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| Three Queens to Celebrate Royal Wedding at Sea | |
Prince William and Kate Middleton are to be wed on Friday, April 29, 2011 at Westminster Abbey. After a week of speculation, the royal couple have announced their wedding plans. Prince William's private secretary, Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, said the couple chose the 1,000-year-old abbey in central London because it has a sense of intimacy. The wedding day will be a national holiday in Britain, known there as a bank holiday, and has been described as a semi-state occasion. It's also the feast day of St. Catherine of Siena, whose name Middleton shares, though that is a coincidence. |
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Engaged at lastOn Nov. 16, the royal family announced that Prince William and Kate Middleton were engaged. The prince had popped the question to his longtime girlfriend during an October 2010 vacation to Kenya, it was revealed. William and Kate pose for the media at St. James's Palace in London on Nov. 16, after they announced their engagement. The couple are to wed in 2011. (Kirsty Wigglesworth / AP) |
"The wedding of Kate and William will be a happy and momentous occasion," said Prime Minister David Cameron on Tuesday. "We want to mark the day as one of national celebration, a public holiday will ensure the most people possible will have a chance to celebrate on the day."
Three Queens to View Royal Wedding at Sea
Guests on board Cunard's three ships - Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth - on 29 April 2011, the day of the Royal Wedding, need have no fear of missing one second of the historic union of the future King and Kate Middleton.
Each of the three ships feature Royal Court Theatres - West End in style and West End in size - where the wedding ceremony will be broadcast live.
- Queen Mary 2's Royal Court Theatre (capacity 1000)
- Queen Elizabeth's Royal Court Theatre (capacity 800)
- Queen Victoria's Royal Court Theatre (capacity 800)
A Day of Celebration
The day will also be one of celebration on all ships, with that evening's dinner featuring a commemorative menu and a champagne toast.
"Cunard is a company with an enviable heritage and unparalleled links to the Royal family - our ships were named either by Her Majesty The Queen or by her apparent successor, HRH The Duchess of Cornwall," said Peter Shanks, president of Cunard. "It follows then that our passengers are likely to have an above average interest in the pageantry of a Royal wedding. We intend to cater for that and ensure they do not miss one minute.
"Royal weddings don't happen that often and with our impeccable Royal connections we intend to ensure that our red ensign ships lead the British merchant marine in marking this momentous day."
"Royal weddings don't happen that often and with our impeccable Royal connections we intend to ensure that our red ensign ships lead the British merchant marine in marking this momentous day."
At the time Queen Elizabeth will be at sea heading for Southampton, Queen Victoria will be at sea in the Mediterranean, and Queen Mary 2 will be on a seven-night Transatlantic Crossing.
