The Chapel Royal Choir prepares for the Royal Wedding

The Chapel Royal Choir prepares for the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton.

New Coat of Arms for Miss Middleton and her family

Miss Middleton's Coat of Arms derives from one which is being granted to her father, Mr. Michael Middleton.

Miss Catherine Middleton has a new Coat of Arms in advance of her wedding to Prince William. Miss Middleton’s Coat of Arms derives from one which is being granted to her father, Mr. Michael Middleton. The design of the Arms was agreed and approved by Mr. Thomas Woodcock (Garter King of Arms and Senior Herald in England), who is based at the College of Arms in London.

The Middleton Family worked closely with the College of Arms throughout the design process to create a Coat of Arms that was personal to them and visually identified them as a family.

The three acorns represent Mr. and Mrs. Middleton’s three children (Catherine, Philippa and James). Acorns were chosen because the area in which the children were brought up – West Berkshire, England – is surrounded by oak trees. Additionally, oak is a long-established symbol of both ‘England’ and ‘Strength.’

The gold chevron, which sits at the centre of the design, represents Mrs. Middleton, whose maiden name is Goldsmith. The two thinner chevrons, which sit either side of the gold chevron, allude to hills and mountains and represent outdoor pursuits that the family enjoy together. The colours blue and red were chosen as they are the principle colours from the flag of the United Kingdom.

Miss Middleton’s Coat of Arms has been presented in the form of a ‘lozenge’ and is shown suspended from a ribbon, which indicates that she is an unmarried daughter.

Mr. Thomas Woodcock, Garter King of Arms said:

“Mr. and Mrs. Middleton and their children took enormous interest in this design and, while its purpose is to provide a traditional heraldic identity for Catherine, as she marries into the Royal Family, the intent was to represent the whole Middleton family together, their home and aspects of what they enjoy.

“Every Coat of Arms has been designed to identify a person, school or organisation, and to last forever: heraldry is Europe's oldest, most visual and strictly regulated form of identity and it surrounds us in Britain, giving clues to our history and surroundings. After her marriage, Catherine Middleton will place her father’s Arms beside those of her husband in what is known as an impaled Coat of Arms.  This will require a Royal Warrant from The Queen." 

The Grant of Arms has been made to Mr. Michael Middleton and his descendants in accordance with the laws of Arms, so all of his three children, including Catherine, are entitled to the Arms.  Mr. James Middleton (Catherine’s brother) will pass the right on to his descendants.

Notes to editors:

An image of Catherine Middleton’s Coat of Arms is available from the Press Association.

The technical heraldic description of the Middleton Coat of Arms, known as a ‘blazon’ is Per pale Azure and Gules a Chevron Or cotised Argent between three Acorns slipped and leaved Or. Per Pale means that the Shield is divided vertically with one half blue (Azure) and the other half red (Gules). A Chevron Or means the gold chevron across the centre of the Shield. There arecotises either side of the chevron which are white (Argent). Slipped means ‘with a stalk,’ so the final part of the blazon – and distinguishing feature of the Shield – means three acorns with gold stalks and leaves.

Coats of Arms are granted under the Sovereign’s authority. Since the fifteenth century, this has been delegated to three Kings of Arms in England.  They now have jurisdiction over England, Wales and Northern Ireland.  In Scotland, Coats of Arms are granted by Lord Lyon King of Arms.

Like all applicants, Mr. Middleton started the process by submitting his request to England’s Earl Marshal, The Duke of Norfolk, who issued a warrant to the Kings of Arms agreeing to the granting of new Arms. In this case it fell to Garter and Clarenceux Kings of Arms (two of the three Kings of Arms) to grant the Middleton Coat of Arms by Letters Patent, as the Middleton Family live south of the River Trent, the historic division between north and south in England.

(Reuters) - The wedding of Britain's Prince William to university sweetheart Kate Middleton will be streamed live on the internet via an official royal channel -- the first time a British royal wedding will be covered in this way.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth (C) uses a computer to upload a video to the Royal Channel on YouTube as Chad Hurley, co-founder of YouTube, and Nikesh Arora (partially obscured), president of Google Europe, Middle East and Africa, looks on at Google's British headquarters in London October 16, 2008.
REUTERS/Adrian Dennis/Pool

April 29's event, expected to be watched by up to two billion people across the globe, will be available on www.youtube.com/theroyalchannel and accompanied by a live multi-media blog assembled by royal officials.

