Thursday Thirteen - 208 - 13 Things About Prince William's Westminster Wedding

Day 23 brings us to W.

And what better way to celebrate W than by joining the well-wishers for the wedding of Prince William to Kate Middleton on Friday?






1 - Westminster Abbey, where William and Kate will be married on Friday, has been the choice for royal weddings for centuries, although there was a 600-year gap between the 14th and 20th centuries when high profile brides and grooms tied the knot at various Chapels Royal.



2 - St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle was a very popular choice during the 19th century, including the wedding of Albert, the Prince of Wales and Princess Alexandra of Denmark.

3 - St. Paul's Cathedral hosted the wedding of William's parents, Charles the Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer.

4 - Prince William follows recent family tradition by marrying at Westminster Abbey as his grandparents and great-grandparents did. In fact, it was his great-grandmother, the Queen Mother who began the tradition of laying her bridal bouquet upon the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior, which has been observed by every royal bride since.


5 - William has his own rose named for him - the Royal William Rose. I wonder if these will be a part of Kate's bouquet?






6 - William met Kate while both were students at Scotland's University of St. Andrew's, when he played for the water polo team.



7 - William has been wild about Kate for 8 years.






8 - William presented his fiancee with his mother's signature sapphire engagement ring, made of 18-carat white gold.






9 - The bridal route will pass along The Mall, past Horse Guards and Whitehall to the abbey.

10 - Traditionally, the Archbishop of Canterbury conducts the marriage ceremonies of England's future monarchs, so the current archbiship, Rowan Williams, will do the honors for William.

11 - Besides royalty and foreign heads of state, several wing commanders will be on the guest list due to William's service with search and rescue.

12 - Also attending will be Sir Clive Woodward, former rugby player and coach of the 2003 World Cup winners.


13 - With all my best wishes to Prince William and Kate Middleton - may you never run out of things to talk about.