``According to God's holy law; and thereto I give thee my troth.''
With the Royal Wedding just days away, attention to its finer details is beginning to ramp up, such as who has been invited, what kind of cake has been ordered , and what kind of ring will the Prince slip on Kate’s finger?
In order to answer some of these questions, I prepared a Q & A about the wedding of his Royal Highness, Prince William of Wales, K.G. with Miss Catherine Middleton, which will take place at Westminster Abbey on Friday April 29th, 2011.
Q. Let’s cut right to the chase; who’s picking up the tab for the Royal Wedding?
A. Costs associated with the Abbey service, flowers, dresses, carriage procession, reception and dinner will be picked up by the Royal Family; the Middleton Family, however, will make a private contribution.
Q. How many people have been invited to the wedding?
A. Around 1,900 people
Also, around 650 people have been invited to the lunchtime reception at Buckingham Palace given by The Queen; and approximately 300 people have been invited to the dinner at Buckingham Palace given by The Prince of Wales.
Q. What procedure was used in deciding who would be invited to the wedding?
A. Invitations were decided jointly by William and Kate. They additionally worked with Members of their own Household, and The Queen’s and The Prince of Wales’s Households to draw up the final list.
Q. Since my invitation seems to have gotten lost in the mail; can you at least describe what the invitations look like?
A.The EIIR on the invitation is die-stamped in gold and then burnished. The text on the invitation is also die-stamped. The edges of the invitation are bevelled then gilded. The invitations were printed by Barnard and Westwood.
Q. Were any high profile celebrities invited to the wedding?
A. Mr. and Mrs. David Beckham, Sir Elton John, Guy Ritchie.
Q. How will the Prince and Miss Middleton get to the church? Will they just hail a cab?
A. Miss Middleton will travel in a Rolls Royce Phantom VI, accompanied by her father. The Rolls Royce was presented to The Queen in 1978 for her Silver Jubilee by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.
Prince William will travel in a Bentley, accompanied by Prince Harry. The State Bentleys have been uniquely designed enabling greater use to be made of the vehicle’s interior space. The Bentleys are 6.22 metres long and, at 3.84 meters, their wheelbase is 1.3 metres longer than that of an average family sized saloon.
NOTE: All the motor coaches used on the day have been supplied on a temporary loan from Volkswagen for the wedding, and will be driven by drivers from Westway Coaches.
Q. What kind of wedding ring will be presented to Miss Middleton?
A. The ring is made of Welsh Gold. The gold was given to Prince William by The Queen shortly after the couple were engaged. It has been in the family's possession for some years and has been in the care of the Royal Jewellers.
Q. What mode of transportation will the newlyweds take after the wedding?
A: There will be five horse-drawn carriages in the Carriage Procession from Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace. The first carriage will be the 1902 State Landau or Glass Coach carrying the Bride and the Bridegroom. The second and third carriages will be Ascot Landaus carrying the Best Man, Maid of Honour and Bridesmaids. The fourth carriage will be a Semi-State Landau carrying The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh. The fifth carriage will be a Semi-State Landau carrying The Prince of Wales, The Duchess of Cornwall and Mr. and Mrs. Middleton.
Q. Does this carriage hold any historical significance?
A. The 1902 State Landau was specifically built for King Edward VII in 1902 and was intended to be used at his Coronation. It is the carriage in most general use at the Royal Mews and is usually used by The Queen to meet Foreign Heads of State when they arrive on State Visits to Britain. In addition, The Prince of Wales travelled to St Paul’s Cathedral in the 1902 State Landau for his wedding in 1981, returning in it with The Princess of Wales after the service. The Duke and Duchess of York also used it for their return to Buckingham Palace at their wedding in 1986.
Q. Which musical ensembles have been selected to perform at the Royal Wedding?
A. The Choir of Westminster Abbey; The Choir of Her Majesty’s Chapel Royal, St James’s Palace; The London Chamber Orchestra; The Fanfare Team from the Central Band of the Royal Air Force; The State Trumpeters of The Household Cavalry. The Abbey’s Sub Organist, Robert Quinney, will play the organ. Both choirs will be under the direction of Mr. James O’Donnell, Organist and Master of the Choristers at Westminster Abbey
Q. Will there be a DJ spinning records at the wedding reception?
A., Claire Jones, the Official Harpist to The Prince of Wales will perform at the Reception given by The Queen at Buckingham Palace.
