Britain's royal wedding to host 1,900 guests
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Keep an eye on the mailbox - Britain's Prince William and bride-to-be Kate Middleton have posted out invites to their hotly anticipated royal wedding to around 1,900 guests, officials said on Sunday.
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In this photo taken Wednesday Feb. 16, 2011 at Buckingham Palace in London, a member of the Lord Chamberlain's Office, no name given, places invitations into envelopes, to the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, before posting them to the lucky guests who will be present at the April 29, 2011 royal wedding to be held in Westminster Abbey. Almost 2,000 guests have been invited to the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. Their names have not been released but the Westminster Abbey congregation is expected to feature celebrities, leading politicians, heads of state and royalty from across the world. [Xinhua] |
St. James's Palace said military personnel and charity workers will mingle with European royalty, diplomats and the family and friends of the couple at the Westminster Abbey ceremony on April 29.
Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh will lead a group of 50 members of the British royal family at the wedding, while around 40 representatives of foreign royal families - likely to include dignitaries from Spain, Sweden, Norway and Denmark - will also attend.
It isn't yet known whether celebrities including singer Elton John - a friend of William's mother Diana, the Princess of Wales - or Kanye West, a favorite of the prince who performed at a 2007 tribute concert for his mother, are among those who'll receive a prized invite.
In a statement, William's office insisted it would not disclose details of individual guests. Royal officials also declined to confirm reports that William's aunt, Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, won't be invited.
Royal historian Hugo Vickers said details of the guest list released so far suggested ordinary members of the public won't have a front line role.
"I think what this tells us is that they are a very traditional couple," Vickers said. "It strikes me as an entirely sensible and predictable type of list, looking to balance the need to invite all the people who should be there - because William will one day be king - with inviting those who they want to be there."
Ordinary well-wishers will instead throng the capital's streets, watching Middleton arrive at Westminster Abbey by car, but leave with her new husband in a horse-drawn carriage to parade through the heart of ceremonial London to Buckingham Palace.
Tourists and Britons alike will crowd close to the palace after the ceremony, hoping to catch a glimpse of William and his bride as they present themselves on the building's famous balcony.
Millions more will watch the ceremony and celebrations on live television - crowded around screens in their homes, at street parties in towns and villages and at major landmarks. Lawmakers are already lobbying London Mayor Boris Johnson to install a giant screen in the city's iconic Trafalgar Square.
