The Reuters Royal Watchers have provided answers to questions from Yahoo! readers about the upcoming royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.
What details of the wedding are under Kate's control and what does she leave up to the palace? What personal touches has she already put on her big day?
Royal aides have stressed that the couple have been heavily involved in the planning for their big day, in the same way as any couple would be. So, although venues for the ceremony were obviously limited, Kate was pictured visiting Westminster Abbey to check that it was the venue she wanted. But as the numbers show, this is no ordinary wedding. A total of 1,900 guests are expected to attend the ceremony, of which 1,000 are friends and family of the couple. There will be plenty of European royalty there, and, if the British media are to be believed, they will be joined by David and Victoria Beckham among other celebrities. On top of that, hundreds of millions of people are due to watch the ceremony on television and the Internet, drawn by the glamor and pomp of a major royal occasion. Due to the unusually large demands on the couple, they have a small team of about eight people from William's household helping them with the arrangements. They are also getting assistance from the Lord Chamberlain's Office, which is responsible for assisting the queen with ceremonial activity.
Many of the details of the wedding have not been made public yet, and some will not be until the day itself. But, as the guest list, mode of arrival, etc., show, the couple is determined to put their individual stamp on things. Aides say they will also be heavily involved in the choice of hymns, music and flowers.
Why is Kate arriving by car instead of the traditional carriage?
No official reason has been given for what appears to be a break with tradition — William's mother, the
latePrincess Diana, arrived for her wedding with Prince Charles in a glass carriage.
A number of explanations have been put forward, such as costs, security and modernity. Traveling by car is cheaper and less ostentatious, more in keeping with such austere times. Commentators have also suggested that the couple were keen to set a more modern tone, with Kate arriving as most brides do for their weddings.
Has Kate chosen a wedding color?
Not that we know of yet, and as the previous answer indicated, certain details will not be revealed until the day of the wedding. It's probably fair to assume William will be wearing a military uniform and Kate will be wearing a dress in a shade of white. Some of the most intense speculation surrounding the wedding so far has focused on the identity of the designer of Kate's dress, which at the time of writing remains under wraps.
What do we know about the menu for lunch and dinner?
As with some of the answers above, such details have not been made public yet, but probably will be nearer the big day.
Where will they live after they get married?
The couple has been staying at a cottage in
Anglesey in Wales near the Royal Air Force base where William is posted as a search and rescue helicopter pilot. It is expected that this is where they will remain after the wedding. They are also likely to have an official residence in London, either based at William's father's residence, St. James's Palace, or at Queen Elizabeth's
Buckingham Palace. Media reports suggest that the queen has agreed the couple can stay out of the spotlight for the first two years of married life, although they would still perform some royal duties.
Do William and Kate have a pre-nup? What is royal tradition here?
The couple will almost certainly not have a pre-nup, as such agreements are currently not legally binding in British law (although the government is looking to change this). Despite the royal family's recent marriage failures — William's father, uncle and aunt have all been divorced — any issues have been sorted out behind the scenes without recourse to the courts.
Can you object at a royal wedding?
Yes. It is a legal requirement at a marriage service that the presiding official asks whether any of the congregation know if there is any legal reason why the couple cannot marry. So while it's possible to object, doing so is unlikely to endear you to the couple or lead to any future royal invitations.
There are rumors the queen will skip over Prince Charles and make Prince William king after his wedding. Where are these coming from and is there any possibility of this happening?
A number of opinion polls have suggested that such a move might be popular with the British public, as William scores more highly than his father in people's esteem. The succession to the British throne is governed by constitutional precedence and there is nothing that allows this to become a version of the "X Factor" with the public choosing which royal they want to become monarch. Thus, there is no constitutional arrangement giving the queen the power to skip over Prince Charles. In fact, a 300-year-old law gives primacy to male heirs, meaning any daughter of William and Kate would, as it stands, lose out to a younger brother. Of course, Charles himself could agree to relinquish the throne in favor of his son, just as Edward VIII abdicated in 1936 to be replaced by his brother George VI, Queen Elizabeth's father.
What will Kate's title be? If we don't know, what are the possibilities?
Middleton's title will largely depend on that of her husband. If William has no new title, then the experts at etiquette specialists Debrett's say his wife would probably be known as Her
Royal Highness Princess Catherine of Wales, although even that is not certain. But most experts expect the queen to bestow a new title on her grandson as she did with William's uncles Andrew, Duke of York and Edward, Earl of Wessex. There are a number of vacant dukedoms which have traditionally been taken by members of the royal family such as Clarence, Windsor and Sussex, although not all will be acceptable because of the unsavory actions of some former incumbents. Strathearn is seen as a possibility, as it is Scottish, in keeping with St. Andrews, the Scottish university where the couple met. However, one likely option is thought to be the dukedom of Cambridge, in which case Middleton would be titled Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge.
What are William and Kate's wedding bands likely to look like? What traditions might influence the couple's choices?
Although this question is impossible to answer with any certainty at this stage, the bands could be made of Welsh gold, in keeping with recent royal tradition. The queen was presented with an ingot of pure Welsh gold for her 60th birthday, from which the young couple's rings could be made.
What did William and Kate do for their first date?
William and Kate have not spoken publicly about their first date, but have discussed more generally how they met. They first got to know each other at St. Andrews 10 years ago and shared a house together during their time as undergraduates.
In their official engagement interview, William said: "We were friends for over a year first and it just sort of blossomed from then on. We just spent more time with each other, had a good giggle, had lots of fun and realized we shared the same interests and just had a really good time."
Middleton added: "Well I actually think I went bright red when I met you and sort of scuttled off, feeling very shy about meeting you."
The British media regularly report that William's interest in Middleton dated from the time she modeled at a student fashion show wearing little more than her underwear.
Does Kate go through any type of "training" to perform her official royal duties? If so, who conducts it?
Middleton will certainly have been given a lot of advice and guidance on how to perform official duties and help regarding etiquette. Much of this advice would come from William himself, who would of course be versed in how to perform on such occasions. Among those helping with the wedding plans, and no doubt providing other guidance, is William's private secretary Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, whose son will be one of the page boys at the ceremony.
When is a good time to start tuning into TV coverage of the wedding?
The wedding service is due to start at 11:00 GMT, which is 6:00 a.m. on the East Coast, and guests will probably start to arrive a couple of hours beforehand, certainly before the royal family set off for the Abbey. Dedicated royal fans not on the streets of London can probably enjoy the build-up from the early hours of April 29.