St James's Palace, whose officials represent Princes William and Harry, said the feed would be taken from British public broadcaster, the BBC, without a broadcaster's commentary.

"Staff at Clarence House and St James's Palace will provide a live commentary with historical information, interesting links, additional photographs and video footage as well as an integrated Twitter feed," the palace said in a statement.

Officials said it was the first time a live blog would run alongside a live stream on video-sharing website YouTube for any occasion.

In addition, an official video "Wedding Book" on YouTube invites anyone to submit their own video of congratulations to the couple.

The royal family, previously seen as out of touch with modern Britain, is making extensive use of the internet and a variety of social media applications in the run-up to the big day.

Photographs related to the wedding will be released via photo-sharing site Flikr, and announcements on the day itself will be published on the official wedding site www.officialroyalwedding2011.org.

A @ClarenceHouse account on short messaging service Twitter will provide live updates on the day, and will be integrated into the live blog.

Alongside the video message option, anyone wanting to send the couple a message of congratulations on Twitter can do so using the hashtag #rw2011, officials said.

The royal family even have a page on social networking site Facebook (www.facebook.com/TheBritishMonarchy).

"Facebook users can click the 'I'm attending' button on 'The Royal Wedding' event to show their interest in the event," St James's Palace said.

From: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/19/us-britain-wedding-interactive-idUSTRE73I33F20110419

Royal Bride's Virginity No Longer An Issue For Brits

By GREGORY KATZ   04/ 8/11 09:41 AM ET 

LONDON -- The once hidebound royal family seems to have caught up with Britain's tolerant public in the three decades that separated Prince Charles' marriage to Diana Spencer from the wedding of their first born.

Few people – royal or otherwise – seem bothered by the fact that Prince William and his fiancee, Kate Middleton, have been living together off and on during the course of their eight-year romance, which began in university days.

That's a marked turnaround from the days preceding Charles and Diana's 1981 marriage. At that time, there was a general expectation that Diana would not have dated before her engagement to the heir to the throne, and her own uncle came out publicly to declare her a "bona fide" virgin.

The more modern approach gives many royal watchers hope that William, 28, and Middleton, 29, will fare better in their marriage than Charles and Diana, whose very public marital breakdown tarnished the image of the royal family.

William, said royal expert Dickie Arbiter, is "his own man."

"He's made his own space and he decides what he wants to do and when he wants to do it," Arbiter said. "The fact that William and (Kate) have had a relationship for eight years speaks for itself."

William's decision to live with his fiancee has been met, in general, with a shrug. The British public seems comfortable with the royal family having updated its unwritten behavior codes to bring them more in line with widely held social values.

"We live in a modern age and people do all sorts of things before they settle down," said Keith Morley, 34, an engineer from Birmingham. "It's probably best that they lived together before making a commitment."

Some historians say it's about time the royals shed their prudishness about the past of new entries into their family. When Charles and Diana wed, his history of dating was not an issue. Charles may well have wanted to marry girlfriend Camilla Shand, but she was not seen as an appropriate choice because she had had several previous boyfriends. She became Charles' second wife decades later.

Deborah Cohen, a historian at Northwestern University in Chicago who specializes in modern Britain, says the failure of Charles and Diana's marriage apparently convinced the royal family that its rigid standards were backfiring.

"After two decades of scandal, I think it's the royal family recognizing that to be normal is to their advantage," she said. "It's a canny refashioning of the image. There is no longer an investment in being anachronistic, or a public expectation that they ought to be harkening back to a different era of sexual politics."

Royal attitudes toward sexuality have never been based on fixed rules but rather unwritten conventions. The code of behavior has evolved – slowly – over the centuries as social values change. It is the monarch who sets the tone, so the views of Queen Elizabeth II have prevailed for nearly six decades.

Practical concerns, more than squeamishness about sex, were behind the royal family's historic concerns over the sexual status of a bride joining the royal family, Cohen said, because there were fears that a princess carrying another man's child could bring an illegitimate heir to the throne. This was particularly important before paternity testing.

By Diana's time, Cohen said, the issue had come to represent a yearning for lost innocence as Britain – with Europe's highest divorce rate – was gripped by a perceived social breakdown.

A spokesman for Prince William, who refused to be identified because of royal policy, said palace officials would not comment on whether attitudes have changed, preferring to leave that role to others.

from: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/08/royal-bride-kate-middleton-virginity_n_846626.html

Royal wedding choristers reveal their preparations for Kate Middleton and Prince William's big day

The boys of the Choir of the Chapel Royal who are set to sing at the royal wedding revealed today how they have been preparing for their big performance.
As well as extra music practice, the 10 choristers have also been perfecting the art of standing still, avoiding chocolate and trying to keep their distinctive scarlet and gold State coats clean.

