Word on the Street: Prince William and Kate Middleton’s Wedding

[April 27, 2021]

A Coat of Arms for Kate Middleton. Catherine Middleton has received her own coat of arms – commissioned by her father Michael, the new Middleton family arms can be used by the immediate Middleton family.  It has been reported that Kate’s and Prince William’s coat of arms will be featured on the official wedding program.

Kate’s coat of arm is made for her, the lozenge-shape body represents a female (males would have a shield). Another indicator the arms are specific to the females in the family is the tied blue ribbon at the top of the arms, signifying that the bearer is an unmarried woman.

Elements that are common to both female and male arms, seen on Kate’s coat of arms, is the three acorns which represents the three Middleton children and the oak tree, common to the families home in Berkshire, England. The inverted “V” in the centre of the arms represents Kate’s mother Carole, in gold to reflect her maiden name ‘Goldsmith’. The two white stripes border the ‘V’, and reflect the family’s fondness of mountains and skiing.

The coat of arms was designed by the Garter Principal King of Arms, Thomas Woodcock, who works at the College of Arms in London.

Will Kate stick to her new roots and wear a wedding dress by a Welsh designer? It’s not a fact, just surmising, that Stephanie Allin, a low profile designer and relatively unknown, could be Kate Middleton’s wedding dress designer.

Stephanie Allin is a high-end Welsh couture wedding dressmaker, with a boutique in the Mumbles, Swansea and London’s Marylebone area.  

Stephanie Allin’s team of ateliers are based at the Welsh Swansea boutique, dresses are hand-sewn and can be made in four months.  The gorgeous bridal dresses are ‘high-end’ couture, the perfect dress for a Royal Welsh Princess to be.

[Update: 4.29.11] Kate Middleton's Wedding Dress

Expect typical English weather for the Royal Wedding.  Meteorologist’s are predicting risk of heavy rain fall on the big day of Will and Kate’s wedding.

Current predictions indicate thunder and brisk north-easterly winds could be added to the mix across southern Britain.

Plans are in place to ensure Friday's event goes without a hitch, whatever the weather is. The couple will leave Westminster Abbey in the Royal Glass Coach, instead of the open-top 1902 State Landau, if the heavens open up.
 

 

[April 18, 2021]

A reliable source has said Prince William will not wear a wedding band upon his marriage to Kate Middleton. Apparently ‘ringless royal patriarchs’ are not uncommon, William’s grandfather, Prince Phillip, does not wear a wedding ring. Prince Charles never wore a band when he was married to Princess Diana but is wearing one married to Camilla, hmm!

Photographer Ian Jones has been chosen as one of the official royal wedding photographers. Jones will take up the prime position at Westminster Abbey to photograph the newly married royal couple as they emerge after their wedding ceremony April 29th.

Jones from Bolton England has been photographing the royals since 1993. He toured the world with the late Diana, Princess of Wales, during her campaign and was appointed by the Royal family to take photographs of Prince William’s 18th birthday at Eton.

In 1998 he was named Royal Photographer of the Decade and just recently photographed Prince William and Kate Middleton when they announced their engagement.

Kate has ordered three dresses for the big day. In an attempt to keep that must-see dress completely secret, Ms Middleton has reportedly commissioned three different designers to create gowns, to ensure her dress of choice is not leaked before the big day. According to a press rumour, two of the dresses are back-up “B and C” and will not be worn unless the press finds out about the favourite gown.

[Update: 4.29.11] Kate Middleton's Wedding Dress

Of course, this is all speculation. The rumoured designers are Sarah Burton for House of McQueen, Bruce Oldfield and the newest designer added to the list Jasper Conran.

Interestingly, Conran’s most recent bridal collection was mysteriously removed from his website and rumours have surfaced that McQueen fashion house has been coming to work earlier these days. According to a reliable source, this only happens during fashion week, which is over.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Earlier this month Kate’s sister Pippa and mother Carole were seen chatting with designer Alice Temperley outside her London boutique prompting yet another rumour that she could be the designer.

