin and lace frock will include a "nod" to the Emanuel wedding dress donned by Prince William's mother, Princess Diana, along with pearl button detail and a 10-foot-train, according to the newspaper.

Libelula label creator Sophie Cranston, who has dressed the likes of Emma Watson and Jerry Hall, is reported to be the designer who turned Middleton's designs into her dream wedding gown.

As for her jewelry, the 29-year-old fashionista will likely wear pearl and diamond earrings, and other borrowed jewelry from Queen Elizabeth.

Source: eonline.com

Royal Wedding Souvenirs

Details of Ceremonnial Timing of Royal Wedding

Ceremonial Timings

The following timings have been confirmed for the Wedding Day:

Between 8.15am and 9.45am: The general congregation will arrive at the Great North Door of Westminster Abbey.

From 9.50am: Governors-General and Prime Ministers of Realm Countries,the Diplomatic Corps, and other distinguished guests arrive at the Abbey.

10.10am The Bridegroom and Prince Henry of Wales leave Clarence House for Westminster Abbey. They arrive at the Abbey at 10.15am.

10.20am Members of Foreign Royal Families arrive at Westminster Abbey from Buckingham Palace.

10.20am Mrs. Michael (Carole) Middleton and Mr. James Middleton leave the Goring Hotel for Westminster Abbey. They arrive at the Abbey at 10.27am.

10.25am Members of the Royal Family (except those listed below) leave Buckingham Palace for Westminster Abbey. They arrive at the Abbey at 10.30am.

10.35am The following Members of the Royal Family leave Buckingham Palace for Westminster Abbey. They arrive at the Abbey at 10.40am:

- The Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence

- The Duke of York

- Princess Eugenie of York

- Princess Beatrice of York

- The Earl and Countess of Wessex

10.38am The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall leave Clarence House for Westminster Abbey. They arrive at the Abbey at 10.42am.

10.40am The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh leave Buckingham Palace for Westminster Abbey. They arrive at the Abbey at 10.45am.

10.48am The Bridesmaids and Pages leave the Goring Hotel for Westminster Abbey. They arrive at the Abbey at 10.55am.

10.51am The Bride, accompanied by Mr. Michael Middleton, leaves the Goring Hotel for Westminster Abbey.

11.00am The Marriage Service begins. The Marriage Service will be relayed by audio speakers along the Route.

12.15pm The Carriage Procession of the Bride and Bridegroom with a Captain’s Escort of the Household Cavalry, followed by The Queen’s Procession with a Sovereign’s Escort of the Household Cavalry, leaves Westminster Abbey for Buckingham Palace.

12.30pm The Bride’s Carriage Procession arrives at Buckingham Palace.

12.40pm Members of the Royal Family and Members of Foreign Royal Families arrive at Buckingham Palace.

From 12.40pm: Other guests for the Reception arrive at Buckingham Palace.

1.25pm The Queen and the Bride and Bridegroom, together with their Families, appear on the Balcony.

1.30pm Fly Past by the Royal Air Force and Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.

Notes

Miss Catherine Middleton, accompanied by her immediate family, will spend the night before the Wedding at the Goring Hotel. This was the Middleton family’s personal choice.

All arrivals at Westminster Abbey are at the Great West Door unless otherwise indicated.

All routes to and from Westminster Abbey are as already announced: The Mall, Horse Guards Road, Horse Guards Parade, through Horse Guards Arch, Whitehall, Parliament Square (south side), Broad Sanctuary. The additional route from the Goring Hotel to The Mall is yet to be confirmed.

The Wedding Service will be relayed by audio speakers along the Route. This is in addition to the screens already announced at Hyde Park and Trafalgar Square. More information for members of the public wishing to watch the Wedding Service in central London is available at www.direct.gov.uk/royalwedding

Source: officialroyalwedding2011.org

Royal Wedding Souvenirs

Titles Upon Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton

There is only one case of the oldest surviving son of the Prince of Wales marrying before his father succeeded to the throne: the future George V who married Mary of Teck in 1893. He had already been created Duke of York a year earlier, shortly after the death of his older brother brought him directly in line of succession to the throne.

In recent years, several royal princes who did not already have a title were given one upon marriage, including Prince Andrew, who was created Duke of York when he married in 1986. In a break with precedent Prince Edward was created Earl of Wessex; at the same time it was announced that he will be given the title Duke of Edinburgh when that title, currently held by his father, reverts to the Crown.