The boys, aged between nine and 13, remained tight lipped over the chosen wedding music and even refused to say whether they had met Prince William and Kate Middleton.
Tom Fleming, aged nine and the youngest member of the choir, said: "I'm not too nervous. I've been doing several warm-ups and a lot of performances in front of no one."
For the wedding, the choir will dress in their traditional red and gold uniforms which date from the reign of Charles II.

Tom added: "It's heavy, very hot. We don't have to be too careful - just not to spill anything on it as if it stains it's very hard to remove."

Some of the schoolboys will also avoid eating chocolate just before the ceremony.
Archie Buchanan, 13, from London, said: "Chocolate can stop your voice from working and cola too and you mustn't eat (cough sweets) too."
But the choristers will be making up for their willpower as soon as they can following the service.

Ted Fetherstonhaugh, 11, said: "We've got to have a backpack of chocolate for after."
Choirmaster Dr Andrew Gant has also been ensuring the boys can stand motionless during the service without fidgeting.

Edward Daly, 12, said: "We have to practise standing still for a long time - five to 10 minutes. It depends on what Dr Gant is doing to deliberately make us laugh."

Dr Gant said the boys were used to doing so at Remembrance Service performances.

"If you come to our classroom sometimes you'll find me getting them to just stand still. It's quite hard to do when you're nine," he added.

Describing the current choristers as "a characterful bunch who are willing and work very hard", he added: "There are a few jokers."

The boys have also been learning about the royal couple themselves.

Hal Arnold-Forster, 11, said: "I know who's getting married as well. I think it's William who I think is a Prince, and Kate Middleton.

The choir consists of six Gentlemen-in-Ordinary, who are professional singers, and the 10 choristers who hold choral scholarships at the City of London School.

Today they were practising their rendition of Handel's Zadok the Priest which they will sing at the Abbey's Maundy Service on Thursday.

Dr Gant described Prince William and Kate Middleton's approach to the wedding music as "wonderful".

He said he and the boys felt very lucky to be involved in such a historic occasion.
"The music is a blend of the old and the new.

"Prince William and Kate Middleton have taken a wonderful approach.

"They have the ceremonial and the traditional but they have also taken the opportunity to update it and introduce new musical elements."

The choir, which sings the weekly service on Sunday mornings in the Chapel Royal at St James's Palace or The Queen's Chapel, has four full days of rehearsal coming up.

Oscar O'Rahilly, 12, said: "We've been doing a lot of practising. It's been quite rigorous. It's really exciting.

"Sometimes (during) practice we have breaks when we go and play Bulldog outside."

The Chapel Royal Choir, which has existed since the time of the Norman conquest, sang at the funeral of the Queen Mother at Westminster Abbey and the Golden Jubilee Service at St Paul's Cathedral.

The Chapel Royal itself, with its pale wooden stalls lined with green lamps, was built by Henry VIII.

Mary I's heart is buried beneath its flagstone floor and Elizabeth I said her prayers in the chapel against the threat of the Spanish Armada.


Read more from: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/royal-wedding/2011/04/18/royal-wedding-choristers-reveal-their-preparations-for-kate-middleton-and-prince-william-s-big-day-115875-23070453/#ixzz1JtA82e62

Homeless Girl Gets Royal Wedding Invite from Prince William

As a tribute to his late mother, Prince William and his bride Kate Middleton intend to have the first "people's royal wedding" -- inviting political leaders as well as the postman. And amongst the pews at Westminster Abbey will also be Shozna, a former homeless teenager, reports the Mail.

The 20-year-old woman will be attending the ceremony on April 29, thanks to the prince and, in part, Princess Diana, who was an advocate for the homeless and helped to raise awareness through Centrepoint, a charity group. William has continued her efforts. Back in 2009, he even spent a night on the streets to show his commitment to the cause.

It was through this organization that he met Shozna. Centrepoint rescued the teen, who was without a home after suffering a stroke and undergoing major heart surgery, and provided shelter and a mentor to help her get back on her feet.

Hearing her heartbreaking story at an event last year, the prince expressed his admiration and gave the young woman a hug -- usually a royalty no-no. That small gesture has now led to something more rare -- a royal wedding invitation and the chance to rub elbows with the likes of Elton John and David Beckham.

