This Article is From Nov 23, 2010

Prince William, Kate pick a date at Westminster Abbey

Prince William, Kate pick a date at Westminster Abbey
London: The date and location have been set: the wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton is to take place on Friday, April 29th at Westminster Abbey.

An aide to Prince William said on Tuesday that the couple had chosen the Abbey, where Queen Elizabeth was also married, for its "staggering beauty" and because it offers intimacy despite its grand scale.

Prime Minister David Cameron has declared the day a national holiday, meaning that most Britons will get a four-day weekend because Monday, May 2, is already a holiday.

"We want to mark the day as one of national celebration," Mr. Cameron said. "A public holiday will ensure the most people possible will have a chance to celebrate on the day."

The Abbey is a well-known royal wedding venue: Queen Elizabeth and the late Queen Mother were also married there, and it was there that the funeral of Prince William's mother, Diana, the Princess of Wales, took place.

"The venue has long associations with the royal family -- it is in many ways the royal family's church -- and of course with William personally," Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, the prince's private secretary, told reporters.

The wedding is to be paid for by the royal family, Mr. Cameron said last week, although public funds will be used to pay for security and other ancillary costs.

Mr. Lowther-Pinkerton said that the couple were "calling the shots" on the wedding plans, with a "rather large supporting cast."

"The couple are very, very keen indeed that the spectacle should be a classic example of what Britain does best," he said.

He added: "The couple are very mindful of the current situation, and for example, Prince William has already expressed a clear wish that any involvement by the armed forces should rely in great part on those servicemen and women already committed to public and ceremonial duties."
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