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Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton

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Wedding of Prince William of Wales and Catherine Elizabeth Middleton
DateSpring or summer 2011[1]
LocationLondon, United Kingdom
Venue to be announced

On 16 November 2010 it was announced that Prince William of Wales, second in line to the throne in 16 Commonwealth realms[2][3] would marry Kate Middleton in 2011. Both William and Kate are 28 years old, and they first met in 2001 while studying at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. They are to marry in London in the spring or summer of 2011. After the marriage, the couple intend to live on the Isle of Anglesey in Wales, where William is based as an RAF Search and Rescue pilot.

Announcement

William and his long-time girlfriend, Kate Middleton, became engaged in October 2010 while on a private holiday in Kenya. William gave Middleton the engagement ring that his father had given to his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales[1]—an 18 carat white gold ring with large oval sapphire and 14 round diamonds.[4]

On 16 November 2010, the office of the Prince of Wales, announced that William would marry Middleton "in the spring or summer of 2011, in London."[1][5][6] The Prince of Wales, on a visit to Poundbury, Dorchester, said he was "obviously thrilled," adding, "They have been practising long enough."[7] The confirmation of the announcement explained that Queen Elizabeth II was happy for the couple.

Following the announcement the couple gave their first interview to ITV News' Political Editor Tom Bradby.[8]

The bridal couple

The couple are fifteenth cousins, having the Tudor landowner Sir Thomas Fairfax as a common ancestor - Middleton through the Lupton family and Prince William through the Spencer family.[9] They met while undergraduates at the University of St Andrews.

Kate Middleton

Main article: Kate Middleton

The bride-to-be, Catherine Elizabeth "Kate" Middleton was born at Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading, Berkshire, on 9 January 1982, the first of three children of Carole Elizabeth (1955-, née Goldsmith) and Michael Francis Middleton (1949-). She was educated at St. Andrew's School in Pangbourne, Marlborough College[10] and the University of St Andrews, where she read history of art.[11] After graduating, she worked in the business that her parents had built up - Party Pieces, a mail order firm that sells party supplies and decorations.[12]

She is of primarily English descent, but with a few distant Scottish and French Huguenot ancestors.[9] Her paternal family came from Leeds, West Yorkshire, and her great-grandmother Olivia was a member of the Lupton family, who were active for generations in Leeds in commercial and municipal work.[13] Her mother's maternal family, the Harrisons, were working class labourers and miners from County Durham.[14]

Prince William of Wales

Main article: Prince William of Wales

The groom-to-be, Prince William Arthur Philip Louis of Wales, KG, FRS (born 21 June 1982), is the elder son of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Diana, Princess of Wales, and grandson of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. He is second in the line of succession, behind his father, to the thrones[failed verification] of 16 independent states, although he is resident in, and most directly involved with, the United Kingdom, the oldest of these realms.[15] He was educated at Ludgrove School, Eton College and the University of St Andrews.

After graduating he was commissioned from Sandhurst in the Blues and Royals regiment of the Household Cavalry.[16] He later transferred to the Royal Air Force, earned his wings as a helicopter pilot at the Royal Air Force College Cranwell[17] and went on to become a full time pilot with the Search and Rescue Force.[18][19]

Planning

The venue has not yet been announced. Middleton, however, made a private visit to Westminster Abbey the evening after the engagement was announced.[20] On the issue of whether the wedding would be marked in the United Kingdom by an extra bank holiday, a Downing Street spokesperson stated on the day after the announcement that "Those sorts of discussions are yet to be had", although the Prime Minister, David Cameron, said, "If it's in the middle of the week it'd be a very good idea to have a bank holiday, and even if it's at the weekend."[20] An extra bank holiday was held for the wedding of Charles and Diana on 29 July 1981, and will also be held for the 2012 Queen's Diamond Jubilee.[21] Royal aides have said[citation needed] that the wedding will not be a state occasion, as William is neither the sovereign nor first in line to the throne.

Title after the wedding

After the wedding, Middleton could officially be known as Her Royal Highness Princess William of Wales as females who are married into a family take their husband's name (for example: Mrs John Smith).

