Royal wedding: Newly-weds celebrate at Buckingham Palace

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have celebrated their marriage with dinner and dancing at Buckingham Palace, along with about 300 friends and family.

The bride wore a white evening gown by Sarah Burton, who created her wedding dress, to the event.

The couple stayed at the palace after the reception, which lasted into the early hours.

It is thought they may depart for their honeymoon later, though details of their plans have not been made public.

The reception, hosted by the Prince of Wales, is believed to have featured Prince Harry's best man speech and Michael Middleton's father of the bride address.

A St James's Palace spokesman said the new duchess had donned a white angora bolero cardigan over her white satin gazar dress, which featured a circle skirt and diamante embroidered detail round the waist.

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-13246783

Thousands of Surrey residents gear up for royal wedding

Thousands of people are expected to take part in celebrations across Surrey

Thousands of people will take part in public celebrations to mark the marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton later.

More than 205 applications for royal wedding street parties have been given the go-ahead in Surrey, according to the latest figures.

Thousands more residents are expected to hold private parties or watch the ceremony in pubs across the county.

The Met Office has forecast sunny spells and showers for Friday.
'Community spirit'

The last figures available showed Elmbridge had planned the most street parties in the county, with 32, followed by Reigate and Banstead with 30.

Ahead of the wedding Ian Lake, of Surrey County Council, said the numbers showed people in Surrey had real community spirit.

He said he hoped the sun shone when the couple got married.

Southern Railway will be running extra services to help spectators get to central London for the royal wedding from Surrey on Friday.

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-surrey-13224182

Royal wedding invite to Syrian envoy withdrawn

THE Syrian ambassador was yesterday banned from the royal wedding to stop the growing guest list row.

There was fury after it emerged Dr Sami Khiyami, whose regime is continuing to kill democracy protesters, was invited but Labour PMs Gordon Brown and Tony Blair were not.

Foreign Secretary William Hague stepped in and his department said: “In the light of attacks against civilians by Syrian security forces, Buckingham Palace shares the view that it is not appropriate for the Syrian ambassador to attend.”

Dr Khiyami said the situation was “a bit embarrassing”.

Former Labour Foreign Office minister Denis MacShane said Mr Hague should rescind invitations to any hard-line regime with “blood on their hands”.

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http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/2011/04/29/palace-withdraws-wedding-invite-to-syrian-envoy-115875-23093434/#ixzz1KsgwTzPd

Royal wedding shows Diana's influence lives on

London (CNN) -- Just after announcing his engagement, Prince William told the world he had given Kate Middleton the distinctive sapphire and diamond ring belonging to his late mother Diana, Princess of Wales, as "my way of making sure my mother didn't miss out on today and the excitement."

The prince was particularly close to his mother, who died in a Paris car crash in 1997, and both he and his brother Harry know how much his wedding would have meant to her. William is even reported to have taken his fiancee to visit Diana's tomb at her ancestral home, Althorp House, in central England, in the run-up to the big day.

Royal experts say the second-in-line to the British throne has been closely involved in the planning of the wedding, which has other echoes of Diana.

As well as taking place at Westminster Abbey, where his mother's funeral took place, after they are married, William and Kate will ride to Buckingham Palace in the open-topped 1902 State Landau carriage Video that carried Prince Charles and Diana after their wedding in 1981. The Glass Coach that transported Diana to St. Paul's Cathedral will be used if the weather is wet.

And while Diana cannot be at the wedding, William seems to have taken care to invite guests of whom his mother might have approved. These include Elton John, a friend of Diana's who sang "Candle in the Wind" at her memorial service, soccer star David Beckham and Madonna's former husband Guy Ritchie.

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http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/europe/04/27/uk.royal.diana.influence/?hpt=C2

Forget the Royal Wedding, Obamas to Attend Shuttle Launch

If the First Family was fretting over not being invited to the royal wedding next week, at least they won't have to sit around the White House and watch it on TV. Instead, President Barack Obama and his family will come to Florida to watch one of the final launches of the space shuttle.

"I didn't realize when the wedding was when we moved the launch date," to April 29, Bill Gerstenmaier, NASA's associate administrator for spaceflight, told reporters.

Endeavour had been targeted to launch April 19, but scheduling conflicts at the International Space Station prompted a 10-day delay. It now falls on the same day that Prince William and Kate Middleton plan to wed.