NOTE: More details on music at the reception will be released later this week.
Q. What will the wedding cake look like?
A. Prince William and Miss Catherine Middleton have chosen Leicestershire-based cake designer, Fiona Cairns to create their wedding cake. The wedding cake will be a multi-tiered traditional fruit cake. The cake, which will be decorated with cream and white icing, will have a strong British floral theme using elements of the Joseph Lambeth technique. Ms. Cairns was chosen for her creative style and beautifully crafted handmade cakes using traditional British ingredients. Prince William and Miss Middleton were keen to choose a British cake designer and they had seen and tasted some of Ms. Cairns’ cakes in the past.
In addition, the couple have also asked McVitie’s Cake Company to create a chocolate biscuit cake for the reception at Buckingham Palace. The chocolate biscuit cake will be made from a Royal Family recipe and was specially requested by Prince William.
Q. Who will photograph the wedding?
A. Hugo Burnand will take official photographs in the State Apartments at Buckingham Palace following the wedding at Westminster Abbey. Mr. Burnard has photographed Prince William a number of times; and is a well known portrait photographer, having previously photographed Lucien Freud, Lady Thatcher, Victoria Beckham and John Magnier.
Q. How many Royal Weddings have taken place at Westminster Abbey?
A. Fifteen royal weddings have taken place in Westminster Abbey since King Henry I and Princess Matilda of Scotland married on 11 November 1100. They include HM The Queen and Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten (20 November 1947), King George VI and Lady Elizabeth Bowes later to become the Queen Mother (26 April 1923), Princess Margaret and Antony Armstrong-Jones (6 May 1960), Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson (23 July 1986) and Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips (14 November 1973).
Q. How many bells will be rung at Westminster Abbey on the day of the Royal Wedding?
A.The Abbey’s ten bells will be rung prior to the wedding for up to half an hour. After the service a full peal of 5,000 changes will be rung that will take in excess of three hours. Full peals are rung on the Abbey’s bells only for significant occasions. The ringers do this without a break and need to concentrate throughout.
Q. Will there be a souvenir wedding program?
A. Yes. The Programme will include the full Order of Service (as used by guests in the Abbey), a personal message of thanks from Prince William and Catherine Middleton, and a never-before-seen photo of the couple taken by photographer Mario Testino. The Official Programme will feature Prince William’s Coat of Arms on the front cover and Catherine Middleton’s new Coat of Arms on the back.
The Programme will be sold by 60 Explorer Scouts and 80 Cadets (supervised by adults) for £2 per copy at various locations along the wedding route and surrounding area on the 29th April. Proceeds from the sale of the Official Programme will go to benefit the Foundation of Prince William and Prince Harry.
Q. Did William and Kate have to get their impending marriage officially approved by anyone in the Royal Household?
A.Under the terms of the Royal Marriages Act 1772 the Monarch is required to formally approve the marriage of her children and most direct descendents of King George II before their marriage. The formal approval is evidenced by a legal Instrument called an Instrument of Consent. The process involved is for The Queen to make a formal Declaration of Consent at a meeting of the Privy Council at which she also signs the Instrument of Consent and a Warrant directing the Lord Chancellor to pass that Instrument under (seal with) the Great Seal of the Realm. The Warrant is drawn up by The Crown Office. This sets out the text of the Instrument of Consent and contains a direction to the Lord Chancellor that a document in those terms be sealed. Her Majesty formally gave her consent to the marriage of Prince William to Catherine Middleton under the 1772 Act by making the Declaration at the meeting of the Privy Council on the 9th February 2011.
Q. Will guests invited to the Royal Wedding come bearing gifts for William and Kate?
A. Prince William and Miss Catherine Middleton have set up a charitable gift fund for those who very generously may wish to donate to charity to help the couple celebrate their wedding.
Having been touched by the goodwill shown them since the announcement of their engagement, Prince William and Miss Middleton have asked that anyone who might wish to give them a wedding gift consider giving instead to a charitable fund.
