Prince William and Catherine Middleton's New Titles Revealed
Prince William and Catherine Middleton have been given the titles of Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to mark their wedding today.
By Martin Beckford,Telegraph.UK. 8:07AM BST 29 April 2011
Buckingham Palace announced at 8am on Friday that the Queen had bestowed the title of Duke of Cambridge on her grandson.
His bride, Miss Middleton, will be known as the Duchess of Cambridge after the royal wedding ceremony at Westminster Abbey.
A dukedom is the highest rank in the British peerage.
They have also been given the Scottish titles of Earl and Countess of Strathearn, which may reflect the fact that they met at St Andrews University.
The couple's third title is a Northern Irish one, Baron and Baroness Carrickfergus.
Buckingham Palace said in a statement: "The Queen has today been pleased to confer a Dukedom on Prince William of Wales.
"His titles will be Duke of Cambridge, Earl of Strathearn and Baron Carrickfergus.
"Prince William thus becomes His Royal Highness The Duke of Cambridge and Miss Catherine Middleton on marriage will become Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge."
It is customary for members of the Royal family to be offered at least one title by the monarch when they are married.
When the royal wedding was announced last year, it was expected that the second-in-line to the throne would be offered a Dukedom, making his wife a Duchess, and Cambridge was the favourite title.
Other possibilities were said to have included the Duke of Clarence and the Duke of Sussex.
If the Prince had turned down the titles, he would have remained HRH Prince William of Wales.
His wife would likely have been known as HRH Princess William of Wales, rather than HRH Princess Catherine, as she is not a princess in her own right.
Royal Wedding Timetable: From Opening of Westminster Abbey Doors to RAF fly-past
Royal appointment: Prince William and Kate Middleton in Darwen earlier this week, on their last official engagement before the wedding
Westminster Abbey is expected to welcome up to 3,000 people for the wedding Photo: GETTY
Here is our guide to the key timings, events and everything else you need to know about the Royal Wedding day on April 29 2011.
Between 0815 and 0945: The vast majority of the 1,900 guests will arrive at the Great North Door of Westminster Abbey ahead of the 11am service. Order of Service in full
From 0950: Governors-general and prime ministers of realm countries, the Diplomatic Corps, and other distinguished guests arrive at the Abbey.
1010: Prince William and his best man Prince Harry leave Clarence House in a Bentley for Westminster Abbey, arriving five minutes later. The route between Buckingham Palace and the Abbey goes by The Mall, Horse Guards Road, Horse Guards Parade, through Horse Guards Arch, Whitehall, Parliament Square (the south side) and Broad Sanctuary.
Photo: Eddie Mulholland
1020: Members of foreign royal families arrive at the Abbey from Buckingham Palace.
1020: Kate Middleton's mother Carole Middleton and brother James Middleton leave the Goring Hotel for the Abbey. They arrive at the Abbey at 1027.
Gallery: who's who in the Middletons
Carole Middleton - Royal wedding: who's who in the Middletons
1025: Members of the Royal Family (except those listed below) leave Buckingham Palace for the Abbey, arriving at 1030.
1035: The following members of the Royal Family leave Buckingham Palace for the Abbey, arriving at 1040: The Duke of York, Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, The Earl and Countess of Wessex, The Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence.
1038: The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall leave Clarence House, arriving at the Abbey at 1042.
1040: The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh leave Buckingham Palace, arriving at the Abbey at 1045.
Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh
1048: The bridesmaids and pages leave the Goring Hotel, arriving at the Abbey at 1055.
1051: The bride and her father Michael Middleton leave the Goring Hotel for Westminster Abbey in a Rolls Royce
1100: The marriage service begins and is relayed by speakers along the route. There will also be big screens in Hyde Park and Trafalgar Square. Royal wedding parties and events
1215: The carriage procession of the bride and groom with a Captain's Escort of the Household Cavalry, followed by the Queen's procession with a Sovereign's Escort of the Household Cavalry, leaves the Abbey for Buckingham Palace. The bride and groom will be in the 1902 State Landau, or the Glass Coach if it is raining.
1230: The bride's carriage procession arrives at Buckingham Palace.
1240: Members of the Royal Family and members of foreign royal families arrive at Buckingham Palace.
From 1240: Other guests for the reception arrive at Buckingham Palace.
1325: The Queen and the bride and groom, together with their families, appear on the balcony.
1330: Fly-past by the Royal Air Force and Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.
The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (Photo: Steve Havelock)
The Queen will give a lunchtime reception at Buckingham Palace, which will be a private gathering for guests drawn from the congregation who will represent the couple’s official and private lives. During the reception, the couple will appear on the Buckingham Palace balcony with other members of the Royal family. The Reception is expected to finish mid-afternoon and guests will be served with canapés.
At some point in the afternoon, the bride and groom will leave Buckingham Palace for some downtime at St James's Palace.
In the evening, the Prince of Wales will give a private dinner, followed by dancing, at Buckingham Palace for the couple and their close friends and family.
The service:
The Dean of Westminster will conduct the service, the Archbishop of Canterbury will marry Prince William and Miss Middleton, and the Bishop of London - a personal friend of the Prince of Wales who has known Prince William for many years - will give the address
The dress:
The design is a secret but Miss Middleton's wedding gown is expected to be modest, with little flesh on show.
Bridesmaid and pageboys:
The couple have chosen four bridesmaids and two page boys who are a mixture of relations and the children of friends. Find out who's who here. Prince Harry is best man and Miss Middleton's sister Philippa is her maid of honour
The venue:
For 1,000 years the 11th century Westminster Abbey has been a backdrop to royal weddings, coronations and funerals
Westminster Abbey (Photo: Alamy)
Flowers:
Tradition dictates that a royal bride's bouquet contains a sprig of myrtle from the bush grown from the original myrtle in Queen Victoria's wedding bouquet. Royal brides send their bouquet back to the abbey to be placed on the Grave of the Unknown Warrior.
Music:
Westminster Abbey's choir and the Chapel Royal Choir will perform, with the London Chamber Orchestra, the Fanfare Team from the Central Band of the Royal Air Force and the State Trumpeters of the Household Cavalry also taking part. Claire Jones, the Prince of Wales's official harpist, will perform at the Buckingham Palace reception. Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, the Queen's composer, was commissioned to write a piece which he revealed will have a "Scottish feel".
The ring:
Prince William will not wear a wedding ring, but his new wife's will be made from gold given to the prince by the Queen. According to tradition, the Welsh gold for royal rings comes from the Clogau St David's mine at Bontddu in North Wales.
The receptions:
Buckingham Palace, with its opulent State Rooms, is the focal point for the Queen's reception for 600 guests in the afternoon, followed by the Prince of Wales's dinner for 300 close family and friends in the evening.
Buckingham Palace Photo: PA
The cake:
A traditional multi-tiered iced fruit cake featuring the "language of flowers" made by Leicestershire baker Fiona Cairns will be the centrepiece. A chocolate biscuit cake is also being made especially for Prince William by McVitie's.
Wedding planning:
The man behind the big day is Prince William's private secretary Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton.
Working closely with the Prince's personal private secretary Helen Asprey, Mr Lowther-Pinkerton is in overall charge of the wedding - although the royal couple themselves are "calling the shots".
The gift list:
No saucepans or towels for these newlyweds. The couple has requested donations to 26 charities instead. Close family are, however, likely to give personal gifts.
END
More to come, Prince William has just arrived at Westminster Abbey