❉ Royal Wedding Church ❉

On 23 November 2010, Clarence House announced the date for the wedding as 29 April 2011 (Feast Day of Saint Catherine of Siena) and the venue as Westminster Abbey,a Royal Peculiar founded in AD 960. 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 the Chapel Royal at St James's Palace and St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle.The abbey, which has a usual seating capacity of 2000, has been the venue for recent royal weddings, including those of Elizabeth II (then Princess Elizabeth) to Prince Philip (1947), Princess Margaret to Anthony Armstrong-Jones (1960), Princess Anne to Mark Phillips (1973), and Prince Andrew to Sarah Ferguson (1986).
It was also announced that the costs of the wedding itself will be met by the Royal Family and the Middletons themselves, while the costs of security and transport will be covered by the British treasury.The couple have also asked that donations be made to charities in place of traditional wedding gifts; to that end, they established The Prince William and Miss Catherine Middleton Charitable Gift Fund, which focuses on assisting charities such as the New Zealand Christchurch Earthquake Appeal, the Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary, the Royal Flying Doctor Service, and the Zoological Society of London.The most prominent accoutrement inside the Abbey for the ceremony was roughly a dozen 20-foot tall field maple trees arranged on either side of the main aisle.


here were 3,500 people in the congregation at St Paul's Cathedral.It was held at St Paul's rather than Westminster Abbey because St Paul's offered more seating and permits a longer procession through the streets of London. The service was a traditional Church of England wedding service, presided over by the Most Reverend Robert Runcie, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and the Very Reverend Alan Webster, the Dean of St. Paul's Cathedral. Another 750 million people watched the ceremony worldwide, , and this figure rose to a billion when the radio audience is added in.Two million spectators lined the route of Diana's procession from Clarence House, with 4,000 police and 2,200 military officers to manage the crowds.

♪Royal Wedding&Engagement Rings♪

Created by Garrards in 1980, the ring featured an 12-carat oval Ceylon sapphire surrounded by 14 solitaire cut diamonds and set in 18-carat white gold. Urban legend says that the Princess selected the ring because it was "the biggest" in a tray of rings sent over by Garrards-but the Princess herself said that the ring
was selected by the Queen and Prince Charles.

The ring was later given to Ms. Kate Middleton on the occasion of her engagement to Prince William.

The Princess' wedding ring was made from the last of a soft nugget of Welsh gold, mined at the famous Clogau St David's gold mine - the same nugget which had also provided wedding rings for the Queen Mother, the Queen, Princess Margaret, and Princess Anne. The simple gold band is engraved on the inside with the words: "I Love You, Diana"



Hard to ignore in a week when we are focusing our thoughts on all things blue, Kate Middleton’s beautiful Ceylon oval sapphire, surrounded by a dazzling gallery of brilliant cut diamonds, brings together the Midnight and the Starlight of our cool blue week. Originally chosen by the late Princess Diana from a selection presented to her by Garrard, it was this ring that seduced her amidst the controversy of not having a bespoke design made up. In jewellery circles, William’s choice has power and we are going to witness the ‘surge of the sapphire’, but will the 80s revival endure past the trends of today – will colour now be top of the list of any nervous groom-to-be about to pop the question? Kate probably never imagined herself as a trendsetter, but we say watch this space – the power of celebrity endorsement is immeasurable and we think this ‘true blue’ has legs.








The Royal Wedding ring given to Kate Middleton by Prince William put to rest any doubt that Queen Elizabeth does not approve of William’s new bride — she supplied the ring! BBC News reports, “The ring is made from a piece of Welsh gold given to Prince William by the Queen shortly after the engagement was announced.”
The ring was made by family jewelers from Wales and fashioned from a nugget of gold.
William, as has been previously reported, will not be wearing a wedding ring.

❁ Royal Wedding Cakes ❁

Flowers featured on the cake
Rose (white) - national symbol of England
Daffodil - national symbol of Wales, new beginnings
Shamrock - national symbol of Ireland
Thistle - national symbol of Scotland
Acorns, oak leaf - strength, endurance
Myrtle - love
Ivy - wedded love, marriage
Lily of the valley - sweetness, humility
Rose (bridal) - happiness, love
Sweet William - grant me one smile
Honeysuckle - the bond of love
Apple blossom - preference, good fortune
White heather - protection, wishes will come true
Jasmine (white) - amiability
Daisy - innocence, beauty, simplicity
Orange blossom - marriage, eternal love, fruitfulness
Lavender - ardent attachment, devotion, success, and luck.