Q. Will there be any live streaming of the wedding?
A. For the first time, broadcast footage of a royal wedding will be live streamed on The Royal Channel on YouTube accompanied by a live multi-media blog put together by St James’s Palace
The Royal Channel will host a live stream 'gadget', produced by Google, which will stream the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton live on the day from 10am until 2pm. This will include the couple’s journey to and from Westminster Abbey, the Wedding Service, balcony appearance and fly past.
Q. Will anyone be Twittering?
A. The @Clarence House Twitter account will provide live updates on the day of the wedding, and will be integrated into the live blog on the live stream and the wedding website. Alongside the video message option, anyone wanting to send the couple a message of congratulations on Twitter may do so using the hashtag #rw2011.
Q. Is the British Monarchy on Facebook?
A. The British Monarchy page on Facebook has been redesigned to provide followers with reliable and up-to-date information about the Royal Wedding, and will be updated hourly on the day.
The British Monarchy’s Facebook page has created a Facebook ‘event’ of which anyone can be part. Facebook users can click the ‘I’m attending’ button on ‘The Royal Wedding’ event to show their interest in the event. Those attending will also receive updates on wedding news direct from Clarence House, and will become part of a community of Facebook users celebrating the wedding across the world.
Q. How much interest has the Royal Wedding generated on the Web?
A. According to Google, the Royal Wedding (2011) is already mentioned on 162 million web pages which demonstrate the level of interest. Twitter has said it may need to bring in extra servers to cope with the anticipated demand on the day.
Q. How much security will be in place at the Royal Wedding?
A. Approximately 900 officers from the Metropolitan Police will be lining the route of the procession between Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace. Their Mounted Branch will also escort the Royal procession.
In addition, the Metropolitan Police Service Air Support Unit has a fleet of three Eurocopter 145 helicopters with recording and imagery devices. In the run up to the Royal Wedding, helicopters will make aerial assessments of central London and source detailed imagery of the landscape which is crucial in the planning stages of the police operation.
Approximately 35 specially trained search dogs will be on duty throughout the day of the Royal Wedding. Alongside their handlers, their duties will be searching for security risks, and supporting the wider policing operation. The experience of the unit is vast - a large number of handlers and their dogs are regularly involved in public order events ranging from Notting Hill Carnival to football matches. The unit often patrol key London landmarks to keep them secure and provide reassurance to the public.
Q. We’ve come to know quite a bit about Prince William over the years, but what about Miss Middleton? Can you provide a brief biographical sketch of her life ?
A. Catherine Elizabeth Middleton was born to Michael and Carole Middleton at the Royal Berkshire Hospital, Reading, on 9th January 1982. Catherine is the eldest of three children.
Catherine was christened at the parish church of St Andrew’s Bradfield in Berkshire on 20th June 1982.
In May 1984, at the age of two, Catherine moved with her family to Amman in Jordan, where her father worked for two and a half years. Catherine attended a nursery school in Amman from the age of three.
In September 1986, the Middletons returned to their home in West Berkshire, and Catherine started at St Andrew’s School in Pangbourne, where she remained until July 1995. Catherine went on to Marlborough College in Wiltshire, where she studied Chemistry, Biology and Art at A-level. Catherine also took part in sport on behalf of the school, playing tennis, hockey and netball and participating in athletics, particularly high jump. Catherine completed her Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award at Marlborough.
Leaving Marlborough College in July 2000, Catherine undertook a gap year in which she studied at the British Institute in Florence, undertook a Raleigh International programme in Chile, and crewed on Round the World Challenge boats in the Solent.
In 2001, Catherine enrolled at the University of St Andrews, Fife, from where she graduated in 2005 with a 2:1 in History of Art. Catherine continued with her interest in sport at University, playing hockey for the University team. Catherine first met Prince William when studying at the University.
Since completing her degree, Catherine has worked for Party Pieces, a company owned and run by her parents. Alongside her work for the family business, Catherine worked in London as a part-time buyer for the clothing company Jigsaw Junior.
In 2008, Catherine launched First Birthdays, a junior brand to Party Pieces. Her role within the family business included catalogue design and production, marketing and photography.
Catherine’s hobbies include recreational sports such as hill walking, tennis.
