A right royal celebration - it's all in the detail

Published on Saturday 23 April 2011 11:27

THE KISS

The photograph of Prince Charles and Lady Diana sharing a kiss on the balcony at Buckingham Palace became the defining image of their wedding and set a trend for Royal couples to come. Prince William and Kate Middleton are not expected to disappoint. Rumour has it they have been practising for the moment so they get it right. "It is not the actual kiss that needs rehearsing - I'm sure they know how to do that," a palace aide is supposed to have told USMagazine.com. "However, the angle that they come in at has to be correct, otherwise they could block the shot and the world will miss out on the momentous moment."

THE CAKE

Created by baker Fiona Cairns, the wedding cake will be traditional - multi-layered with cream and white icing and incorporating the couple's new cipher, thought to feature their initials entwined. It will have a floral theme, with the flowers of the home nations, the English rose, the Scottish thistle, the Welsh daffodil and the Irish shamrock all featured. But Cairns has also been asked to feature other flowers which have symbolic meaning, lily of the valley, which is associated with sweetness and humility, for example and sweet William, which is associated with perfection and gallantry.

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The sugar paste plants will also include oak and acorns as they are an architectural feature of the palace's picture gallery where it is thought the cake will be displayed. Prince William has also asked the McVitie's company to make a second "chocolate biscuit" cake made from a favourite Royal Family recipe.

THE RECEPTION

Eyebrows were raised when it was revealed the wedding breakfast would consist of the three cs - champagne, canapes and cakes, but Buckingham Palace's kitchen is not equipped to cater for a sit-down dinner for 600 and a buffet would require heads of state to queue up for lasagne. As a result, the head chef Mark Flanagan has been working flat out to produce the canapes which are designed to be eaten in just two bites.

Guests will be entertained by Claire Jones, the official harpist to the Prince of Wales and the bride and bridegroom will mingle until they are called for their balcony appearance.

The couple chose award-winning Swiss restaurateur Anton Mosiman to cater for the sit-down dinner because his eponymous Knightsbridge restaurant does "great organic meat and fish". Kate has chosen a lemon tart for dessert.

After the speeches, the younger guests will move to the ballroom for a disco, run by the team from the 1980s revival club Maggie's which is co-owned by Kate's friend Charles Gike.Those who wish to escape the cheesier numbers on the playlist will be able to retreat to the Throne Room - dominated by two gilded chairs of state and a proscenium arch - which is being transformed into a "chillax zone" for the night.

THE VOWS

As they are marrying in a traditional Church of England service, William and Kate will not be able to write their own, personalised vows. Instead, it seems likely they will opt for those in the Common Book of Worship widely used in the Protestant church today. If so, they will promise "to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish till death do us part, according to God's holy law".

Significantly, Kate will follow in Princess Diana's footsteps and omit any reference to "obeying" her husband. Princess Diana fluffed her vows stumbling over her bridegroom's middle names, but the pressure will be on Kate to deliver hers perfectly, as minutes after the couple say "I do" their words will be available to download across the world for as little as 79p.

Prince William will put a ring fashioned from a lump of Welsh gold on his bride's finger but has decided against wearing a ring himself.

THE DRESS

Despite the fact that more column inches have been devoted to speculating on Kate's wedding dress than on any other aspect of the wedding, the frock remains shrouded in mystery. So keen is the bride to ensure it remains a secret until the big day, it is rumoured she has had three gowns made in case details are leaked. Famous designers whose names have been linked to the dress(es) include Amanda Wakeley, Bruce Oldfield and Sarah Burton, creative director of the Alexander McQueen house.

The upmarket brand Marchesa - worn by celebrities including Nicole Richie and Sandra Bullock - has also been mooted.

For a few weeks, the issue seemed to be resolved, with the Huffington Post naming Sophie Cranston, founder of the Libelula label, as the chosen one. But then, somewhat belatedly, she too issued a denial.