The last marriage between the eldest [surviving] son of the heir to the throne was that marriage of the future George V to Princess Victoria Mary of Teck on 6 July 1893.[22] George was given the title Duke of York on the death in 1891 of his elder brother, Prince Albert Victor.[23] This title was granted as soon as George became a direct heir to the throne, not on his marriage. If the same precedent were to have been followed in the case of William, he would have been given a ducal title at birth.

When Prince Andrew married 23 July 1986, he was given the title Duke of York[22] but when Prince Edward married, he was given the title Earl of Wessex,[22] but on the death of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, he will inherit the title Duke of Edinburgh.[22]

Royal commentators have speculated that Prince William could be given the title Duke of Clarence, Cambridge, or Sussex on his marriage.[24]

If William is granted a ducal title when he married, the couple will be known as "Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of n."

References

  1. ^ a b c "Royal wedding: Prince William to marry Kate Middleton". BBC Online. Retrieved 16 November 2010.
  2. ^ "The Queen and the Commonwealth". The Offical website of The British Monarchy. The Royal Household. Retrieved 2010-11-21.
  3. ^ "Succession and Precedence". The Offical website of The British Monarchy. The Royal Household. Retrieved 2010-11-21.
  4. ^ "Jewelry Worn by Diana, Princess of Wales". 2008. Retrieved 16 November 2010.
  5. ^ "His Royal Highness Prince William of Wales and Miss Catherine Middleton are engaged to be married". Press Releases. The Prince of Wales. 16 November 2010. Retrieved 2010-11-18.
  6. ^ "The New York Times - Prince William Is Engaged to Be Married". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 November 2010.
  7. ^ They have been practising long enough: Charles and Camilla welcome 'wicked' news of engagement, Daily Mail, 16 November 2010.
  8. ^ Bradby, Tom (16 November 2010). "William & Kate interview". ITV News. Retrieved 16 November 2010.
  9. ^ a b "Ancestry of Kate Middleton". wargs.com. Retrieved 9 August 2008.
  10. ^ "World press gather outside Middleton family home in Bucklebury as royal relationship ends". Newbury Today. 14 April 2007.
  11. ^ "Katie is just not waiting: Middleton works nine to five for parents in mundane office job". Evening Standard. 2 September 2008. Retrieved 16 November 2010.
  12. ^ "about us". partypieces.co.uk. 2008. Retrieved 9 August 2008.
  13. ^ "The Leeds connection..." Yorkshire Evening Post.
  14. ^ Wilson, Christopher (22 December 2006). "Kate, the coal miner's". Daily Mail. London.
  15. ^ "alt.talk.royalty FAQ: British royalty and nobility:". Heraldica.org. Retrieved 12 October 2008.
  16. ^ "BBC NEWS | UK | William joining Harry's regiment". BBC News. Last Updated:. Retrieved 15 October 2008. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
  17. ^ "Kate watches William get his wings - World - smh.com.au". Sydney Morning Herald. 12 April 2008. Retrieved 15 October 2008.
  18. ^ "Prince William ready for Search and Rescue role". www.meeja.com.au. 16 September 2008. Retrieved 16 September 2008.
  19. ^ Pierce, Andrew (13 January 2009). "Prince William starts as a search and rescue helicopter pilot". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 18 January 2009.
  20. ^ a b Speculation grows over royal wedding venue and date, bbc.co.uk, 18 November 2010.
  21. ^ "Royal wedding: Extra bank holiday?". 17 November 2010. Archived from the original on 17 November 2011. Retrieved 17 November 2010.
  22. ^ a b c d "The Royal Family". Whitaker's Concise Almanack. 2003. pp. 115–133. ISBN 0-7136-6498-3. Cite error: The named reference "Whitaker" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  23. ^ Demoskoff, Yvonne (29 January 2006), Yvonne's Royalty: Peerage, retrieved 2010-11-21
  24. ^ "Kate Middleton will inherit a host of titles". 16 November 2010. Retrieved 19 November 2010.


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