Celebrating the marriage of HRH Prince William and Kate Middleton

The Wedding

On 16 November 2010, it was announced that Prince William of Wales, second in line to the throne in 16 Commonwealth countries, and his girlfriend, Kate Middleton, will marry in 2011. Both William and Kate, who first met in 2001 while studying at the University of St Andrews inScotland, were 28 years old at the time of the engagement. The wedding ceremony is due to take place at Westminster Abbey on 29 April 2011, after which the couple intend to live on the Isle of Anglesey in Wales, where Prince William is based as an RAF Search and Rescuepilot.

Engagement Announcement

Clarence House announced on 16 November 2010 that Prince William, eldest son of Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, will marry Kate Middleton, William's long-time girlfriend, "in the spring or summer of 2011, in London". They were engaged in October 2010, while on a private holiday in Kenya. William gave Kate Middleton the engagement ring that his father had given to William's mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, an 18 carat white gold ring with large oval sapphire and 14 round diamonds.[3] It was announced that, after their marriage, the couple will live on the Isle of Anglesey in Wales, where Prince William is based with the Royal Air Force.
The Prince of Wales said he was "obviously thrilled", adding: "They have been practising long enough." Queen Elizabeth II said that she was "absolutely delighted" for the couple.
In her congratulations to the couple, the Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who has moderate republican leanings, was fulsome in her praise of William but the Australian Republican Movement spokesman John Warhurst told ABC 24 TV that the wedding would reignite republican argument. Pete Broadbent, suffragan Bishop of Willesden, who has known republican views, published views on Facebook that he later acknowledged as being "offensive". Broadwood subsequently apologised, but his superior, Richard Chartres, Bishop of London instructed him to "withdraw from public ministry until further notice".
Following the announcement the couple gave an exclusive interview to ITV News Political Editor Tom Bradby and also hosted a photocall at St. James's Palace.

The Planning of the Royal Wedding

On 23 November 2010 Clarence House announced that the wedding will take place at Westminster Abbey on 29 April 2011. It was also announced that the costs of the wedding itself met by the Royal Family and the Middleton’s themselves, while the costs of security and transport covered by the British treasury.

The original engagement announcement stated simply that the wedding would be "in the spring or summer of 2011", and on 23 November 2010 the date of 29 April 2011 was confirmed. The date was later declared a bank holiday throughout the United Kingdom.
As 29 April falls six days before elections for the Scottish Parliament, this has attracted political comment in Scotland. John Curtice, Professor of Politics at the University of Strathclyde, stated that the date was "unfortunate" and was "likely to see the Royal Family getting caught up in political debate". He then explained, "As far as Scotland is concerned, let us imagine that the monarchy is in the news, there is obviously an increased danger that an SNP candidate of a republican persuasion might be found saying something critical about the monarchy. You can then imagine, thinking that they've found a mistake, the Tories, Labour will pile in. There is obviously a risk therefore, because you are making the monarchy a heightened issue.

Venue
Kate Middleton made a private visit to Westminster Abbey the evening after the engagement was announced, and shortly afterwards the choice of the abbey was confirmed.
Westminster Abbey is a royal peculiar, founded in AD 960 (although it ceased to be part of a monastery in 1536). Although the abbey has been the traditional location for coronations since 1066, it has only recently been the church of choice for royal weddings. Prior to 1918, most royal weddings took place in the royal chapels such as Chapel Royal, St James’s Palace (seating capacity 100) and St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle. The abbey has a normal seating capacity of 2000 (although this was expanded to 8000 for the coronation in 1953).
Recent royal weddings in the abbey have included those of Elizabeth II (then Princess Elizabeth) to The Duke of Edinburgh (1947), Princess Margaret (1960), Princess Anne (1973) and Prince Andrew (1986).
On 4 November it was reported that Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury would officiate at the wedding and that Richard Chartres, Bishop of London would give the address. It has long been traditional for the Archbishop of Canterbury, England's senior cleric to preside over weddings of England's kings and future kings, but as Richard Chartres is a close friend of the Prince of Wales, he was invited to participate in the ceremony.

About the Couple

Prince William of Wales and Kate Middleton
Prince William is the elder son of Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, and Diana, Princess of Wales, and grandson of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. As such, he is second, behind his father, in the line of succession to the throne in 16 independent states known as the Commonwealth realms, though he resides in the United Kingdom, the oldest of these realms. William was educated at Ludgrove School, Eton College, and the University of St Andrews, after which he was commissioned from Sandhurst in the Blues and Royals regiment of the Household Cavalry. He later transferred to the Air Force and went on to become a full time pilot with the Search and Rescue Force.
Catherine "Kate" Middleton is the first of three children of Carole and Michael Middleton. She was educated at St Andrew's School in Pangbourne, Marlborough College, and the University of St Andrews. After graduating, she worked in retail and then as an accessories buyer/catalogue photographer at her parents' business. She is primarily of English descent, but with a few distant Scottish and French Huguenot ancestors. Her paternal family came from Leeds, West Yorkshire, while her mother's maternal family, the Harrisons, were working-class labourers and miners from County Durham.
The couple are fifteenth cousins, having the Tudor landowner Sir Thomas Fairfax as a common ancestor, Middleton through the Lupton family and Prince William through the Spencer family. They met while undergraduates at the University of St Andrews, where they both lived at St Salvator's Hall during their first year, after which they shared accommodation in the town for two years.