-Bill Lucey
[email protected]
Source: The Official Royal Wedding Website
***
Expected Timeline of the Royal Wedding
The following timings have been confirmed for the Wedding Day.
8:15 -9.45am The general congregation will arrive at the Great
North Door of Westminster Abbey.
From 9.50 am Governors-General and Prime Ministers of Realm Countries,
the Diplomatic Corps, and other distinguished guests arrive at the Abbey.
10.10am The Bridegroom and Prince Henry of Wales leave Clarence House for Westminster Abbey. They arrive at the Abbey at 10.15am.
10.20 am Members of Foreign Royal Families arrive at Westminster Abbey from Buckingham Palace.
10.20am Mrs. Michael (Carole) Middleton and Mr. James Middleton leave the Goring Hotel for Westminster Abbey. They arrive at the Abbey at 10.27am.
10.25 am Members of the Royal Family (except those listed below) leave Buckingham Palace for Westminster Abbey. They arrive at the Abbey at 10.30am.
10.35am The following Members of the Royal Family leave Buckingham Palace for Westminster Abbey. They arrive at the Abbey at 10.40am:
The Duke of York
Princess Beatrice of York
Princess Eugenie or York
The Earl and Countess of Wessex
The Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence
10.38am The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall leave Clarence House for Westminster Abbey. They arrive at the Abbey at 10.42am.
10.40 am The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh leave Buckingham Palace for Westminster Abbey. They arrive at the Abbey at 10.45am.
10.48 am The Bridesmaids and Pages leave the Goring Hotel for Westminster Abbey. They arrive at the Abbey at 10.55am.
10.51 am The Bride, accompanied by Mr. Michael Middleton, leaves the Goring Hotel for Westminster Abbey.
11.00 am The Marriage Service begins. The Marriage Service will be relayed by audio speakers along the Route.
12.15pm The Carriage Procession of the Bride and Bridegroom with a Captain’s Escort of the Household Cavalry, followed by The Queen’s Procession with a Sovereign’s Escort of the Household Cavalry, leaves Westminster Abbey for Buckingham Palace.
12.30pm The Bride’s Carriage Procession arrives at Buckingham Palace.
12.40pm Members of the Royal Family and Members of Foreign Royal Families arrive at Buckingham Palace.
From 12.40pm Other guests for the Reception arrive at Buckingham Palace.
1.25pm The Queen and the Bride and Bridegroom, together with their Families, appear on the Balcony.
1.30pm Fly Past by the Royal Air Force and Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.
NOTE: Miss Catherine Middleton, accompanied by her immediate family, will spend the night before the wedding at the Goring Hotel. This was the Middleton family’s personal choice.
***
Members of the Wedding Party
Miss Philippa Middleton, Miss Catherine Middleton’s sister, will be her Maid of Honour.
Prince Harry will be Prince William’s Best Man.
The Bridesmaids and Page Boys will be:
The Lady Louise Windsor
Aged 7 – daughter of The Earl and Countess of Wessex; first cousin of Prince William.
The Hon. Margarita Armstrong-Jones
Aged 8 – daughter of Viscount and Viscountess Linley (née The Hon. Serena Stanhope); second cousin of Prince William.
Miss Grace van Cutsem
Aged 3 – daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Hugh van Cutsem (née Rose Astor); goddaughter of Prince William.
Miss Eliza Lopes
Aged 3 – daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Lopes (née Laura Parker Bowles); granddaughter of The Duchess of Cornwall.
Master William (Billy) Lowther-Pinkerton
Aged 10 – son of Mr. and Mrs. Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton (née Susannah Richards); no relation; son of Prince William and Prince Harry’s Private Secretary.
Master Tom Pettifer
Aged 8 – son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Pettifer (née Alexandra [Tiggy] Legge-Bourke); godson of Prince William.
The ages above are the Bridesmaids’ and Page Boys’ ages on the day of the wedding.
The Bridesmaids and Pages will perform the traditional role of Bridesmaids and Pages on the day. They will be with the Bride on the morning of the wedding, accompany her down the aisle and return with the newly married couple up the aisle. The Bridesmaids and Pages will also have places in the Carriage Procession from the Abbey to Buckingham Palace.
All the Bridesmaids and Pages were chosen jointly by the couple.