Shozna (whose last name was withheld for privacy reasons) offered her wishes and gratitude to the groom during an interview with the U.K. newspaper. "I want to say to Prince William: 'Congratulations. Thank you for inviting me and thank you for making people feel like they are part of the world instead of being alone.'"

from: http://royalwedding.aol.com/2011/04/17/homeless-girl-gets-royal-wedding-invite-from-prince-william/

The Taiwanese Animate The World's Royal Wedding Fever!!!

This is a factual documentation of how the world is currently reacting two weeks before the wedding of Prince William and KateMiddleton.

News channels literally can not handle their shiz right now they are so excited! LOLZ!

Check out the latest from the Taiwanese News Channel, exploring the media frenzy surrounding the royal wedding. (above, in mandarine but you still can read the english word below) 

Not their best, but still pretty HIGHlarious!!!

From: http://perezhilton.com/2011-04-13-taiwanese-news-channel-royal-wedding-fever-prince-william-kate-middleton

Going to to London for the royal wedding?

Transport for London - wedding travel adviceOpens new window

The wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton on 29 April is set to draw huge crowds to central London.

Transport for London (TfL) is working with the Government, Metropolitan Police, Westminster Council and other agencies to ensure that people travelling to and from the area can do so quickly, safely and efficiently.

London's Transport Commissioner Peter Hendy said: 'All Tube lines will be running and our bus and streets teams will be working flat out to make sure that the closures and diversions needed are managed smoothly.'

Roads

The route of the wedding procession between Buckingham Palace and Westminster includes the Mall, Horse Guards Road, Horse Guards Arch, Whitehall and Parliament Square.

The following roads and surrounding areas will be subject to closures and parking restrictions:

Birdcage Walk
Broad Sanctuary
Buckingham Gate
Buckingham Palace Road
Charing Cross Road
Cockspur Square
Constitution Hill
Horse Guards Road
The Mall
Millbank
Pall Mall
Parliament Square
Strand
Victoria Embankment
Victoria Street
Westminster Bridge
Whitehall
Grosvenor Place
Haymarket
Hyde Park Corner
Knightsbridge
Park Lane
Piccadilly
Congestion Charge

As the wedding day is a Bank Holiday there will be no Congestion Charge.

Buses

A number of bus routes will be diverted or will finish before their usual destination.

They include: 3, 6, 9, 9 (heritage), 11, 12, 13, 15, 15 (heritage), 23, 24, 29, 87, 88, 91, 148, 159, 176, 211, 388 and 453.

There will also be a number of bus diversions on Wednesday 27 April.

Tube

All Tube lines will run and stations close to the procession will be open, including Embankment, Charing Cross, Waterloo, Westminster, Hyde Park Corner and Green Park.

For step-free access, passengers are advised to use Westminster station as the lifts at Green Park are currently being refurbished.

A limited-edition Oyster card to commemorate the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton will be available from 21 April.

Around 750,000 royal wedding Oyster cards will be on sale from Tube and London Overground stations, TfL Travel Information Centres and some National Rail ticket offices.

The standard £5 deposit and £5 minimum top-up will apply.

DLR, London Overground and Tramlink

The Docklands Light Railway (DLR) will run as normal.

There will be a Saturday timetable in place on London Tramlink.

London Overground will be suspended between Watford and Willesden Junction for engineering works.

Replacement buses will run.

Coaches

Coaches will park at three venues outside central London: The O2, Wembley Stadium and Nine Elms Lane, New Covent Garden Market.

Further arrangements are being finalised.

Barclays Cycle Hire

The following docking stations will be suspended the evening before, and on the day of, the wedding: Northumberland Avenue, Whitehall Place and Craven Street on Strand, and Horse Guards Avenue and Waterloo Place on St. James.

From: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/media/newscentre/metro/19702.aspx

Ten things Kate can’t do once she marries Wills

By Emma Kemp, Yahoo! UK Staff

Kate Middleton looks thoughtful while visiting Witton Country Park in Darwen, England (Samir Hussein/WireImage.com)

Just one generation ago someone like Kate Middleton would have been tasered for getting too close to the British Royal family.

So when Clarence House relaxed their stun guns and let theirfuture king propose to a 'commoner', Britain awoke in a postmodern-like daze where realities became relative and class boundaries blurred.

The only problem with such superb forward thinking is that theRoyal Family is still very much backward and old fashioned when it comes to some matters, namely rules and etiquette.

And as the first normal woman to enter the Windsor fold, Kate will feel the changes to her life on a higher level than many past princesses.

