The Royal Wedding - Just Who Are These People?



Prince William and Catherine Middleton



I'll admit it - I'm a royalty buff as well as a lover of weddings.  So the Royal Wedding on April 29th is a big "red-letter" day on my calendar!  If you haven't read a bunch of books on royalty, then you may be confused.  Just who is William?  How does he fit in with all those British royals?  Why is this such a big deal?

Well, it's a big deal because William is second in direct line for the British Throne.  He's a direct descendant of Queen Victoria, and the British throne is one of the strongest in the world.
Here's a bit of his family tree: 



Prince Charles & Princess Diana
June 21, 1981



Prince William's parents are Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales, and the late Princess Diana.  Charles is the next in line to the throne.  In royal circles, Diana was considered a commoner, even though she was British nobility (remember her being known as "Lady Diana" before her marriage?).  She was only 19 years old when she and Charles were married in June of 1981 at St. Paul's Cathedral in London.  The marriage ended in divorce in 1996, and Diana was killed in a car accident in 1997.  Prince William has one younger brother, Prince Harry.  Prince Charles remarried in 2005 to his long time mistress, Camilla Parker-Bowles, who became the Duchess of Cornwall upon her marriage.

  

On his engagement to Kate Middleton, Prince William presented her with the diamond and sapphire engagement ring that his father presented to his mother.  While the ring officially was inherited by Prince William's brother, Prince Harry, it's been reported that Harry offered the ring to William as a way of including their mother in the wedding.



Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, 1947

 Charles' parents (William's grandparents) are Her Majesty, Elizabeth the Second, Queen of England, and Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh.  They were married in post-World War II London in November, 1947.  At the time, Britian was recovering from the war, and many girls sent the then-Princess clothing ration coupons so that she could purchase the fabric for her wedding gown.  This marriage produced four children: Charles, Anne, Andrew and Edward.  



Princess Anne & Mark Phillips, 1973

 Anne, the Princess Royal, married Captian Mark Phillips in 1973.  They had two children, Peter and Zara.  Anne and Mark divorced in 1992, and later that year, she married Timothy Laurence.  



Prince Andrew & Sarah Ferguson, 1986







Prince Andrew, the Duke of York,  married Sarah "Fergie" Ferguson in 1986.  They had two daughters, Beatrice and Eugenie, before their divorce in 1996.





Prince Edward & Sophie Rhys-Jones, 1999



Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex, is married to the former Sophie Rhys-Jones.  They wed in 1999, and have two children, Louise and James.



Westminster Abbey


Prince William's wedding will take place on Friday, April 29 at 11:00am in Westminster Abbey, the same church that his grandparents were wed in 1947.  Five thousand invitations were mailed by the Queen, and all of the British Subjects will have the day off to celebrate.  In the United States, the wedding will air on television at 6:00am, and while I'm not sure of which channels will be carrying it, that information shouldn't be too hard to find as the date gets closer. 

Some details are coming to light, and ones that I've heard include that while the bride has declined to ride to her wedding in the traditional gold and glass coach, the newlyweds will be departing Westminster Abbey in a horse-drawn carriage.  The couple has also asked for charitable donations to be made in their name rather than wedding gifts.  These are both unprecidented in royal weddings, but then again, this is a most modern couple, who appear to respect and love one another.

Royal Weddings are a big deal in the United Kingdom.  They are percieved as a way to unite the people as well as show the world the splendor of their Realm.  The wedding of Prince William to Catherine Middleton should be a grand reflection of Great Britian, a merging of old-world royal protocol, pomp & circumstance, and will also have a bit of modernity tossed in.  I can't wait!