***
Selected Guest List for the Wedding Service at Westminster Abbey
The following are all confirmed attendees at the Royal Wedding as of 23rd April 2011
Members of the British Royal Family
The Queen
The Duke of Edinburgh
The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall
Prince Henry of Wales
The Duke of York
Princess Beatrice of York
Princess Eugenie of York
The Earl and Countess of Wessex
The Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence
Mr. and Mrs. Peter Phillips
Miss Zara Phillips with Mr. Mike Tindall
Viscount Linley and Viscountess Linley
And The Hon. Charles Armstrong-Jones
The Lady Sarah Chatto and Mr. Daniel Chatto
And Master Samuel Chatto
And Master Arthur Chatto
The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester
The Earl and Countess of Ulster
The Lady Davina and Mr. Gary Lewis
Lady Rose and Mr. George Gilman
The Duke and Duchess of Kent
Earl and Countess of St. Andrews
Lord Downpatrick
The Lady Marina-Charlotte Windsor
The Lady Amelia Windsor
The Lord and Lady Nicholas Windsor
The Lady Helen Taylor and Mr. Timothy Taylor
Prince and Princess Michael of Kent
The Lord and Lady Frederick Windsor
The Lady Gabriella Windsor
Princess Alexandra, the Hon. Lady Ogilvy
Mr. and Mrs. James Ogilvy
Miss Marina Ogilvy
The Lady Saltoun
Members of Foreign Royal Families
The Prince and Princess of the Asturias
The Crown Prince of Bahrain
Prince Philippe and Princess Mathilde of Belgium
The Sultan of Brunei and Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Hajah Saleha
King Simeon II and Queen Margarita of the Bulgrarian
The Queen of Denmark
King Constantine and Queen Anne-Marie of the Hellenes
Crown Prince Pavlos and Crown Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece and Prince Constantine of Greece
Sheikh Ahmad Hmoud Al-Sabah of Kuwait
Prince Seeiso Bereng Seeiso and Princess Mabereng Seeiso of Lesotho
The Grand Duke and Duchess of Luxembourg
The Yang di-Pertuan Agong and Raja Permaisuri Agong of Malaysia
Prince Albert II of Monaco and Miss Charlene Wittstock
Princess Lalla Salma of Morocco
The Crown Prince and Princess of The Netherlands
The King and Queen of Norway
Sayyid Haitham bin Tariq Al Said of Oman
The Emir of The State of Qatar and Sheika Mozah bint Nasser Al Missned
King Michael I of Romania and Crown Princess Margarita
Prince Mohamed bin Nawaf bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia and Princess Fadwa bint Khalid bin Abdullah bin Abdulrahman
The Queen of Spain
The King of Swaziland
The Crown Princess of Sweden and The Duke of Västergötland
Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand
The King of Tonga
The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi
Crown Prince Alexander and Crown Princess Katherine of Yugoslavia
The Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia
Dignitaries
The Governor-General of Antigua and Barbuda
The Governor-General of Australia and His Excellency Mr. Michael Bryce
The Governor-General of The Bahamas and Lady Foulkes
The Governor-General of Barbados
The Governor-General of Belize and Lady Young
The Governor-General of Canada and Mrs. David Jonhnston
The Governor-General of Jamaica
The Governor-General of New Zealand and Lady Satyanand
The Governor-General of Papua New Guinea and Mrs Michael Ogio
The Governor-General of the Solomon Islands and Lady Kabui
The Governor-General of St Christopher and Nevis
The Governor-General of St Lucia
The Governor-General of St Vincent and the Grenadines and Lady Ballantyne
The Prime Minister of Australia and Mr. Tim Matheison
The Prime Minister of The Bahamas and Ms Delores Miller
The Prime Minister of Barbados
The Prime Minster of New Zealand and Mrs. John Key
The Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea and Lade Somare
The Prime Minister of Saint Lucia and Mrs. Rosalia Nestor King
The Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and The Grenadines and Mrs. Ralph Gonsalves
The Premier of Bermuda and Mr. Germain Nkeuleu
The Premier of The British Virgin Islands and Mrs. Ralph O’Neal
The Premier of the Cayman Islands and Mrs. Kerry Bush
The Hon. Sharon and Mr. Rodney Halford (Falkland Islands)
