It's a date Royal wedding set for April 29 at the Abbey
LONDON — Pomp and circumstance — what “Britain does best” — will rule the day when Prince William and Kate Middleton get married April 29 at Westminster Abbey.
The young couple on Tuesday rejected the notion that austere times will force them to pare down the royal festivities. The church itself is free, at least.
William and Kate ended days of suspense by choosing the abbey, a grand venue where members of the House of Windsor have been crowned, married, mourned and buried. The abbey was also the site of the funeral for William’s beloved mother, Princess Diana.
Palace officials said the two were on “cloud nine” with their wedding choice and want the nation to share their joy.
“We know that the world will be watching on the 29th of April, and the couple are very, very keen indeed that the spectacle should be a classic example of what Britain does best,” said William’s private secretary, Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton.
William and Kate chose the centuries-old abbey in central London because despite its size — it holds 2,200 people — it has a sense of intimacy, particularly at the altar, which stands at the head of a smaller, partly enclosed space called the sanctuary.
The date — after Lent and Easter but before the 90th birthday of William’s grandfather, Prince Philip — allows the pair to have a spring wedding. It’s also the feast day of St. Catherine of Siena, whose name Middleton shares.
Best of all for the people of the realm, the day, a Friday, will be a public holiday.
St. James’ Palace, the offices of Princes William and Harry, stressed the Middletons and the royal family would pick up the bill for the wedding — the flowers, the reception, the honeymoon — everything apart from security and transport costs. The couple say they are mindful of the country’s tough times.
But while all parties involved in the wedding want to ensure that a balance is struck between an enjoyable day and current budget woes, analysts like Patrick Jephson, longtime private secretary to the late Princess Diana, say the austerity argument “doesn’t cut it.”
“This is a future king and a future queen, this is the most famous young royal in the world, and it will indubitably be compared to his mother’s wedding, so for all these reasons, the palace won’t want to be seen as downgrading it,” Jephson said.
The abbey has centuries of royal history. Queen Elizabeth II was married there, as was her mother.
Several other members of William’s family have wed there, including the queen’s sister, Princess Margaret, in 1960, William’s aunt Princess Anne in 1973 and his uncle Prince Andrew in 1986. All three marriages ended in divorce.
No matter what, it beats getting married at St. Paul’s, a gorgeous London landmark tarnished by echoes of Prince Charles’ and Diana’s fairytale wedding in 1981 and their subsequent unhappy marriage.