According to The Daily Telegraph, it is expected that William will be offered a dukedom on his marriage, allowing his wife to be styled as a duchess. In an interview with This is Sussex, Charles Kidd, editor of Debrett's, said that the title most likely to be bestowed on Prince William on the eve of his wedding was Duke of Sussex, although he added that other available dukedoms are Windsor, Clarence, Cambridge, Kendal, Avondale, and Strathearn.

In Letters Patent dated 21 August 1996 (shortly after the divorce of the Prince and Princess of Wales) it was acknowledged that "by convention the wife of the son of a sovereign of these Realms the wife of a son of a son of a Sovereign and the wife of the eldest living son of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales is entitled to the style title or attribute of Royal Highness".

If William were not given a title then, after the wedding, Middleton would, by convention, be known as Her Royal Highness Princess William of Wales taking her husband's first name on marriage (as with Princess Michael of Kent). If however William is given a title, she would be known as "Her Royal Highness the Duchess [or other rank if appropriate] of N".

In December 2010, it was reported in The Daily Telegraph that William did not wish to receive a dukedom, preferring to remain simply "Prince William" while also wanting Middleton to become "Princess Catherine". It was suggested that this caused a dilemma for the Queen because princesses traditionally receive titles like that through birth instead of marriage. If the Queen does break tradition, royal biographer Kenneth Rose believes Princess Michael of Kent would then also ask for a non-traditional title like "Princess Marie-Christine" too.[76]

Royal Wedding Cars and Carriages

Prince William and Catherine Middleton will travel separately to their wedding service using State Cars from the Royal Mews.

Prince William will travel in a Bentley, accompanied by Prince Harry and Catherine will travel in a Rolls Royce, accompanied by her father. Members of the Royal Family and the Middleton family will travel to Westminster Abbey in cars and motor coaches organised by the Royal Mews.

After their wedding service William and Catherine will travel in the 1902 State Landau from Westminster Abbey, along the Processional Route, to Buckingham Palace. In the event of wet weather, the couple will travel in The Glass Coach.

The Royal Wedding Carriage Procession from Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace will comprise of five horse-drawn carriages, as follows:

1902 State Landau or Glass Coach carrying the Bride and the Bridegroom.
Two Ascot Landaus carrying the Best Man, Maid of Honour and Bridesmaids.
A Semi-State Landau carrying The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh.
A Semi-State Landau carrying The Prince of Wales, The Duchess of Cornwall and Mr and Mrs Middleton.

The Processional route from Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace runs from Westminster Abbey to Parliament Square and then on to Whitehall, Horse Guards Parade before The Mall to Buckingham Palace.

Image: The Prince and Princess of Wales making their way to Buckingham Palace in an open-top carriage after their wedding ceremony at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London 29 July 1981.

Guest Lists of the Royal Wedding

On 16 and 17 February, three sets of guest lists were sent out in the name of the Queen. As William is not the heir apparent, protocol has dictated that many guests (or their successors in office) who were invited to the wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Lady Diana Spencer in 1981 need not be invited to William's wedding.

More than half of the guests will be family and friends of the couple, though there will be a significant number of Commonwealth leaders (including the governors-general who represent the Queen in Commonwealth realms other than the UK, prime ministers of the Commonwealth realms, and heads of government of other Commonwealth countries), members of religious organisations, the diplomatic corps, several military officials, members of the British Royal Household, members of foreign royal families, and representatives of William's charities and others with whom William has worked on official business.

Although St James's Palace declined to publish the names of those invited, a breakdown of guests was published by category?the list made no mention of foreign heads of state, though it was announced that about 40 members of foreign royal families had been invited.

The first list, consisting of about 1,900 people, is of attendees to the ceremony in the abbey. The second list of approximately 600 people is of those invited to the luncheon reception at Buckingham Palace, hosted by the Queen. The final list, containing about 300 names, is for the evening dinner hosted by the Prince of Wales.

Reception and Private of The Royal Wedding

The Queen will host a lunchtime reception at Buckingham Palace. The reception will start after the arrival carriage with the married couple. It will be a private gathering for guests drawn from the congregation who will represent the couple’s official and private lives. During the Reception, the couple will give an appearance on the Buckingham Palace Balcony. The East front of the palace contains this well-known balcony on which the Royal Family traditionally congregate to greet crowds outside. Guests will be served with canapés at the Reception. The Official Harpist to the Prince of Wales, the well-known Claire Jones, will perform at the reception. The Reception is expected to finish in the mid-afternoon.

In the evening, The Prince of Wales will give a private dinner, followed by dancing, at Buckingham Palace for the couple and their close friends and family.