They celebrated their love for each other today in a lavish Royal Wedding ceremony at Westminster Abbey and this is the extraordinary cake that they enjoyed at the reception.
Prince William and his bride Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, cut the first slice of the magnificent eight-tiered wedding cake this afternoon as they celebrated their marriage with friends and family.
The confectionery masterpiece covered in cream and white icing and decorated with up to 900 delicate sugar-paste flowers was centre-stage at the Buckingham Palace reception held in the picture gallery.
The project has left cake-maker Fiona Cairns exhausted but elated after working for five weeks on it which has tested her skills and those of her team to the limit.
The new Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are fans of her fruit cakes, while Paul McCartney orders one for Christmas every year, and she has also baked creations for bands Pink Floyd and Simply Red in the past.
Ms Cairns, 56, whose confections are sold in Harrods, Selfridges and Waitrose, was contacted by St James's Palace in February and asked if she would make William and Kate's wedding cake.
Speaking at Buckingham Palace after she had put the final touches to the cake, she said: ‘The picture gallery has high ceilings and is an imposing room so I wanted the cake to have presence but not to be imposing and I think it worked.
‘Catherine did not want it to be seven feet tall, she didn't want it to be towering and thin, and I think we succeeded.
‘We reflected some of the architectural details in the room so the garlands on the walls were reproduced loosely on the fourth tier - we've used roses, acorns, ivy leaves, apple blossom and bridal rose.’


Ms Boyden said: ‘I was speechless, this cake made me speechless, and I think it is exactly what the bride wanted - it's just perfect.’
Prince William and Kate were also sent a cake made by McVities, the chocolate biscuit creation was made from a Royal Family recipe and was specially requested by Prince William.




At the wedding luncheon, 120 guests were served brill in lobster sauce, chicken breasts stuffed with lamb mousse, and strawberries with Cornish cream. The royal couple had 27 wedding cakes, with the official wedding cake (pictured) made by the Naval Armed Forces. The five foot cake, which Charles sliced with a ceremonial sword, featured the prince's coat of arms, Diana's family crest, an ornamental "C" and "D," and was topped with roses, lilies of the valley, and orchids.

★ Royal Wedding Dresses★

The Wedding dress of Lady Diana Spencer was worn by Diana, Princess of Wales at her wedding to Charles, Prince of Wales on 29 July 1981 at St Paul's Cathedral. Diana wore a ivory silk taffeta and antique lace gown, with a 25-foot (7.62 m) train, valued then at £9000.It became one of the most famous outfits in the world,and was considered one of the closest guarded secrets in fashion history.
The dress was designed by David and Elizabeth Emanuel and was described as "a dress had to be something that was going to go down in history, but also something that Diana loved", and one which would be "suitably dramatic in order to make an impression".Diana had personally selected designers David and Elizabeth Emanuel to make her wedding dress, after she had been fond of a chiffon blouse which they designed for her formal photo session with Lord Snowdon.The woven silk taffeta was made by Stephen Walters of Suffolk.In the making of the dress, the Emanuels had consulted Maureen Baker, who had made the Wedding dress of Princess Anne.At 25 feet in length, Diana's father found it difficult to fit inside the glass coach to accompany his daughter to the cathedral.One author said of the dress, "The dress was a crinoline, a symbol of sexuality and grandiosity, a meringue embroidered with pearls and sequins, its bodice frilled with lace".The traditional Carrickmacross lace-making technique used on the wedding dress was later used on the Wedding dress of Kate Middleton in her marriage to Prince William, Diana's son.It was also decorated with hand embroidery, sequins, and 10,000 pearls. The making of the dress posed difficulties, given that Diana had developed Bulimia and had dropped from a size 14 to a size 10 in the run up to the wedding; even the seamstress was concerned about her weight loss and that the dress would not fit as it should.




The Wedding dress of Kate Middleton was the bridal gown worn by Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge at her wedding to Prince William, Duke of Cambridge on 29 April 2011. The dress was designed by English designer Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen.
Noted for its design, symbolism, and expected influence on Western bridal gown trends, the dress was widely anticipated and generated much comment in the media. The dress and its maker were not formally announced until the bride stepped from her car to enter Westminster Abbey just prior to the service.
Official statements noted that Middleton wished to combine tradition and modernity, "with the artistic vision that characterizes Alexander McQueen's work." She and Burton worked closely together in formulating the dress design.It has a lace applique bodice with detailing symbolizing the nations of the United Kingdom.
It was made of satin and featured a lace applique bodice and skirt. The lace bodice design was hand-made using a technique that originated in Ireland in the 1820s called Carrickmacross, which involved cutting out the detailings of roses, thistles, daffodils and shamrocks and applying them to the ivory silk tulle individually.These lace appliques were hand-made by the Royal School of Needlework, based at Hampton Court Palace.The lace applique bodice had detailing of a rose (symbolizing England), thistle (Scotland), daffodil (Wales), and shamrock (Ireland).The dressmakers used fresh needles every three hours, and washed their hands every half an hour, to avoid marking the fabric.
The bridal train measured 270 cm (110 in). Hand-cut English lace and French Chantilly lace was used throughout the bodice, skirt, and the underskirt trim. With laces coming from different sources, much care was taken to ensure that each flower was the same colour. The whole process was overseen and put together by hand by Ms Burton and her team. The "ivory satin bodice is padded slightly at the hips and narrowed at the waist, and was inspired by the Victorian tradition of corsetry that is a particular Alexander McQueen hallmark. On the back are buttons of 58 gazar and organza, which fasten by means of Rouleau loops. The underskirt is made of Cluny lace over silk tulle."