[Update: 4.29.11] Matriarch's Ensemble

Whether the rumours are true or not, one thing is for sure, the excitement over what Kate will be wearing has millions of fans on the edge of their seat waiting for April 29th to arrive.

Royal wedding guests given etiquette guide. Royal wedding guests have a 22 page list of do’s and don’ts on how to behave at the upcoming wedding of Kate and William.

The guide has common sense tips like not wearing white or cream coloured outfits that would clash with the bride - to taking off a top hat for gentlemen upon entering the church.

Guests are to arrive at least 20 minutes before the ceremony begins and men in the Armed Forces should wear their uniform and male civilians a lounge or morning suit.

Proper protocol suggests that guests acknowledge the Queen as she enters Westminster Abby with a curtsy or bow as she walks through and the same must happen when she leaves.

If you are lucky enough to meet the Queen, she puts her hand out first and guests address her as Your Majesty. In conversation, she is addressed as Ma'am, to rhyme with jam, not palm.

For some guests attending the afternoon reception or evening private dinner will mean having to learn a set of dining rules. The champagne glass should be held by the stem. At dinner, you would use the cutlery working from the outside in for each dish presented. Tea cups are lifted very gently placing your index finger and thumb on the handle of the cup. The saucer is never lifted with the cup and after every sip you return the cup to the saucer.

Catering staff have a strict protocol to follow as well. A royal source said they are not to look at Kate, the Queen or any of the royals while serving. They must keep their heads down and be as discreet as possible.

Kate to alter the engagement ring. It has been claimed that Kate Middleton will have her engagement ring made smaller.

[Update: 4.29.11] MIddleton's Family Jewellery

According to sources, Crown jeweller, G Collins and Sons, have been approached by Ms. Middleton and asked to attach small platinum beads inside the bottom of the ring so it will fit her better.

The sapphire and diamond ring was famously worn by Diana, Princess of Wales. Ms. Middleton has recently lost weight as her big day approaches and sources say she was concerned with the ring being loose and possibly falling off her finger - a bride’s worst nightmare!

After the royal wedding - no ‘Princess’ title for Kate Middleton. If you thought Kate Middleton would become ‘Princess Kate’ after Prince William marries her, think again. Kate is a commoner (not a blue blood) and there are very strict rules about titles in royal circles; you have to be born into aristocracy.

William’s current title is Prince William of Wales KG (Knight of the Garter). After he marries Kate, her name would technically be Her Royal Highness Princess William of Wales.

The Queen has a habit of investing her family with dukedoms when they get married and rumor has it William will become the Duke of Cambridge, making Kate the Duchess of Cambridge.

If William becomes King, which hopefully he will, his title would be King William and Kate would officially be Queen Catherine.

[Update: 4.29.11] Will and Kate have been Duked

The ‘Royal Rumble’ begins and the first up for Kate to battle is… Will’s step-mum Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall.

Prince Charles’ second wife is said to be angry that Kate is opting for flowers in her hair instead of the traditional royal tiara. While Kate doesn’t want to upset Camilla she is determined to have a Royal wedding that reflects her style and her generation gap.

Kate and William want their wedding to be modern and relatable to people on the street says a reliable source. Kate has always preferred high street brands over expensive designer’s clothes and in keeping with economic times they have chosen to shuttle their guests around in mini buses versus the traditional limos. William and Kate have also chosen a second cake for the wedding, a chocolate biscuit cake, being created by McVitie’s, a company that caterers to supermarkets.

You know we can all relate to chocolate cookies…yummy!!!!!

Kate Middleton will spend her last night as a single woman in the royal suite in London England at The Goring Hotel, before her marriage to Prince William April 29th. It has been reported Kate will stay at the hotel with her mother Carole and sister Pippa, her maid of honour. The Goring Hotel is in Belgravia, close to Buckingham Palace. The five-bedroom suite Kate will be staying in was just recently renovated with a beautiful bathroom and state-of-the-art gadgets.

All along they have been saying Kate will pick an unknown designer to create her wedding dress so it should be no surprise… that in a sudden turn of events there is new speculation about a relatively low-key designer; Sophie Cranston of Libélula.

