Millions to celebrate 'People's Royal Wedding' on April 29 - India News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

Prince William and Kate Middleton will tie the knot on April 29 this year, and millions of people will be invited to celebrate the 'People's Royal Wedding'. There will be street parties, a concert by Britain's top pop stars, and a bank holiday the weekend after Easter. Kate's 'extremely generous' parents have agreed to pay a five-figure sum towards the 12million pounds cost of the big day, the rest of which will be funded by the Queen and Prince Charles. William chose the Abbey because of its poignant link to his mother, contrasting its 'staggering beauty' with the 'feeling of a parish church'. "There will be certain people there who you would be very happy to see but wouldn't necessarily be at the top of your list," the Daily Mail quoted a courtier as disclosing. Those likely to receive an invitation could include destitute teenagers from the homeless charity Centrepoint. Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, William's private secretary, added that RAF helicopter co-pilot William was keen to avoid roping in colleagues from the Armed Forces who are involved in the war effort in Afghanistan. "The couple are very mindful of the current situation, and for example Prince William has already expressed a clear wish that any involvement by the Armed Forces should rely in great part on those servicemen and women already committed to public and ceremonial duties," he said. Prince Charles and the Queen will foot most of the bill for the multi-million-pound celebration but the wedding - including the service, music, flowers, decorations, reception and honeymoon - will be partly split with Michael and Carole Middleton. A formal reception is likely to be hosted by the Queen at Buckingham Palace for guests including heads of state and ordinary people who have met William through his charity links, while a second reception could be at St James's Palace. There may be soaring anthems and heads of state, gilded carriages and ecstatic crowds, but William is emphatic that his wedding to Kate Middleton must feel like a marriage of two people in love, rather than a state occasion where the pomp outstrips the romance. "Nothing troubles him more than the thought of the Middletons feeling overwhelmed by the occasion," said one of his circle. "To him, the joy of Kate's family on her wedding day is more important than his own family's."

Millions to celebrate 'People's Royal Wedding' on April 29!