Highlights
- Kate and William have found a way to honour the late Princess Diana, who died in a car crash in 1997.
- The “People’s Princess”, mother of Prince William and his best man Prince Harry, will be missed at the historic royal wedding, to be watched by more than 2 billion people all over the world.
- According to reports, the wedding’s musical service will commence with the hymn "Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer" -- the final hymn at Princess Diana's funeral. The hymn was also played at a memorial service on the 10th anniversary of her untimely death.
- Before the service begins, a selection of organ pieces will be played, plus seven orchestral pieces by Bach, Edward Elgar, Benjamin Britten and other, mostly British composers. Three of those pieces -- Sir Peter Maxwell Davies' Farewell to Stromness, William Walton's Touch Her Soft Lips and Gerald Finzi's Romance for String Orchestra Op. 11 -- were played at Prince Charles' and Duchess Camilla's 2005 wedding.
Kate and William have found a way to honour the late Princess Diana, who died in a car crash in 1997.
The "People's Princess", mother of Prince William and his best man Prince Harry, will be missed at the historic royal wedding, to be watched by more than 2 billion people all over the world.
According to reports, the wedding's musical service will commence with the hymn "Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer" -- the final hymn at Princess Diana's funeral. The hymn was also played at a memorial service on the 10th anniversary of her untimely death.
Before the service begins, a selection of organ pieces will be played, plus seven orchestral pieces by Bach, Edward Elgar, Benjamin Britten and other, mostly British composers. Three of those pieces -- Sir Peter Maxwell Davies' Farewell to Stromness, William Walton's Touch Her Soft Lips and Gerald Finzi's Romance for String Orchestra Op. 11 -- were played at Prince Charles' and Duchess Camilla's 2005 wedding.
The theme being British and classical, Will and Kate hope the music selection will give a sense of grandeur to the day. William also chose the piece "Jerusalem" to honour his love of rugby and country. Middleton chose the song "Greensleeves" because it's such a famous piece of English music, said a source involved with the wedding.