Cranston, 34-year-old Londoner, has a romantic bohemian background and has worked for Alexander McQueen and Alice Temperley – both designers whose names have been in the media for the royal appointment of Kate’s wedding dress. Cranston moved to Spain and founded her own label Libélula which means ‘dragonfly’ in Spanish, in 2002 and offers a collection of bespoke bridal gowns.

Cranston gained a loyal following of high-profile customers, including Emma Watson, Tamara Eccleston, Jerry Hall and just recently Kate Middleton who purchased a black velvet dress coat by Libélula to wear to a friends wedding in Yorkshire England in January.

But again this is all just speculation – could it be more ‘smoke’ to cover-up the real designer?

Is Kate pregnant? The latest rumour is that Kate Middleton is pregnant and she’ll be announcing that she is making Prince William a dad, Prince Charles a grandpa and Queen Elizabeth II a great granny right after the wedding.

Of course, Buckingham Palace has completely denied the claims, stating they’re absurd and just another claim that has been made-up as the day approaches!

[March 30, 2021]

To fuel the wedding dress rumor that chief designer, Sarah Burton, of British fashion house Alexander McQueen is creating Kate Middleton’s wedding dress, the eponymous brand debuted bridal-inspired gowns on the catwalk for Autumn/Winter 2011. The stunning embellished bodices and sculpted silhouettes of the dresses paid exquisite attention to detail and were more than befitting for a princess.

A charitable donation in lieu of presents requests the royal couple, according to royal officials. The palace says that, “touched by the goodwill shown to them,” the couple has selected 26 charities with particular resonance to them to benefit from a special charity gift fund. The charities – including some based in Canada, Australia and New Zealand – represent a broad spectrum of issues, from support for army wives to local foundations and the arts. Anyone wishing to donate can go to a website, Royal Wedding Charity Fund and pick a beneficiary. The funds will be held in a dedicated account and grants will be distributed in partnership with the charities for a maximum impact, the palace added.

Will it be a green wedding for William and Kate? The royal couple has already made green wedding choices with a charity donation in lieu of gifts and a recycled engagement ring. It’s also been reported that the Welsh National Culinary Team has been commissioned to make a cake to be donated to charity and it will be organic, made with local sourced ingredients. The head chef of Buckingham Palace, Mark Flanagan, has also confirmed he will be serving the guests a menu of fresh local grown foods from Britain.

The two official wedding cakes for the wedding April 29th will be served to the guests. The English baker Fiona Cairns will make one cake; a traditional multiple-tiered fruitcake decorated with 16 different types of icing flowers, including those representing the four corners of the United Kingdom: English rose, Irish shamrock, Welsh daffodil and Scottish thistle. The bridal rose represents happiness, the oak and acorn – which is an architectural detail around the room where the cake will be – symbolizes strength and endurance. The lily of the valley, symbolizes sweetness and ivy leaves represent marriage.

The second cake, to satisfy the groom’s sweet tooth, is a chocolate-cookie cake, which will be created by McVitie biscuit company.

The music for the wedding service of Kate and Will has been confirmed by the British Royal Court. An official statement released, stated there will be two choirs, The Choir of Westminster Abbey and The Chapel Royal Choir. One orchestra will play, The London Chamber Orchestra and two fanfare teams, The Fanfare Team from the Central Band of the Royal Air Force and The State Trumpeters of The Household Cavalry.

Will there be more than one dress for the future Queen’s wedding? According to rumor, Kate will change from her ceremonial wedding dress to a more informal reception dress in the evening.

Getting to the church on time - Prince William and Miss Middleton will travel separately to the service using state cars from the Royal Mews. The State Car collection includes two Bentleys, three Rolls-Royces and three Daimlers. At the end of the service at Westminster Abbey the British Royal Court announced, Kate and William will travel in the 1902 State Landau along the Processional Route to Buckingham Palace. In the event of severe weather conditions the couple will travel in the Glass Coach.

[March 7, 2021]