The 1772 Royal Marriages Act stipulates that the progeny of King George II must obtain the approval of a reigning monarch before a Royal Marriage may proceed. While no mention of this has appeared in any of the press release from either the palace, Downing Street or Clarence House, one can safely assume that HRH Prince William and Ms. Kate Middleton have obtained the blessing of Her Majesty The Queen Elizabeth II prior to announcing their nuptials.

In addition, HRH Prince William must observe the restrictions laid out in the constitution following the Glorious Revolution of 1688, which, among others, states that the act of marrying a non-Protestant bride or groom would invalidate an heir’s claim to the throne. Naturally, the heir to the throne must be a Protestant. This measure was taken at the time in an attempt to ensure the Hanoverian succession is maintained, thus preventing the dilution of the monarchy with continental bloodlines. HRH Prince William has clearly fulfilled these two requirements, and thus, a legal challenge to his intended marriage to Ms. Middleton is not expected.

While it is not written in stone, general courtesy dictates that permission from both of Ms. Middleton parents should be obtained prior to HRH Prince William proposing to her. Reports have suggested that he did indeed formally request for their daughter’s hand in marriage, and it was most readily accepted by the parents.

The wedding itself would not be quite so different from what one would normally expect in a normal wedding. Let’s start with the wedding attire. Ms. Middleton will almost certainly be wearing the classical white wedding gown, a tradition that was started in 1840 by Queen Victoria, who in her matrimony to HRH Prince Albert Saxe-Coburg Gotha, wore a white wedding gown against the norm of wearing colorful dresses. The idea caught on, as not only wearing a ‘specialized’ dress for a ceremony heightens the significance of the event, it is also a representation of purity of the bride. The tradition has made a full circle, and four generations later, Ms. Middleton would be wearing white again, but this time, she will be following conventional custom. However, there is some excitement in her yet to be announced choice of dress designer, and more importantly, the actual design of the dress, which is anticipated to be one of the most watched and copied design for the next few years. It remains to be seen whether her dress design will also include the 25 feet train that her late mother-in-law, Diana, Princess of Wales, wore for her wedding.

HRH Prince William meanwhile, will probably be following the examples set by his forefathers. His great-great grandfather, the aforementioned HRH Prince Albert, wore a red Field Marshall uniform during his wedding. His granddaughter, and HRH Prince William’s grandmother, Her Majesty The Queen Elizabeth II married HRH Prince Phillip Mountbatten in 1947 and the dashing young naval officer was handsomely attired in a Royal Navy uniform. HRH Prince Charles, the father of the groom, was attired in a Royal Air Force uniform for his marriage to Diana, The Princess of Wales. However, HRH Prince William will have to decide between the uniforms of the Army, Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force for the occasion, as he has been attached with all three wings of the military. Nevertheless, there is a strong likelihood that he will choose the Royal Air Force attire as he is currently assigned to their service.

Next up, is the journey to the Westminster Abbey where the ceremony will take place. Traditionally, there will be a procession originating from the residence of the groom to the bride’s, which normally follows a lead carriage that will seat the Royal couple. However, the current climate of uncertainty, especially in terms of security, has consigned the idea of a carriage to the side. Instead, the procession will be led by a bullet proof vehicle, with a convoy following close behind. A preliminary plan of the route revealed recently sees the motorcade making a big turn from the Mall (where Buckingham Palace and Clarence House are situated) to the Westminster Abbey, by going round the Parliament Square and St. James Park. The idea behind taking the scenic route is a nod to the olden ways where couples are paraded around town to ensure that everyone is aware of their status as newlyweds. In this instance, the intention is for their subjects to partake in the festivities and share in the Royal couple’s memorable day.

When the rings are exchanged in the Abbey during the ceremony, another bit of tradition will be involved. Queen Elizabeth (the late Queen’s mother), started the tradition in 1923 in her wedding to the Duke of York by including a measured amount of Welsh gold into their wedding ring. Welsh gold are renowned for their quality and is normally sold for as high as twice the market rate. The supply of the gold came from the Royal Mine in Dolgellau, Wales. The practice was repeated in all royal weddings since then.

The service would commence at 11am on April 29, 2011. It was reported recently that three prominent clerics would be officiating the service, namely, the

• Dean of Westminster, the Very Reverend Dr. John Hall
• Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams
• Bishop of London, Richard Chartres

While the couple has indicated that the ceremony should remain practical and not be overly extravagant, as indicated by HRH Prince William’s Private Secretary Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, they do intend to break a small tradition by dispensing with a wedding breakfast. Instead, they will have an afternoon reception at the Buckingham Palace which will be hosted by Her Majesty The Queen, followed by a private ball in the evening in the Clarence House which will be hosted by HRH Prince Charles.

We will be providing our readers with more updates as more details about the ceremony are released. For those who would like to receive instant updates on the event, you may consider subscribing to the Twitter account of the Clarence House.