WHAT WILL THE MEN WEAR?
Normally at such weddings the men in
the House of Windsor don full-dress uniform. Since Prince William is in
the Royal Air Force, expect him to wear its uniform, complete with the
riband and
star of the Order of the Garter. In 1981 Prince Charles was
in naval uniform, as was his father, the Duke of Edinburgh. Earl Spencer
wanted to have a Royal Scots Greys uniform made for the day—he
could not fit into his old one—though Diana said she did not want
him in uniform. Earl Spencer appealed directly to the Queen, who said,
“We must defer to Diana.” (He wore a gray morning suit.)
WHO’S THE BEST MAN?
Up to now it has been a tradition in
the House of Windsor for the groom to have two
“supporters”—the royal equivalent of best men acting
together. But Prince William only has one brother, and so has chosen
Prince Harry to be his sole best man.
WILL WE BE ABLE TO SPOT THE REGIMENTAL BRUSHER-DOWN?
In 1981
Sir John Johnston, Comptroller of the Lord Chamberlain’s Office,
had a man waiting in a side chapel to attend to any uniforms that did
not pass muster. Prince Andrew (one of Prince Charles’s
supporters) arrived looking as though he had been rolling on the floor
with a Labrador. He was taken aside and brushed down.
WHO SITS WHERE?
The Queen and the royal family always sit on
the right-hand side of the Abbey (as you face the altar), regardless of
whether the royal being married is the bride or the groom;
correspondingly, the Middleton family will be on the
left. Look for the
bride to execute an elegant curtsy to her soon-to-be grandmother-in-law.
WILL THE ROYAL FAMILY ENTER IN A PROCESSION OR MERELY AMBLE UP
WESTMINSTER’S AISLE?
The former is more dignified and
theatrical but will likely be jettisoned in favor of the more informal
approach that William and Kate seem to be favoring. At Charles and
Diana’s wedding, the Comptroller of the Lord Chamberlain’s
Office wanted a gap between the ecclesiastical procession and the
bride’s procession for effect, and virtually had to restrain Earl
Spencer from heading up the aisle with his daughter, saying,
“I’ll tell you when to move.” To this Diana replied,
“Listen, you’ve been telling me that for the last four
months. What you haven’t told me is, how do I look?” The
Comptroller recovered quickly. “I’m so sorry,” he
said. “You look wonderful! Off!” And off she went, for
better or worse.
WHO’S DOING THE HONORS?
The Archbishop of Canterbury,
Rowan Williams, will marry the royal couple, though he
won’t be giving the sermon—a responsibility handled by
Richard Chartres, the Bishop of London, a close friend of Prince Charles
and his family.