The Chief Minister of Gibraltar and Mrs. Peter Caruana
The Chief Minister of Montserrat and the Reverend Doctor Joan Delsol Meade
The Hon. John and Mrs. Vilma Cranfield (St. Helena)
Members of Government, Parliament and Devolved Administrations
The Prime Minister and Mrs. David Cameron
The Deputy Prime Minister and Ms. Miriam Gonzalez Duantez
First Secretary of State, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and Mrs. William Hague
The Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Hon. Mrs. Osborne
The Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor and Mrs. Kenneth Clarke
The Secretary of State for the Home Department and Minister for Women and Equalities, and Mr. Philip May
The Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport and Mrs. Jeremy Hunt
The Rt. Hon Ed Miliband, M.P and Ms. Justine Thornton
The Speaker of the House of Commons and Mrs. John Bercow
The Presiding Officer of the National Assembly for Wales and the Lady Elis-Thomas
The Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament and Mrs. Alex Fergusson
The Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly and Mrs. William Hay
The Lord Speaker and Mr. Martin Hayman
First Minister of Wales and Mrs. Carwyn Jones
First Minister of Northern Ireland and Mrs. Peter Robinson
First Minister of Scotland and Mrs. Alex Salmond
The Mayor of London and Mrs. Boris Johnson
The Rt. Hon. The Lord Mayor and The Lady Mayoress
Sir Gus and Lady O’Donnell
The Rt. Hon. The Lord Mayor of Westminster and Count Paolo Filo della Torre
Mr. and Mrs. Simon Fraser
Representatives from the Church and other Faiths
The Most Reverend Gregorious, Archbishop of the Greek Archdiocese of Thysteira and Great Britain
The Archbishop of Canterbury and Mrs. Rowan Williams
Rabbi Anthony Bayfield
Mr. Anil Bhanot
The Archbishop of Armagh, Cardinal Archbishop Sean Brady
Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, The Most Reverend David Chillingworth
The Right Reverend John Christie, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
Mr. Malcolm Deboo President, Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe
The Rt. Reverend Doctor Norman Hamilton
The Archbishop of Armagh, The Most Reverend Alan Edwin Harper
Monsignor Philip Kerr, The Convener, Action of Churches Together in Scotland
Commissioner Elizabeth Matear, Salvation Army
The Archbishop of Wales, The Most Reverend Doctor Barry Morgan
The Reverend Gareth Morgan Jones, President of the Free Church Council of Wales
Cardinal Cormac Murphy-Connor
The Archbishop of Westminster, The Most Reverend Vincent Nichols
Cardinal Keith Patrick O’Brien, Archbishop of St. Andrews and Edinburgh
Rabbi Alan Plancey
Imam Mohammad Raza
The Chief Rabbi (Lord Sacks)
The Venerable Bogoda Seelawimala, Acting Head Monk, The London Buddhist Vihara
Maulana Syed Raza Shabbarm, Muhammadi Trust
Mr. Natubhai Shah, President, the Jain Academy
Dr Indarjit Singh, Director, Network Sikh Organisations (UK)
Canon Chirstopher Tuckwell
The Reverend Martin Turner
The Archbishop of York and Mrs. John Sentamu
Senior Members of the Defence Services
Major General and Mrs. William Cubitt, Major General Commanding Household Division and GOC London District
Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen and Lady Dalton, Chief of the Air Staff
General Sir Nicholas and Lady Houghton
Air Vice-Marshal the Hon. David and Mrs. Murray, Defence Services Secretary
General Sir David and Lady Richards, Chief of the Defence Staff
Admiral Sir Mark and Lady Stanhope, First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff
General Sir Peter and Lady Wall, Chief of the General Staff.
All these names have been invited with their spouses or partners if married or in a civil partnership:
Mr. David Allan
David Allan is the Chairman of Mountain Rescue, England and Wales. Prince William has been Patron of the organisation since 2007.
Major Tom Archer-Burton
Major Archer Burton was Prince William and Prince Harry’s Commanding Officer in the Household Cavalry. He also led the Burnaby Blue expedition to southern Africa – an African community project supported by Sentebale, in which Prince Harry was involved.
