Royal Wedding Guest List 2011

The Royal Wedding Guest List 2011 - Wedding guest lists are dangerous territory. How many people should the parents invite? What if one half of the happy couple brings more guests than the other? Are old flames welcome? All these problems are multiplied a thousandfold if you're the heir to the throne of the United Kingdom and your wedding is going to be watched by a billion people worldwide and your family has a few shady connections. There have already been complaints about the strict invite policy; no plus ones! but who did make the cut? The royal invitation list includes toffs, exes, celebrities, dubious billionaires, and a pair of shady uncles. Here's a crowd-spotting guide for those watching at home.

In what has been deemed "a snub of historic proportions," the last two British prime ministers, Gordon Brown and Tony Blair, have been left off the guest list for the royal wedding.

As neither Brown nor Blair found much favor with Buckingham Palace during their respective tenures, authorities have been forced to dismiss numerous reports that the exclusions were intended as an act of royal vengeance, although they could be a mere oversight. The official explanation, according to the New York Times, is that neither Blair nor Brown are a member of the Order of the Garter, a royal honor dating to the 14th century that is traditionally bestowed on distinguished individuals for their service to the nation or the crown. And given that the wedding is not a state occasion, "there is no protocol reason to invite former prime ministers," a spokesman for Prince William tells MSNBC.

Apparently this criteria did not apply in 1981, as two of the five prime ministers who attended Prince Charles' wedding to Princess Diana were reportedly not members of the order at the time. Nor does it explain the other noteworthy exclusions, including U.S. President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle, as well as two of Diana's close confidantes.

Officials say the snubs become even more questionable given some of the more surprising names who did make the cut, among them soccer star David Beckham, Madonna's film director ex-husband Guy Ritchie, and a postman and cocktail lounge barman from Kate Middleton's hometown.

View notable exclusions from the royal wedding guest list here:

1. U.S. President Barack Obama & First Lady Michelle Obama
2.  Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair & Wife Cherie Blair
3. Former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown & Wife Sarah BrownFrench
4. President Nicolas Sarkozy & First Lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy
5. Sarah Ferguson, Duchess Of York
6. Lady Annabel Goldsmith
7. Rosa Monckton
8. Lily Allen, British Pop Star

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At the Royal Wedding No Tweets Allowed

At the Royal Wedding No Tweets Allowed - Any 140-character loving guests attending the April 29 wedding of Prince William and Catherine (Kate) Middleton will be sorely disappointed, as signal-blocking technology will be installed at Westminster Abbey to nix cellphone use.

According to Yahoo, the idea was suggested by members of the royal family and confirmed by police and security. They hope nixing phones and tweeting will cut down on news photos and videos featuring cellphone-toting guests, distracting ringtones and info about the wedding getting out ahead of the ceremony.

The absence of Twitter at the actual event doesn’t mean the web will go silent, obviously — in fact, talk of the Royal Wedding is accelerating rapidly on Facebook and Twitter.

And, hey, at least no one will be fired during the event — a Buckingham Palace guard was already dismissed from his royal wedding day duties after calling the bride-to-be a “stuck up cow” and “posh bitch” on Facebook.

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Gallery of Royal Wedding Memorabilia of Prince William and Kate Middleton

Gallery of Royal Wedding Memorabilia of Prince William and Kate Middleton - Presidential Inaugurations, the release of teenage vampire movies and the unfortunate existence of Justin Beiber; each of these events produce a plethora of ridiculous memorabilia. However none has seen such a wide variety of weird trinkets, knickknacks and custom products than the Royal Wedding of Kate and William. My favorite is the Royal Wedding beer! For those of you already sick of all the coverage they even have a “Throne Up” Royal Wedding Sick bag when the big day pushes your stomach over the edge.

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Royal Wedding's Unspoken and Secret - Hero

Royal Wedding's Unspoken and Secret - Hero - While the rest of the world is obsessed with the pre-wedding jitters of poor Kate and the intrigue surrounding her dress designer, the only person I can think about is the wedding planner. I know there is one, it's not remotely possible to pull this off without one, but, she's in hiding, I'm sure her contract dictates anonymity.

Lets call the poor thing "Doris".

