William and Kate: The Guest List, Protocol and Dress
Sarah Ferguson won't say whether she has made the guest list.
ByGABRIEL O'RORKE
LONDON, Jan. 11, 2011 — -- Details of the April royal wedding have trickled out as Kate and William's big day draws nearer. But until the guest list is confirmed, speculation will abound about who has made the cut.
One member of the royal family who has been coy about her chances of receiving a wedding invitation is William's aunt, Sarah Ferguson. In an interview with Canadian TV channel CBC News, the Duchess of York refused to confirm whether she will be attending.
"The most important thing is that it's just fantastic news," Ferguson said last week. "It's great news for William and Catherine, and she's so beautiful and so lovely and it's just love. "
Ferguson is the ex-wife of Prince Andrew and mother of the princesses Beatrice and Eugenie. Fergie, as she is known, is no stranger to controversy. She caused great embarrassment to the royal family in May after being caught on camera taking an $800,000 bribe in exchange for attempting to broker a meeting with Andrew, who's the younger brother of William's father, Prince Charles.
Ferguson's marriage into the royal family in July 1986 also took place in Westminster Abbey, the same venue chosen by William and Kate Middleton: "It's wonderful to just see great love," Ferguson told CBC. "I remember those days of Andrew and I, you know, and getting married at Westminster Abbey."
For the 600 guests who are invited to attend the ceremony, there will be strict protocol to follow.
"The bride's relatives will be on the left and the groom's on the right as you walk in," Judy Wade, royal correspondent for Hello Magazine, said.
"The more senior you are, the later you arrive. The Queen will arrive just before Kate."
Westminster Abbey is a place with a long tradition as venue for royal weddings, so members of the royal family will be well rehearsed in terms of the protocol.
The local start time of 11 a.m. -- 6 a.m. ET -- also comes down to tradition.
"All royal weddings seem to take place at 11," Wade said. "Charles and Diana's did, as well as Andrew and Sarah's."
How to Avoid Royal Lawsuit
"The ceremony will start at 11 a.m., the bridal party will leave at about quarter too, it's not confirmed where from but I imagine they will leave from Buckingham Place."
Middleton is expected to travel by car rather than the traditional carriage but speculation is still rife about what the bride will wear.
On recent occasions, she has chosen a mixture of items from the high end, as well as from mid-range designers such as Issa London, who made the blue dress she wore when the couple announced their engagement.
The dress sold out in a day and has inspired several replicas. But stores, brands and designers be warned: A decree has gone out from the palace. Sell or market anything under the Kate Middleton name and you'll be facing a royal lawsuit.
It seems that replicas are the way to go, just don't name them after Prince William's bride-to-be. If Princess Diana's dress is anything to go by, replicas will be on the shelves before the royal couple leave for their honeymoon.
"They must have had pattern cutters and machinists at the ready, watching the TV as she walked down the aisle because the next day it was in all the high-street shops," Elizabeth Emanuel, who designed Princess Diana's wedding dress, said.