Mr. Charlie Mayhew
Charlie Mayhew is Chief Executive of the Conservation Charity, Tusk Trust. Prince William and Prince Harry visited Tusk-funded projects in Botswana last year. The visit to Africa was the first oversees Royal tour that Princes William and Harry undertook together.
Mrs. Alison Moore-Gwyn
Alison Moore Gwyn is Chief Executive of Fields in Trust. In 2010, Prince William became Patron of The Queen Elizabeth II Fields, an initiative to protect and create hundreds of playing fields throughout the UK in honour of The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. The project is run by Fields in Trust.
Mr. Seyi (pronounced Shay) Obakin
Seyi Obakin is Chief Executive of Centrepoint. Centrepoint became Prince William’s first Patronage in 2005. His mother, Diana, Princess of Wales was also Patron of the Charity. Seyi slept rough with Prince William in London to highlight the issue of homelessness.
Mr. Peter Cross
Peter Cross is Chief Executive of the charity SkillForce, of which Prince William has been Patron since 2009. Earlier this month, Prince William officially launched the SkillForce Prince’s Award, in recognition of the contribution that young people make to their communities.
Miss Amanda Berry
Amanda Berry is Chief Executive of BAFTA. Prince William has been President of BAFTA since 2010.
Mrs. Ann Chalmers
Ann Chalmers is Chief Executive of the Child Bereavement Charity. Prince William has been Patron of the Charity since 2009. The Child Bereavement Charity educates professionals and supports families both when a child dies and when a child is bereaved.
Mrs. Julia Samuel
Julia Samuel is Chair of the Child Bereavement Charity and also a family friend of Prince William. Prince William has been Patron of the Charity since 2009. The Child Bereavement Charity educates professionals and supports families both when a child dies and when a child is bereaved.
Mrs. Tessa Green
Tessa Green is former Chairman of The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust. Prince William became President of The Royal Marsden in May 2007 having undertaken two days of work experience there in 2005. The Prince helped out in a variety of departments, including medical research, catering and fundraising.
Mr. Simon Johnson
Simon Johnson worked closely with Prince William as Chief Operating Officer of the FA’s 2018 World Cup bid.
Sir Trevor Brooking
Sir Trevor is the Football Association’s Director of Football Development and is responsible for youth-coaching standards in England. Prince William has been President of the FA since 2006 and has met Sir Trevor on several occasions at FA events.
Sir Clive Woodward
Sir Clive Woodward is a former Coach of the England Rugby Team and the British and Irish Lions. Prince William was invited by Sir Clive to join the British and Irish Lions rugby team on their tour to New Zealand in 2005.
Mr. Gareth Thomas
Prince William met Welsh Rugby player Gareth Thomas several times in his role as Vice Patron of the Welsh Rugby Union.
Mr. Ian Thorpe
Australian Prince William met the Olympic swimmer, Ian Thorpe, on a visit to Australia in 2010. The Prince has since supported Mr. Thorpe’s charitable organisation Ian Thorpe’s Fountain for Youth, which focuses on improving health and education for children.
Mr. Barty Pleydell-Bouverie
Barty Pleydell-Bouverie led the Cycle of Life charity bike ride across Africa in 2008, which raised money for the Tusk Trust.
Rear Admiral Ian Corder
Rear Admiral Ian Corder is Rear Admiral of Submarines. Prince William was appointed Commodore-in-Chief of Submarines by The Queen in 2006.
Brigadier Ed Smyth-Osbourne
Brigadier Smyth-Osbourne was Prince William and Prince Harry’s Commanding Officer in the Household Regiment and acted as their military mentor. He was also Prince Harry’s Commanding Officer when The Prince undertook active service in Afghanistan.
Major William Bartle-Jones
Major Bartle-Jones was Prince William’s Squadron Leader in the Household Cavalry Regiment based at Windsor.
Wing Commander Steven Bentley
Wg Cdr Steve Bentley is Prince William’s Search and Rescue Force Squadron Leader at RAF Valley, Anglesey.
Sergeant Keith Best
Sgt Keith Best is a colleague of Prince William’s at RAF Valley, in Anglesey, North Wales. The Winchman was awarded the Queen’s Commendation for Bravery in the Air after playing a major role in the rescue efforts in the Cumbrian floods in 2009.
