Royal Wedding of Pince William & Kate Middleton

Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton

The wedding of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and Catherine Middleton took place on 29 April 2011 at Westminster Abbey in London. Prince William, second in the line of succession to Queen Elizabeth II, first met Catherine Middleton in 2001, when both were studying at the University of St Andrews. Their engagement on 20 October 2010 was announced on 16 November 2010. The build-up to the wedding and the occasion itself attracted much media attention, with the service being broadcast live around the world, and being compared and contrasted in many ways with the 1981 marriage of William's parents, Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer. Some estimates said two billion people watched the wedding across the world, and 24.5 million watched the event live in the UK,^[1], but the verified TV audience was closer to 300 million people globally.^[2]

Much of the attention focused on Kate Middleton's status as a commoner (i.e., not of recent royal blood or a part of the aristocracy) marrying into royalty. Hours before the service, the Queen conferred the titles Duke of Cambridge, Earl of Strathearn, and Baron Carrickfergus upon William. Upon her marriage, Middleton therefore became Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge, but is not styled as 'Princess Catherine'.

As Prince William was not the heir apparent to the throne, the wedding was not a full state occasion and many details were left to the couple to decide, such as much of the the guest list of about 1,900. It was a public holiday in the United Kingdom and featured many ceremonial aspects, including use of the state carriages and roles for the Foot Guards and Household Cavalry. It was attended by most of the Royal Family, as well as many foreign royals, diplomats, and the couple's chosen personal guests.

Middleton wore a white dress with a 270-centimetre (110 in) train, by British designer Sarah Burton, as well as a tiara lent to her by the Queen. Prince William wore the uniform of his honorary rank of Colonel of the Irish Guards. William's best man was his brother, Prince Harry, while the bride's sister, Pippa, acted as her maid of honour. The wedding ceremony began at 11:00 am BST (UTC+1). John Robert Hall, the Dean of Westminster, conducted the service, with Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, conducting the marriage ceremony itself and Richard Chartres, the Bishop of London, giving the sermon. A reading was given by the bride's brother, James. After the ceremony, the newly married couple travelled in procession to Buckingham Palace for the traditional appearance on the balcony and a flypast before crowds assembled in The Mall. Later the Prince drove his Duchess the short distance to Clarence House in his father's classic Aston Martin DB6 Volante,^[3] decorated by Prince Harry and James Middleton with a number plate "JU5T WED".

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

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Summary

William and Catherine met when they studied in the University St Andrews in Scotland. Their engagement was on 20 October 2010 and was announced on 16 November 2010.

The wedding of them was celebrated in London on 29 April 2011 and the wedding ceremony began at 11 am. The wedding was celebrated in front of about 1,900 guests and 5,000 police to ensure the safety of the event, followed by more than 2,000 million people around the world.

She dressed a white dress by British designer Sara Burton and he dressed the uniform of his honorary rank of Colonel of the Irish Guards. The list of the guests was about 1,900. The best man of William was his brother, and the maid of honour of Catherine was her sister.

After the marriage, the couple try to continue living on Anglesey in North Wales.