Buckingham Palace has sent out invitations for the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. Officials have not disclosed who is invited but journalists who follow the royal family say half of the guests are family and friends. The rest will be leading British politicians, VIPs from all over the world, and a scattering of stars and celebrities. Of those invited to the ceremony at London’s Westminster Abbey on April 29, a third will go on to attend a celebration reception at Buckingham Palace hosted by Queen Elizabeth, and then half of those will go on to a dinner party hosted by Prince Charles, William’s father. This select group will be family and close friends of the happy couple. It is expected they will go on honeymoon the following day.

Prince William and Kate Middleton met at St. Andrew’s University in Scotland. They began dating in 2003 and shared an apartment together. Their relationship became the subject of considerable media speculation from the very beginning. This intensified after Ms Middleton attended a special parade when William graduated from the Sandhurst military academy. The attention from the press became so intense that William had to ask the paparazzi to keep their distance and respect Ms Middleton’s privacy. William has painful memories of how the media hounded his mother, Princess Diana. In 2007, there were reports that the couple had split up, even though they were regularly seen together at various high-profile events and holidays. Prince William proposed to Kate on 19 October 2010 on a trip to Kenya.