Having not slept since Tuesday in the midst of organizing place cards and fielding calls from guests, who somehow have obtained her cell phone number and want to know if it's going to rain Friday; and what precisely are the transportation arrangements from the church to Buckingham Palace; and can she do something about upgrading their nasty hotel room; and what in the world are they supposed to do in the five hours between receptions?

She is having one hell of a week.

Picture her final family meeting Friday evening. Michael Middleton answers the door to the suite at the Goring: "Why hi there Doris, come have a spot of Champers with us before dinner -- let's go over it all once more, shall we?"

"Do you mind, if I spend a moment with Pippa and talk about all the kids in the ceremony again?" Doris attempts.

"Oh Jeez, Doris," Pippa sneers, "Do you think I'm a moron? I've been babysitting since I was 10 -- what is the bloody problem?"

"Well there's so many of them and I just want to make sure they don't run amok under your supervision; now, can we also talk about Harry for a moment? I just have a funny feeling he's planning something, don't you James?"

Kate's brother looks up startled, "Well isn't that what we've got you here for? To keep anything from happening; to keep everyone on their toes, so to speak?"

Mrs Middleton enters: "There will be a separate seamstress there for me, correct, we did order one, right? I'm truly worried about the back slit in my gown, and trust me, they are all just waiting for me to look stupid."

"Yes, of course I've got her. My job is to make sure that everyone has a lovely, memorable and perfect day, and I intend to make that happen," Doris sighs.

Kate enters the room. "Why, hi Doris! They torturing you a bit?"

"No, no it's fine, I'm just a bit concerned that all the seating isn't finished yet, and if I don't let Camilla in on the Queen's final changes, she will have my head."

"Damn Camilla. She bloody well thinks this is Her wedding! She's not even Will's mum, barely a step-mum actually; you really should put her in her place, you know Doris? It's all really a bit much don't you think?"

Avoiding the question, Doris turns to James,

"James, do you have a moment for me? I realize this isn't really my job but I feel so close to you after the last couple of months with the family and all the planning, I just want to mention again, that you and Harry should really give it a go on not drinking very much on Friday, you know, all the press around... "

James looks at Doris with disgust, "Good God, did my mother put you up to this? I got it -- no drinking, OKAY?!"

Her cell rings with a call from Camilla who requests an audience. Racing over to see her with an assistant, she's accosted by Charles as soon as she arrives: "...really could use some help on this toast here Doris -- I mean really, it's not as if there's so much to say about her; I mean, she's pretty but... and you know if I don't include a line about how blissfully happy Camilla and I are there'll be no peace around here."

"And do I have to mention that Middleton pitched in some cash? It's not as if we asked for it you know, and it seems so, so -- well you know, so damn middle-class."

Camilla sweeps in. "Oh there you are Doris, thought we'd lost you. Can we go over this photo line-up once again? I really don't want a load of the 'evil step mum posing with the gorgeous couple' shots; and I definitely don't want to be standing next to 'seatbelts fastened' in any of the photos at all, got it? Oh, and please dear, can we keep Harry's friend that -- Chelsey girl -- from being in the formal shots? I mean, really, it's not as if they are going to stay together and it's such a nuisance to cut people out afterwards. And you won't forget about my portraits with my granddaughter in her maids dress? She will be just too adorable... "

The next morning will be even worse, lugging a U-Haul-sized emergency kit filled with additional crystals for Kate's dress, extra feathers for all the absurd fastenings the girls will be wearing, double stick tape for décolletage mishaps. She will be at the church giving arrival updates to the Prince; she will be the only one who can get under the dress and hold it up so Kate can use the loo beforehand; and to figure out how to stuff the massive train into the carriage to the Palace afterwards so it doesn't asphyxiate Will on the way.

She'll be signaling Charles on when to cut in on the first dance and gently grabbing Harry to dance with his brother's new mother-in-law; and ascertaining how to cut reasonably symmetrical pieces out of a chocolate biscuit cake. And, you can be sure, that when all the guests are tucked in for the night and the newlyweds are sleeping peacefully she will be the one on her hands and knees at the floor of Buckingham Palace looking for a guest's lost heirloom earring.