NASA routinely postpones shuttle launches for technical reasons, poor weather but "wedding constraints" hasn’t made it to NASA's launch guidelines, "so we did not factor that in," deadpanned Gerstenmaier.

The launch is the next-to-last in the 30-year old space shuttle program, which is ending due to high operating costs and to free up funds to develop new types of space vehicles that can travel beyond the 220-mile-high orbit of the International Space Station.

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http://news.discovery.com/space/wedding-royal-obamas-to-attend-shuttle-launch-110420.html

Real-life fairy tale wedding unfolds in "The Royal Wedding of the Century" on ABS-CBN

Every girl dreams that one day she will meet her one and only prince charming. Little did girl-next-door Kate Middleton know that her fairy tale love story will turn into a reality as she will soon live happily ever after with the heir to the British throne, Prince William of Wales.

You are invited to be their royal guest and witness history and romance unfold at the same time as ABS-CBN Corporation, the Philippines' largest multimedia conglomerate, partners with BBC, the world’s largest broadcasting organization, to bring you the most comprehensive coverage of the much-awaited royal wedding of His Royal Highness Prince William of Wales, the son of Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana, to Catherine Middleton with the exclusive telecast of BBC special documentaries and the live coverage of the wedding on April 29.

See where it all began in the BBC special documentary "William and Kate: A Royal Engagement” on April 24 before "ASAP Rocks." Find out how the two met, get to know the future British princess, and understand what what this marriage means to the future British monarchy as close friends, historians, biographers, and well known journalists reveal what they know about the royal couple.

ABS-CBN will also air documentaries “Harry: The Mysterious Prince,” “How to be a Prince,” “Timewatch: Princess Margaret— A Love Story,” “Diana— Legacy of a Princess,” “Princess Camilla— Winner takes all,” “Royal London,” “Britain’s Royal Weddings,” and “Untold Stories of a Royal Bridesmaid” on its cable channels ANC and the Lifestyle Network.

On the wedding day itself on April 29 (Friday), ABS-CBN will launch a powerhouse coverage dubbed “The Royal Wedding of the Century” with live feed coming straight from BBC over the Kapamilya network’s multimedia platforms, which cover free-to-air TV, cable TV, radio, and online.

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http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/current-affairs-programs/04/18/11/real-life-fairy-tale-wedding-unfolds-royal-wedding-century-abs-cbn

Hamley's toy store produce new doll ahead of the Royal Wedding

She's about to join the Royal Family as the wife of the future king. So could anything make Kate Middleton’s life more perfect?

How about her very own Barbie-style doll?

The grinning figure, complete with glossy mane of brown hair and distinctive fascinator headwear just like Kate’s, has gone on sale at Hamley’s, the London toy store.



Anyone wanting the ‘Princess Catherine Doll’, which comes in a regally purple box with crown and Union Jack motifs, will have to pay £35.

Just 10,000 of the dolls have been created, dressed and accessorised by seven British fashion designers. The Eaton clutch bag is an exact replica of Kate’s, with gold mock snakeskin leather effect, horseshoe clasp and gold chain.

The doll’s high-heeled slingback shoes are inspired by British shoe maker Beatrix Ong, even featuring a miniature label on the insole.

Not only that, but the ring the doll is wearing contains a real purple amethyst – so perhaps this is one doll that’s not really for the children.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1374709/Royal-Wedding-Hamleys-toy-store-produce-Kate-Middleton-doll.html#ixzz1Iu89HiYT

Kate To Throw Pals A Pomp Free Party

Bride-to-be Kate, 28 wants pals to enjoy her big moment without feeling stifled by ceremonial pomp or worrying about etiquette.

A source familiar with her and Prince William's plans said yesterday: "Kate knows her wedding is going to be bound by formality. But she also wants to have a party in the run-up to her big day where she can relax and let her hair down.

"She loves to have a giggle with her friends and doesn't want them to miss out.

"She wants them to be able to enjoy a drink and a dance without being paranoid about showing themselves up in front of Barack Obama or the Queen."

The bash will be at the Middleton family home in Bucklebury, Berks, weeks before Kate marries William, 28, on April 29 at Westminster Abbey.

Royal wedding set to be a 'semi-state occasion' at Westminster Abbey

Prince William and his fiancee Kate Middleton pose for a photograph in St James's Palace, London

In one of the least unexpected announcements so far about next year's royal wedding, it was revealed yesterday that Prince William will marry his fiancee Kate Middleton on Friday 29 April at Westminster Abbey.