♠ Royal Wedding Tiaras ♠

Princess Diana‘s wedding tiara gave her a “cracking headache” said her brother, Charles Spencer, in an interview on the American program, “Entertainment Tonight.”
Diana’s wedding tiara – which is known now as the “Spencer Tiara” – is a Spencer family piece with an elaborate design of stylized flowers decorated with diamonds in silver settings. Princess Diana (1961-1997) wore this and other tiaras (or coronets) many times during her lifetime.




The tiara worn by Catherine the Duchess of Cambridge is a rare piece of Cartier house which gave Elizabeth the Queen Mother to Queen Elizabeth, grandmother of William, the 18th birthday. This is a rare piece that was built in 1905 in Paris.





The diamond encrusted decoration, also known as the Russian Fringe Tiara, was a favourite with Queen Victoria and Queen Mary and was also worn by Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother.
Notably, Princess Elizabeth, the current Queen and Prince William's grandmother, borrowed it from Queen Mary for her own wedding in 1947.
She in turn lent it to her daughter, the Princess Royal, when she married Captain Mark Phillips in 1973.

✿ Royal Wedding Invitations✿

Well, it looks pretty much how you'd expect: 10 in. by 6 in. thick white cardstock, gilded edges and of course, gold lettering.

On the very top you see Queen Elizabeth's emblem in gold. The invitations, sent in the Queen's name, read, "The Lord Chamberlain has 
been commanded by the Queen to invite" the guest to the marriage at Westminster Abbey at 11 a.m. on April 29.

A whopping 1,900 invitations were sent, ranging the guest list from kings to charity leaders, to close family and university friends, old schoolmates and prime ministers around 
the world. Everyone you could imagine, in fact, except for the Duchess of York.




o, here it is - the Royal Wedding Invitation. We”ve got an actual picture!
Here’s the full scoop on the Royal Wedding Invitations, in a nutshell, in case you just joined us:
A total of 1,800 - 1,900 invitations to the Royal Wedding went out on February 17. But there are separate invites for the wedding ceremony and the afternoon reception AND the evening reception. In other words, not everyone is invited to all of the festivities.
The guest list for the afternoon reception is much more exclusive than the guest list for the ceremony, and the guest list for the evening reception where the Royals will dance into the wee hours of the night is even more exclusive than that.
Here’s how it breaks down:
Out of the 1900 royal wedding invitations that have been sent out to the ceremony at Westminster Abbey, six-hundred of the guests are also invited to the luncheon hosted by the queen at Buckingham following the ceremony.
A much more exclusive and intimate crowd of just 300 have also received invitations for an evening reception of dinner and dancing later that evening at Buckingham Palace, hosted by Prince Charles. It is the invitation to the evening royal wedding reception which is the most coveted because of its exclusivity – and because its expected to be quite the party.
As for the Royal Wedding Invitations themselves (these are the invitations which were sent to all 1900 guests who are invited to the royal wedding ceremony at Westminster Abbey), there are of gilt-edge (meaning gold-embossed edges), of the finest quality super-heavy white paper, with black engraved print. The names of the guests are handwritten onto each invitation.
The wording on the invitation reads:

✜ Prince Harry ✜

Prince Harry was born on 15 September 1984 at St Mary's Hospital, Paddington, in central London, England. His father is Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, the eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. His mother is the late Diana, Princess of Wales, who died in 1997, the former wife of the Prince of Wales. He has an elder brother, Prince William. His full title is His Royal Highness Prince Henry of Wales, although he is seldom referred to as anything but Prince Harry.

He was christened on 21 December 1984 at St. George's Chapel Windsor Castle by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Robert Runcie. His godparents were: his uncle the Duke of York, Lady Sarah Chatto, Lady Vestey, Mrs. William Bartholomew; the portrait painter, Mr. Bryan Organ; and Mr. Gerald Ward.

