On 29 April 2011, Prince William marries his fiancee, Catherine Middleton. This is a love story in the truest sense. They will marry for love, having met at University and been together for eight years. It will also be an unusual marriage in that a 'commoner' will be marrying a future King of the United Kingdom and will eventually become our Queen. For centuries, our royal family has married into other royal families for many reasons - economic, social, political or even just to preserve the royal blood line. However, this time it will be different. Our Royal Family has come to realise that, in the twenty-first century, while it is useful to have connections to other Royal families, it is not quite as necessary as it once was. It is more important to have a happy, loving marriage.
As for myself, my interest in the Royal Family was sparked in February 1981 when another royal wedding was announced: Charles and Diana. In an era before supermodels and 'celebrity' became the norm, Diana was a rare and beautiful icon. To me she was amazing. Yes, she was connected to royalty, but she had that common touch. She had been a young woman who worked for a living and had her own life before becoming a member of the Royal Family. She was an inspiration. For a ten-year-old girl she was a true princess in every sense of the word. Like many young girls of that era, I started a journey at that point, collecting magazines, newspapers and memorabilia related to the royal couple. If it had 'Diana' on it, I wanted it. Her fashion sense, style and looks were adopted by the nation's girls. I ended up with the Diana 'hairdo'; the Diana hats followed Diana's fashions. On holiday, I even bought a copy of her engagement ring with my pocket money. I still have it. My one regret is not being in Britain for her wedding. My parents and I were booked on the last flight to arrive into Britain before the royal wedding. Unfortunately, it was four hours late and we missed the great day! (I'd never been on a Boeing 747 so quiet though, with only about 100 people on board. It was like having our own private jet across the Atlantic!) When I got home, my grandparents and aunt had decked our house out in bunting and banners for the royal occasion. It was overwhelming!
Weddings are a cause for celebration. They are happy events where two people in love should be able to share their happiness with everyone around them. Unfortunately, in this day and age, we have become cynical and money-orientated. For many people however, the royal wedding is a happy time to connect with their community and bring out the best in themselves - whether this is a street party or running a commemorative event.
Within the pages of this book are a small selection of Royal Weddings through time, it is by no means an exhaustive account, but gives a flavour of those weddings which have changed the course of history, have sparked a true love or have had a major effect on the nation. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed compiling this short history.
The wedding of Prince Leopold, 1882, this view showing the bride and bridesmaids.
From W'illiam and Catherine to Victoria and Albert
The happy couple.
PRINCE William & Catherine middleton
William Wales met Catherine Middleton while they were studying at St Andrews University in Scotland. William had gone there to study History of Art, and met Catherine, who was a fellow History of Art student. They soon became friends and it was Catherine who supported William when he decided to switch courses to Geography. They both graduated on 23 June 2005 with 2:1 Honours degrees.
After eight years together, William and Catherine announced their engagement on 16 November 2010. Catherine walked into the grand Entree Room at St James' Palace on the arm of her future husband. Wearing a beautiful, royal blue jersey dress, by her favourite designer Issa, which matched her engagement ring - worn by his late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales. The ring has an 18-carat blue sapphire surrounded by diamonds. It was designed by Garrard.
As little is known of their wedding except as yet, that it will be in Westminster Abbey and Catherine will break away from royal tradition and travel to the ceremony in a car instead of a Royal Coach. This will be the first time a future Queen has travelled to her wedding by car instead of a Royal Coach. However, once married, the couple will travel back to Buckingham Palace in a glass carriage. It is at Buckingham Palace that the Queen will host a Reception and a private dinner. This will be followed by dancing and celebrations late into the evening.
The Ceremony will start at 1100 hours and will be conducted by the Dean of Westminster. The Archbishop of Canterbury will marry them.
A few speculations have been made about the wedding ring. It is likely, and in keeping with royal tradition, that the wedding ring will be made from Welsh gold. This tradition was first laid down by HRH The Queen Mother in 1923. Unfortunately, it cannot come from the same nugget as The Queen's, Princess Margaret's, The Princess Royal's and Princess Diana, as there is very little of it left. So another nugget will have to be found.
Catherine's dress is to be designed by Sarah Burton, who worked for Alexander McQueen. Catherine's best friend Sarah Buys had her dress designed by Burton in 2005 when she married Tom Parker Bowles.
William Arthur Philip Louis was born on 21 June 1982 at St Mary's Hospital, Paddington. His parents are His Royal Highness Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, and the late Princess Diana, Princess of Wales. His maternal grandparents are Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. He is second in line to the throne, after his father. He has one younger brother, Prince Harry. He was christened in the Music Room at Buckingham Palace on 4 August 1982 by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
His education began at Mrs Mynor's School, in London, then Wetherby School, where his mother would often walk him and his brother to school. Next came Ludgrove School, and then on to Eton where he obtained his A Levels in Geography, Biology and History of Art. At school he enjoyed football and took up water polo.
