A whopping Two Billion people around the world will be glued to the TV watching the fairytale unfold on April 29 – just three weeks away.
A further 500,000 will pack the streets of London to catch a glimpse of the future King and his bride.
Palace aides last night unveiled their plans to The Sun and said the happy couple want it to be “the most memorable day of their lives”.
On the morning of the wedding the Queen will announce how the bride and groom will be known.
Some sources believe they could be given the title Duke and Duchess of Clarence or Cambridge.
However, sources insist the golden couple may opt to be known simply as Prince William and Princess Catherine.
While they have personally agonised about the wedding day details, there is one thing that Kate has insisted on.
She is determined that no details of her wedding dress are announced until 11am on the day – the moment that she and her father Michael arrive at Westminster Abbey.
Sources say Kate, 29, does not want anything to spoil William’s surprise as she walks down the aisle.
On the big day, she will wake up in a suite at a secret hotel in central London. As she prepares to put on her dress and a team of stylists put the finishing touches to her hair and make-up, the first guests are due to arrive at the Abbey. They are expected to turn up from 8.30am via the North Door.
At 10.45am the royals are expected to arrive by the Great West Door at the front of the Abbey.
The Queen and Prince Philip will be the last to arrive before Kate and her bridesmaids appear.
Route … couple will re-trace Kate’s earlier route via Parliament Square and The Mall
There will be no ushers. The traditional role of showing guests to their seats and greeting the bride on her arrival will be performed by the historic Yeomen of the Guard.
Known as the monarch’s bodyguard, the Yeomen are the oldest British military corps still in existence and date back to Henry VII in 1485 at the Battle of Bosworth Field.
But while the pomp and ceremony will fill the Abbey, Kate’s arrival will be modest by royal standards.
Instead of travelling in a gold, horse-drawn coach, she has chosen to travel in a Fifties Rolls-Royce. She and her father will be the last to arrive at the Abbey.
They will leave their hotel at 10.50am and head down past Buckingham Palace, along The Mall and turn right at Trafalgar Square into Whitehall.
Royal coach … the newlyweds will wave to the crowds as they make their way to the reception
Flanked by police on all sides, they will then head into Parliament Square and turn right towards the front of Westminster Abbey.
The service will last for one hour and 15 minutes.
The Dean of Westminster, the Very Reverend Dr John Hall, will conduct the service and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, will preside over the reciting of vows.
The Bishop of London, the Right Reverend Richard Chartres – who presided over Princess Diana’s funeral – will give the sermon. Only Kate will have a ring, following William’s decision to forgo one.
At 12.15pm, William, 28, and his bride will leave the Abbey and emerge for the first time as husband and wife.
Buckingham Palace … Prince William and Kate will emerge on to the balcony as Charles and Diana once did
They will climb into a royal coach – either open or glass, depending on the weather.
They will then re-trace Kate’s route, waving to the crowds lining the streets.
They will be followed by four more ceremonial coaches containing other senior members of the Royal Family, plus Kate’s parents.
At Buckingham Palace they will have private photographs taken by Hugo Burnand, while 650 invited guests make their way to a reception in the 19 state rooms.
At 1.25pm – and doubtless to the delight of the 450,000-strong crowd waiting outside – William and Kate will emerge on to the balcony followed by other members of the two families.
This is where they are expected to follow the example of William’s parents, Charles and Diana, and kiss in public.
At 1.30pm, as the royals wait on the balcony, there will be a fly-past by the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight of Lancaster, Spitfire and Hurricane aircraft, closely followed by two Typhoon fighter jets and two Tornados.
The Queen will then host the reception with drinks and canapés, where both William and Kate’s cakes will be on display.
At 3pm the couple will drive to St James’s Palace for their first breather. A few hours later, at around 7pm, they will return to Buckingham Palace for a second reception, for 300 of their family and friends. This “private” event will include the speeches and traditional toasts.
Aides insist Wills and Kate have not yet decided whether they will spend their first night as husband and wife in Buckingham Palace or nearby Clarence House, where William has an apartment.
However, they will set off for a two-week honeymoon the following morning.
The wedding day is not officially ranked as a state occasion – because William is not the first in line to the throne. But that does not seem likely to dampen the excitement.
Aides have revealed that an incredible 7,000 journalists have been accredited to cover the event, with 60 live camera positions capturing every angle of the route.
It is a day that will live in the memory for years to come.
Photos courtesy THE SUN.