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Prince William and Kate Middleton Rehearse the Wedding

Prince William and Kate Middleton Rehearse the Wedding  - A smiling Prince William and Kate Middleton arrived at Westminster Abbey on Wednesday night to run through their wedding ceremony. Next time, it'll be for real. Although there had been an earlier rehearsal for the military, using a Middleton lookalike, this was a rehearsal for the bride and groom. 

William, 28, wore a charcoal grey suit and Middleton, 29, wore a black dress as they arrived in a chauffer-driven Range Rover at sunset. Best man Prince Harry, 26, and the maid of honor, Kate's sister Pippa Middleton, 27, arrived in a silver van. They were flanked by two motorcycle police officers. 

It was their last rehearsal before Friday's wedding, according to multiple news reports.

The crowd of onlookers first knew something was brewing when 12 officers marched out of a side entrance of Westminster Abbey. They blocked off the street near the cathedral as the vehicles pulled up. 

"Everything came to a halt," says Cindy Rockwell from Lake Oswego, Ore. "Then the crowd just surged forward. There were so many people that you could hardly even move; everyone was trying to see them." 

William and Middletwon were quickly ushered into a side entrance. "It was really surreal," says Carolyn Houghton from Medford, Ore. "In America, the crowd would have been screaming. But here, everyone was very quiet and orderly. But I do wish they would have stopped and waved for a minute." 

The couple remained in the cathedral for about 90 minutes, where they practiced the ceremony. Then they left - William returning home, and Middleton heading to her $8,000-a-night royal suite on the top floor of the Goring Hotel. 

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Royal Wedding of Prince William Kate Middleton 2011

Royal Wedding of Prince William Kate Middleton 2011 - Prince William hovers on the brink of matrimony — a year or so before his 30th birthday. His grandmother, the Queen, is 85 and in good health. His father will be king before him, so what does the future hold?

After a suitable honeymoon, we will need to see the happy couple - they must not disappear into Anglesey altogether. If I were masterminding their plans (which I am not), I would have them back, refreshed and tanned in time for President Obama’s state visit (May 24 to 26).

Then we should see the couple at Prince Philip’s 90th birthday, the Birthday Parade on June 11 (William riding as Colonel of Irish Guards), the Garter Procession (William beplumed) on June 13, in a carriage at Royal Ascot and at a Garden Party.

We know they are going to Canada. I would send them off to as many Commonwealth countries as possible in the next couple of years.

Between August and October, we are offered fewer sightings of the Royal family. What we most expect from William and Kate is another generation of the House of Windsor, so time away from the spotlight is good.

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Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton

Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton - EVEN though this blushing Kidderminster bride shares the same first name as Kate Middleton - tomorrow’s Royal wedding will pass her by as she will be tying the knot with her own prince charming on the day.

While the country will be focused on William and Kate, Katheryn Thompson will be making sure she has something old, new, borrowed and blue for her special wedding to Dominic Turner at Brockencote Hall.

Just like the Royal couple the pair got engaged while on holiday. Mr Turner surprised his bride-to-be when he got down on one knee outside a church in India and they will also be jetting back to the country for their honeymoon.

“At first Dominic wasn’t being romantic but little did I know he was building up to pop the question - how romantic,” said Miss Thompson, “I said yes straight away.”

She added: “I can’t wait for the wedding. I’m really looking forward to it.

“At first I was quiet taken aback when I discovered that the Royal wedding was on the same day. But then the more I thought about it, I thought that we won’t forget our wedding anniversary and it makes it more special that we’re sharing it with the Royals.

“If we have kids we can tell them we shared our wedding with the Royals so it makes it more poignant.”

The couple got together almost nine years ago after a chance meeting in a Birmingham club.

“We both worked in Birmingham and I used to see him around the town and then I went out for a girly night and he walked through the door and it just went from there,” explained Miss Thompson.

Despite sharing the same day as William and Kate, there will be no Royal Wedding theme on their day and no tvs so their guests will be focused on them.

Miss Thompson will be walking down the isle at 2pm - three hours after Kate Middleton.

“If there’s a TV while I’m getting ready in my room then I might watch the wedding to get some tips,” she joked.

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