The prince's official family name is that of Windsor, according to his grandmother's royal proclamation of 1960, but some of the descendants of Queen Elizabeth II appear to utilize the surname Mountbatten-Windsor as personal preference.

Death of Diana, Princess of Wales

On 31 August 1997, Harry's mother died in a car accident in Paris, with her boyfriend Dodi Al-Fayed. Her death came only a few days after she spent a holiday in northern France with William and Harry. The princes were staying at Balmoral Castle; it was Charles who awoke them and broke the news.

At Diana's funeral, their father, grandfather Prince Philip, and uncle (the Earl Spencer) walked behind Diana's funeral cortege from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey. On Diana's coffin was a card from Harry, made out to Mummy. Cameras were barred from showing close-up images of the princes during the service itself. Both princes have been praised for their enormous show of strength on that day. During his eulogy, the Earl Spencer promised that the Spencer family would take an active interest in looking after Diana's children, although neither Harry nor William has seen much of him since then, or of Diana's mother before her death.
Education

Harry attended Mrs. Jane Mynors's nursery school in West London, as did William. In 1988, he attended Fun With Music, a music appreciation class conducted by Ann Rachlin. He later followed his brother to the Wetherby School, and later to Ludgrove School in Berkshire. He then attended Eton College located in Berkshire in 1998. In June 2003, he completed his education at Eton with two A-levels. In Geography he received a D, and in Art a B. At school, he developed his love of sport, particularly polo and rugby. The Prince has also shown a keen interest in skiing and abseiling. He has also participated in the Eton Wall Game.

After finishing Eton, Harry undertook a gap year, visiting Australia and Africa. In Australia, he worked on a cattle station, and watched the 2003 Rugby World Cup being held in the country. In Africa, he worked in an orphanage in Lesotho. Later in the year, he travelled to Argentina on holiday.

On 8 May 2005, the Prince entered the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. There, he was known as Officer Cadet Wales instead of using his royal title, and was part of Alamein Company.

Royal duties

In April 2006, Prince Harry launched a charity with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho to aid children orphaned by HIV/AIDS. The charity is named Sentebale: The Princes' Fund for Lesotho. Sentebale is a Sesotho word meaning forget-me-not. The name is meant to honour both princes' mothers: the former Princess of Wales, who died in 1997; and Queen 'MaMohato of Lesotho, who died in 2003. Prince Harry was in Lesotho to launch the charity and returned to Mants'ase Children's Home near Mohale's Hoek, which he visited in 2004 during his gap year.In 2006, Prince Harry was appointed as one of nine new Commodores-in-Chief of the Royal Navy, alongside other members of his family. Prince Harry was appointed as Commodore-In-Chief, Small Ships and Diving.

Prince Harry in Army

Prince Harry passed out as a newly commissioned officer at the Sovereign's Parade at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in April 2006. He will continue to use Wales as a last name and is now known in the army as Cornet Wales.

In January 2006, Clarence House announced that Prince Harry would join the Blues and Royals, a regiment of the Household Cavalry, and train as a reconnaissance troop commander. Since then, it was reported that he was expected to deploy to Iraq in May of 2007 as part of the 1st Mechanised Brigade of the 3rd (UK) Mechanised Division. The Blues and Royals would form part of the force patrolling the governorate of Maysan on the Iran-Iraq border.

Personal life & Girlfriends

As it does for his brother, the media continues to speculate about any possible girlfriends of Prince Harry, especially young women in his social circle, and sometimes those he meets in nightclubs. The Prince's best known romance has been with Chelsy Davy, a Zimbabwe-born heiress to an African ranching and real estate fortune. In an interview conducted for his 21st birthday in September 2005, Prince Harry referred to Davy as his girlfriend and the press reported that their relationship was at that time 18 months old, strongly contradicting reports they were no longer a couple. In July 2006, photos were published of the two kissing at the Cartier Polo International Tournament.

On 15 August 2006, The Sun released a picture of Prince Harry with his hands on the breasts of friend Natalie Pinkham, whom he was also pictured kissing. The Sun reported that this would imply that he was cheating on Davy. Commenting on this, Clarence House has said that the picture had been taken three years earlier. "We have contacted The Sun and asked them to make a correction. The pictures are three years out of date."

In October 2006 it was reported that Davy had accepted an offer from the University of Bristol, which is 27 miles from Highgrove, for a postgraduate degree in politics. However, the couple's relationship will suffer further separation when Harry is deployed to Iraq in May 2007, which is before Davy starts her Autumn Term. An article in a December 2006 issue of People stated that it is, "Putting the relationship to the test."