The latest "best guess" is Brazilian-born Daniella Helayel (above centre), founder of the Issa London label, who has been invited to the wedding. Helayel created Kate's engagement outfit and has previously made clothes for A-list celebrities such as Madonna and Sharon Stone. There has been speculation too over the style of dress she will go for. Few think she will wear as OTT a creation as Princess Diana's Elizabeth Emanuel creation, but most fashionistas believe it has to be fairly big if Kate is to have presence in the vast space of Westminster Abbey.

THE GUESTS

Where to start? Well, Prince William's best friends will be there, of course.Nightclub entrepreneur Guy Pelly, who arranged his stag night and Eton pal Thomas van Straubenzee are among the invitees, as are members of the so-called Glosse Posse (the Gloucestershire crowd), including Amanda Bush (aka Tigger) and Captain Jack Mann, the polo-playing son of mercenary, Simon Mann.

Founders of upmarket brand Marchesa - worn by several of the Middleton clan - Georgina Chapman and Keren Craig have made it onto the list too, and Kate's uncle, multi-millionaire entrepreneur Gary Goldsmith, who was filmed chopping cocaine and boasting of his royal connections. Kate has invited Marlborough College friend Alicia Fox-Pitt and jockey Sam Waley-Cohen. "The Sallies crew", the couple's friends from St Salvator's hall of residence at St Andrews, will be well-represented at the evening do, with Bryony Daniels and Alastair Coutts-Woods, among those who will attend.

Then there's the celebrity set, which includes the Beckhams, film director Guy Ritchie, former English rugby coach Sir Clive Woodward and Sir Elton John and his partner David Furnish; and the Mustique set, which includes the island's head tennis coach Richard Scaffer, its yoga teacher Gregory Allen and the flamboyant owner of Basil's bar, Basil Charles.

Most controversial, however, has been the couple's decision to include so many of their exes - six in total - in their nuptials. William has invited his former girlfriends Arabella Musgrave, Jecca Craig, Isabella Anstruther-Gough-Calthrope and Rose Farquhar.

Kate has invited her Marlborough boyfriend Willem Marx, and Rupert Finch, whom she dated at St Andrew's before Prince William.

THE SERVICE

The hour-long service at Westminster Abbey will be conducted by the Dean of Westminster, the Very Rev John Hall, but the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, will marry the couple and a personal sermon will be delivered by the Bishop of London, the Rt Rev Richard Chartres, a friend of the Royal Family.

The couple have spent a lot of time picking music which will be a mix of well-known hymns and commissioned pieces and will be delivered by two choirs - the choir of Westminster Abbey and the Chapel Royal Choir - the London Chamber Orchestra, the fanfare team from the central Band of the Royal Air Force and the State Trumpeters of the Household Cavalry. Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, the Queen's composer, has written one of the new pieces and says it will have a 'Scottish feel' to reflect the part the country played in their love story.

THE HONEYMOON

Again details of the honeymoon have been kept secret. Many have speculated that - mindful of how jetting off to an exotic resort would look at a time of austerity - the couple will opt for a staycation, with the Scilly Isles mooted as a possible venue.But then Kate was seen shopping for bikinis and summer dresses on the King's Road and a foreign trip seemed to be on the cards.

If they go abroad, the couple might opt for Kenya, where Prince William proposed, or Mustique, where they have already enjoyed several romantic breaks.

Last weekend, it was reported they had booked a week-long tour of southern Jordan, taking in the country's most famous sites, including the ancient city of Petra and the Wadi Rum desert valley. The Middleton family lived in the country's capital, Amman, for two and a half years, returning to the UK when Kate was five.

Wherever the couple choose to go, their honeymoon will have to be relatively short. Whereas William's parents, Charles and Diana, spent three months cruising on the Royal Yacht Britannia for their honeymoon, Prince William has only a fortnight before he needs to get back to the RAF .