Squadron Leader Paul Bolton
Sqn Ldr Paul Bolton is a colleague of Prince William’s at RAF Valley in Anglesey, North Wales.
Wing Commander Kevin Marsh
Wing Commander Kevin Marsh met Prince William through his service in the RAF. He will be one of the Path Liners outside Westminster Abbey on the wedding day.
Lance-Corporal Martyn Compton
Martyn is a Lance-Corporal in the Household Cavalry. He was injured in an ambush in Afghanistan in 2006, which put him in a coma for three months and left him with 75 per cent burns.
Miss Holly Dyer
Holly is sister to 2nd Lieutenant Joanna Dyer, who was killed by a bomb in Iraq in 2007. Joanna was a close friend of Prince William’s at Sandhurst. In a statement released by Clarence House at the time, Prince William said he was “deeply saddened to hear the tragic news and he is very much thinking of her family and friends right now and they will remain in his thoughts and prayers.”
Mrs. Susie Roberts
Susie Roberts is the widow of Major Alexis Roberts, who was killed in Afghanistan in 2007. Major Alexis Roberts was Prince William’s Platoon Commander at Sandhurst. In a statement released at the time, Prince William said he was deeply saddened to learn of Major Robert’s Death. The Prince remembers him with ‘great fondness and respect’.
Mr. and Mrs. Bryn Parry
Former soldier Bryn Parry and his wife Emma founded the charity Help for Heroes to assist wounded service men and women. Both Princes William and Harry are supporters of the charity and Prince William previously opened a new swimming pool at Headley Court in 2010, which had been funded by Help for Heroes.
Mr. Edward Gould
Mr. Edward Gould was Master of Marlborough College whilst Miss Middleton was a student.
Dr. Andrew Gailey
Dr Andrew Gailey is the Vice-Provost of Eaton College and was Prince William’s Housemaster.
The Hon. Edward Dawson-Damer
Australian Ed Dawson-Damer is an ex-Irish Guards officer, who was Equerry to Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother in the 1980’s. He hosted Prince William for a section of his visit to Australia in January 2010.
Mr. Sam Stevenson
New Zealander Sam Stevenson was Prince William’s New Zealand equerry during his visit to the country in July 2005. At the time, Sam was a Captain within the New Zealand Defence Forces. During the visit, Prince William undertook official engagements representing The Queen in Wellington and Auckland at events to commemorate the end of the Second World War.
Sir John Major
Following the death of Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997, Sir John Major was appointed a Guardian to Prince William and Prince Harry with responsibility for legal and administrative matters.
Mr. Rowan Atkinson
Actor Rowan Atkinson is a close friend of The Prince of Wales.
Mr. Tom Bradby
The journalist and news reporter Tom Bradby has known both Prince William and Miss Middleton for some time. He conducted their first joint interview together on the day their engagement was announced.
Mr. Ben Fogle
Ben Fogle is best known as a travel writer, television presenter and adventurer and has met Prince William on a number of occasions.
Sir Elton John
Sir Elton John is a singer-songwriter, composer and pianist. He performed at the funeral of the late Diana, Princess of Wales.
Mr. and Mrs. David Beckham
Prince William, as President of the Football Association, has met footballer David Beckham on a number of occasions. They recently worked together as Ambassadors of England’s 2018 World Cup Bid.
Mr. Guy Ritchie
Guy Ritchie is a friend of Prince William and Miss Middleton. He is a well-established filmmaker, who directed Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch and Revolver.
Miss Joss Stone
Joss Stone is best known as an English Soul singer and songwriter. She performed at the Concert for Diana at Wembley in 2007 and at City Salute in 2008.
Mr. Mario Testino
Photographer Mario Testino took Prince William and Miss Middleton’s official portrait photographs to mark their engagement.
Miss Tara Palmer-Tomkinson
Tara Palmer Tomkinson is a friend of The Prince of Wales and his family.
Mr. Sam Waley-Cohen
Amateur jockey Sam Waley Cohen is a friend of Prince William and Miss Middleton.
Mr. Galen Weston
Canadians Galen and Hilary Weston are friends of The Prince of Wales and his family.
Source: The Official Royal Wedding Website