Disclosing the news to journalists, Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, the prince's private secretary, took trouble to emphasise that, like most parents and in-laws, the royal family and the bride's parents, Michael and Carole Middleton, wealthy in their own right, will meet the bulk of the costs, including those of the service, flowers, bride's dress, catering and reception, and honeymoon.

Lowther-Pinkerton, normally a stern-faced former SAS officer, said with aplomb: "The couple are completely over the moon. I have never seen two happier people. They are on cloud nine."

The two were said to be getting fully stuck into the arrangements, and imposing their views on staff in emails and calls from the couple's cottage at RAF Valley on Anglesey, where William is working as a helicopter air sea rescue pilot.

The taxpayer will be expected to meet the cost of security and any service personnel on duty for the ceremonial, although officials said that any troops mustered would be drawn from those, such as the Household Cavalry, already assigned to ceremonial duties in London and would not be withdrawn from active service.

What were described as "associated and consequential costs", such as those for ceremonials, have still to be talked through with the government. Lowther-Pinkerton said: "All parties involved in the wedding, not least Prince William and Miss Middleton, want to ensure that a balance is struck between enjoying the day and the current economic situation … The couple are mindful of the situation, and Prince William has already expressed a clear wish that any involvement by the armed forces should rely in great part on those servicemen and women already committed to public and ceremonial duties."

The wedding will be what was termed a "semi-state" occasion. It is not yet known which if any members of foreign royal families may be invited.

Lowther-Pinkerton added: "We know the world will be watching on 29 April, and they are very keen it should be a classic British occasion … a classic example of what Britain does best. Prince William and Catherine made it very clear they wish everybody to be able to enjoy it with them, consequently it will be a proper celebration for the nation and the realm."

That means probably open carriages and a uniformed cavalry escort. It is likely, though not yet fixed, the service will be conducted by Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury. The date is the feast day of St Catherine of Sienna, though this was said to be incidental. Westminster Abbey was chosen for its long associations with the royal family, "a feeling almost of a parish church", said the private secretary.

News of the date would have come as a surprise, welcome or otherwise, to many couples who had already decided on the same day. Claire Webber, 30 and Jaimi Mitchell, 37, had set Friday 29 April 2011 as their special day soon after becoming engaged in March.

Yesterday they were astonished the royal couple had chosen the very same day. "I was really surprised," said Webber, 30. "It's still sinking in. It's strange, but I think it's really nice and it's going to be very memorable.

"You can only look at it in a positive way. It's a date everyone is going to remember, and people will be thinking about weddings anyway. And because it's now going to be a bank holiday, our guests won't have to take the day off."

Mitchell and Webber have chosen Parklands Quendon Hall, a 17th century mansion set in a deer park in Essex, for their ceremony and reception, and are inviting 85 guests. The two have already paid for most of the wedding, including the bride-to-be's dress and dresses for three bridesmaids and two flower girls, "mainly because of the VAT [rise in January]", Webber said.

The couple work in insurance, met at their loss adjuster in the City five years ago, and got together a year later; he proposed on a boat trip in New Zealand.

She said she would, like many others, be keen to watch the royal wedding and will have the television on while getting ready for her big day. "We're not getting married until the early afternoon, so if they get married in the morning I'm sure everyone will watch. I know I will."


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http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/nov/24/royal-wedding-semi-state-occasion

Royal wedding: Kate Middleton is not the new Princess Diana, nor should she be

Royal wedding: Prince William and Kate Middleton are engaged to be married

There is one phrase that even the most swooning well-wisher will be advised not to use about the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. Not now and possibly not ever. It is “fairy tale”.

Fairy tales are taboo this time round, however gorgeous the bride, however princely-handsome the groom. At the wedding of the Prince and Princess of Wales in St Paul’s Cathedral, the Archbishop of Canterbury Robert Runcie reflected the sentiments of a wishful nation when he said, tremblingly: “This is the stuff of which fairy tales are made.” No such hostage to fortune will be given again. Memories of the last sumptuous royal marriage nearly 30 years ago, and of its public unravelling, are still too close.

Sincere but soap-operatic, the archbishop went on: “Those who are married live happily ever after the wedding day if they persevere in the real adventure which is the royal task of creating each other and creating a more loving world.”

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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/royal-wedding/8138498/Royal-wedding-Kate-Middleton-is-not-the-new-Princess-Diana-nor-should-she-be.html