On 31 August 1997, when Prince William was fifteen, his mother died in a car crash in Paris. Her funeral was on 6 September 1997 at Westminster Abbey. Prince William formed part of the funeral cortege when he walked behind her coffin with Prince Charles and Prince Harry.
After Eton, he took a gap year. During this time he took part in the Raleigh International Programme, helping children in Southern Chile and taking part in British Army exercises in Belize. 2001 saw William enter St Andrews University, where he successfully gained a 2:1 in Geography. He carried on his love of water polo and took part in the Celtic Nations Tournament in 2004 as part of the Scottish National Universities team.
Upon completing his university education, he followed the family tradition of entering the Armed Forces. He completed his Officer training at the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst and graduated from there in December 2006. He then followed his father, uncle and grandfather into active service. He went through Royal Navy and Royal Air Force training and undertook a commission with the Air Force to gain his RAF Wings. He saw active service in the Afghan Conflict. Back in the Navy, he underwent further training and now he is now assigned to the RAF Search & Rescue team in Anglesey, Wales. He is now Patron on the Mountain Rescue Service (England and Wales).
As well as a career in the military, William is also keen on his charitable work. His mother was very adamant that 'her boys' would grow up to appreciate that there are people less fortunate in the world. As a result, Princess Diana would regularly take Prince William and Prince Harry on visits to her charities such as Centrepoint (a charity which helps homeless people Www. centrepoint. org. uk). This was a charity that Princess Diana held in high regard, and Prince William took on its patronage after her death. As well as visiting the charity and helping out, he has also slept rough to highlight the issues of the charity. Further afield, Prince William is Patron of the Tusk Trust (Www. tusk. org), which is a conservation charity that attempts to secure a peaceful existence for Africa's wildlife and people. Princes' William and Harry have been involved in a few of their overseas projects. Through his mother he is also a keen supporter of the National Aids Trust (Www. nat. org. uk) and the Royal Marsden Hospital. When his mother died, he became a Patron of the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund.
Known to the British Press as 'Kate', Catherine Middleton will be Prince William's consort and future Queen. She is the oldest of three children and was born at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading, England, on 9 January 1982. This makes her six months older than Prince William. The Middleton family - consisting of father, Michael, mother, Carole, and two siblings, Philippa and James - have lived in Bucklebury, Berkshire, since 1995. When Catherine was small, her parents started a company called Party Pieces, which specialises in selling party supplies by mail order.
Educated at St Andrew's School in Pangbourne, Berkshire, she then attended Downe House, an Independent Girls' School in Thatcham, Berkshire, for a short period before moving onto Marlborough College. Marlbourgh was founded in 1843 for the sons of Church of England Clergy, but is now a co-education Boarding School with about 800 pupils. Catherine was popular and athletic, captaining the school hockey team. At Marlborough, she attained extremely good exam results, two A Levels at 'A' grade and one at 'B' grade, and eleven GCSEs.
Before going off to University, Catherine attended the same Operation Raleigh project in Chile that William had visited just one month before. At St Andrew's University, Catherine studied History of Art - the same course the Prince had started. Unfortunately, like a few
Catherine and William pose for an official engagement photo at St James' Palace.
Students, Prince William's enthusiasm for his course waned, and it has been speculated that it was Catherine who convinced William to stay at university and pursue another course.
While at University, Catherine and William moved in together. Although insisting they were 'just good friends', they became close and a relationship developed. However, things did not run smoothly. As with dating any member of the Royal Family, Catherine's relationship with the Prince came under intense media scrutiny, and the press hounded her constantly. In February 2006, it was announced that Catherine could have 24-hour security, and this fuelled more media speculation that an engagement was imminent. Unfortunately, no engagement materialised and Catherine did not receive the security.
November 2006 saw Catherine take up a position with the fashion chain Jigsaw as an Accessories Buyer, although this came to an end in autumn 2007. She was pursued by photographers and it became apparent that she could not work as effectively as she wanted to while holding down such a high-profile relationship and under such intense media pressure. After this she decided to look at more flexible jobs, such as photography. She has also worked for her parents in their business 'Party Pieces'
By April 2007, there was speculation that Catherine and William had split up. The story broke in the UK by The Sun newspaper, and the media, including the BBC, reported on it. The newspapers claimed a 'close friend' supplied the story and blamed the breakup on relationship issues. After the Concert for Diana on 1 July 2007, Catherine and the
Prince claimed they were 'just good friends'. However, media speculation was that their relationship had been 'rekindled' From then on, Catherine became the Prince's companion, accompanying him when he needed a partner.
While holidaying in the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy Kenya in October 2010, Prince William proposed to Catherine, and their engagement was announced on 16 November 2010.
World History