Here are ten things the bride-to-be will no longer be allowed to do once she walks down the Green Mile – ahem, aisle – in Westminster:

1. Be referred to as 'Kate'

When Kate Middleton joins the House of Windsor this year, her official title will become ‘Her Royal Highness the Princess William of Wales’.

She can be addressed as 'Catherine' or 'Ma'am' (pronounced like 'ham'). But 'Kate' isn't going to cut it anymore by Royal standards.

Clarence House officials will probably wine and dine London's Royal correspondents and then ask them to please refer to Kate as 'Catherine' in the future. But we think they will refuse to do this. Something to do with search engine keywords.

2. Vote

Technically, the Queen and other members of her family are allowed to vote, but they do not do so because in practice it would be considered unconstitutional and not in accordance with the need for neutrality.

This is in keeping with the Royal Family's public role, which is based on identifying with every section of society, including minorities and special interest groups.

3. Run for political office

For the reasons stated above, this is also a no no.

4. Escape the scrutiny

As arguably Britain's most dysfunctional family, the Monarchy provides the British public with a generous source of voyeuristic entertainment, and an opportunity for heartless slander.

Having already been under the media spotlight for the best part of nine years, Kate has copped her fair share of criticism from the media over the most mundane and insignificant of things.

She's a commoner. She's an outrageous social climber. She's not outgoing enough. Her mum is an air hostess who uses the word 'toilet'.

The public watchdog will be onto Kate 24/7, so when she slips on that tiara come 29 April she will damn well have to make sure it’s a pretty one. But not too pretty. That would be exhibitionist.

This scrutiny will grow existentially and extend to all aspects of her life. Did you know the Middleton family can only trace their roots back to the mid 1500s? So what were they up to in 1413 then? They must be hiding something.

5. Play Monopoly

In 2008, Prince Andrew, Duke of York, said that the Royal Family was not allowed to play Monopoly at home "because it gets too vicious". No member of the family has yet revealed what they play in its place during the Christmas holidays.

6. Say or do anything controversial

This includes accepting large amounts of money from 'businessmen' for access to your husband and getting your toes sucked in public by your financial adviser. You know who you are, Fergs.

But it also encompasses Kate's expression of her preferred political position, social position, sexual position – basically anything within the realms of personality.

So far she has succeeded seamlessly in this, not putting a foot wrong in any situation. Granted though, the world has only heard her speak once after her and William's engagement and that was a heavily rehearsed affair.

7. Eat shellfish

British Royals are apparently never served shellfish, because of a fear of food poisoning. So if Kate can't live without crustaceans, she will have to seek them out in her own time.

[ Photos: Odd foods inspired by royal wedding mania ]

8. Work

It is well known that Royals and careers don't mix well. As proven when Prince Charles' plan to work part time in a factory failed and Countess Sophie Wessex was forced to abandon her PR firm.

In Kate's case though, the whole unemployment scenario shouldn't be too difficult to handle. At 29 years of age she is the oldest spinster ever to marry a future king, and though she has a History of Art degree and years of life experience, Kate has spurned work wherever possible.

This is unless you count seven months as a casual accessories buyer for clothing chain Jigsaw and a short time working for the family company, Party Pieces.

Pinned by some as the unemployed woman marrying into a welfare family, we're reckoning the guys at Buckingham will keep her busy by sending her to lots of boat launches and pancake flipping gigs.

9. Sign anything unofficial

As a potential future counsellor of state if William becomes king, Kate might at some stage have to sign government papers and brings legislation into force in her husband's place.

People in this position are strictly not supposed to sign anything that could lead to their signature being copied and forged.

Last year Prince Harry was in hot water when he flouted this rule by signing the plaster cast of a girl who had fractured her arm, a media report said.

The 17-year-old from Leicestershire was so excited she said her cast would be "going in a glass box", which the Queen might not have been too happy about.

10 Finish her dinner

If she is a slower eater than her grandmother-in-law, Kate could go hungry. In Britain, when the Queen stops eating, you stop as well, fork in hand.

from: http://royalwedding.yahoo.com/blogs/ten-things-kate-can%E2%80%99t-do-once-she-marries-wills-4646

Prince William and Miss Catherine Middleton visit Darwen, Lancashire

During the visit, The Prince and Miss Middleton visited the Darwen Aldridge Community Academy to mark it officially open, as well as Witton Country Park, to highlight the importance of outdoor recreational space.

For more information, visit http://www.officialroyalwedding2011.org