Suzanne Plunkett / Reuters
Mark your calenders: Prince William will marry Kate Middleton on Friday 29 April at Westminster Abbey, Clarence House has announced. NewsFeed is going shopping as soon as this piece is written.
The venue was far and away the favored choice in the eyes of experts and bookmakers. Westminster Abbey was the location for the weddings of the Queen and Queen Mother as well as Princess Diana’s funeral in 1997. Diana’s wedding took place at St. Paul’s Cathedral and it’s believed that Prince William didn’t want to literally follow in those footsteps, bearing in mind that the marriage didn’t last the course.
(See pictures of Kate Middleton.)
The happy couple wanted a spring wedding, and are said to be “over the moon” and “on cloud nine” with these arrangements. Yet again, William and Kate have shown how in touch they are with modern society by harnessing social networks to get their message out. Not only does the British Monarchy Twitter feed mention Tuesday’s news but a picture of the venue was immediately posted to TwitPic.
(See pictures of Westminster Abbey.)
In terms of costing, the Windsors and the Middletons will pay for the majority of the wedding but the U.K. taxpayer will shell out for security costs and other transport (consider that our gift).
The Friday date means that Britain will enjoy an extra long weekend of four days (the following Monday is also a Bank Holiday) as it has been confirmed that the wedding day would be a Bank Holiday. Now that the wedding falls in the same week as Easter Monday, millions of employees will have a three-day work week. Prime Minister David Cameron said Tuesday: “The wedding of Kate and William will be a happy and momentous occasion. We want to mark the day as one of national celebration, a public holiday will ensure the most people possible will have a chance to celebrate on the day.” Indeed, with the date having been approved by Cameron, officials have been given the all clear to invite heads of state, which means that President Obama could be among the many famous faces on show.
The prince’s private secretary, Jamie Lowther-Pinkington, said that William and Kate were “calling the shots” but had a “rather large supporting cast” to help them. “We know that the world will be watching on April 29, and the couple are very, very keen indeed that the spectacle should be a classic example of what Britain does best,” Lowther-Pinkington said.
(See pictures of Royal weddings.)
Poignantly, April 29 is also St. Catherine’s Day. There can be no doubt about that.