Royal Wedding Customs Through the Ages
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Photo by Nick Ansell/AFP/Getty Images.Bride-Inspired Desserts
Previous brides and grooms have dined at an elegant, three-course Royal Wedding Breakfast (which is actually more of a lunch). But in an attempt to keep ostentation levels low because of the shaky economy, Kate and William are forgoing this tradition. Instead, the Queen is throwing them a lunchtime reception–buffet style–at Buckingham Palace. Still, Kate may have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be immortalized with a dessert. According to Marilyn Braun, who writes a blogabout all things royal, several previous wedding-breakfast menus have named French desserts after the brides. In 1947, Braun says, the dessert was named "Bombe Glacée Princess Elizabeth." In 1923, it was "Fraises Duchesse Elizabeth." Here, a royal chef prepares for the wedding in the kitchens of Buckingham Palace.
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Photo by Dominic Lipinski - WPA Pool/Getty Images.Dancin' in the Street
Since the wedding is a national holiday, many Brits use it as an excuse to close off local roads and throw huge parties. Sometimes the festivities can get a little too rowdy, with the sun shining and alcohol flowing, as the Sketch columnist described back in 1893. But outdoor gatherings may be limited this year because of a law introduced seven years ago. According to authorities, commoners are prohibited from blocking streets using homemade signs. It also requires them to hire a "traffic management company" if they want to host a soiree in the middle of a road. Locals say some traffic companies are asking for $800 for one event. Luckily, Samantha Cameron, Prime Minister David Cameron's wife, has applied for a license to host a bash on the famous Downing Street, pictured here.
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Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images.Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey was initially used as a royal wedding venue in 1100, when Henry I tied the knot with Matilda of Scotland, who was rumored to be a runaway nun. But Princess Patricia reinstated the abbey as a modern wedding spot in 1919 when she married commoner Alexander Ramsay. It was the first royal wedding in the abbey in more than 600 years.
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Photo by Dominic Lipinski - WPA Pool/Getty Images.Pimp My Carriage
Built in 1881, the Glass Coach, reminiscent of Cinderella's carriage, has been the chicest way for a bride to get to her wedding. Kate is choosing alternate transportation, and will reportedly arrive at Westminster Abbey in a regular old car, to highlight—for the last time!—her status as a commoner. But she throws modesty to the wind once she becomes a princess: She'll ride away in the 1902 State Landau, a carriage. The late queen used the Glass Coach in 1923, the current queen in 1947, Princess Anne in 1973, Princess Diana in 1981, and Fergie in 1986. Here, a carriage restorer cleans the coach, which may also be used to carry the bride and groom if there's inclement weather.
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Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images.Honeymooning on the Royal Yacht
"It's unlikely that William and Kate will have a royal honeymoon as we know them," explains Joe Little, the managing editor ofMajesty Magazine, an English publication devoted to covering the royal family. In the past, Little says, royals like Princess Margaret, Princess Anne, Prince Charles, and Prince Andrew used the royal yacht as a honeymoon spot. But given William's commitment as an officer in the Royal Air Force, he may not have time for an extended holiday. Little guesses the honeymoon will be at the queen's Scotland estate. Here, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall and the Prince of Wales stroll down a red carpet as they leave the royal yacht Leander in 2008. They were on a 10-day tour of the Caribbean islands.
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Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images.Duke, Duke, Duke, Duke of Earl
The queen may decide to bestow another title—like duke or earl—upon William. The new title of nobility is seen as a wedding gift.Some reports say William prefers to remain a prince, and wants Kate to become Princess Catherine. But since a princess inherits her title through birth, not marriage, she would become Princess William, not Princess Catherine—unless the Queen decides to make an exception. If William becomes the Duke of Cambridge, Kate becomes a Duchess. Prince Andrew became the Duke of York at his wedding in 1986. Prince Edward became an earl in 1999. The queen originally planned to make Edward the Duke of Cambridge, but after Edward watched the movie Shakespeare in Love, he asked her if he could instead be known as "Earl of Wessex," the name of one of the film's characters.
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Photo by POOL/AFP/Getty Images.Anyone But a Catholic!
According to the Act of Settlement of 1701, if a royal marries a Catholic, they forfeit their right to the throne. But they're free to marry anyone else—a Muslim, Methodist, or even a Scientologist. Hell, marry a Satanist! A royal can even convert to Catholicism after the marriage and still keep his or her title. Good thing Kate is affiliated with the Anglican Church of England.
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Photo by Dave Hogan/Getty Images.Sprig of Myrtle
In 1840, Queen Victoria stashed a sprig of the myrtle herb in her bridal bouquet, and it became the must-have floral adornment. When Kate holds a sprig in her bouquet, she'll be following in the footsteps of Queen Elizabeth, Princess Diana, and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall. Here, Duchess Camilla of Cornwall is shown with her bouquet after her marriage to Prince Charles in 2005.
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Photo by CREDIT: eviltomthai/flickr.Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
In 1923 Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, a commoner, was about to become a royal by marrying Prince Albert. (Thank goodness she did, or the prince might never have conquered his stutter.) During the ceremony in Westminster Abbey, she decided to place her bouquet on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier as a tribute to the men who died in the Great War. Honoring the fallen with a bridal bouquet has been a tradition ever since.
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Photo by Gerallt Pennant/geograph.org.uk/Wikimedia Commons.Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon was also the first one to use Clogau Welsh gold in her wedding band in 1923. What makes the gold so special? It's expensive and rare: There are three gold mines in Wales, but the Clogau St. David'smine is used for the rings of royalty. The mine was discovered in 1854 and later abandoned. Production began again in 1992, but stopped in 1995 because mining was too expensive. Clogau Gold says its current supply of rare Welsh gold will run out by 2016. An ounce is worth more than $1,500. Kate's wedding ring will reportedly contain some of the remaining stash. Here are the remains of a famous Clogau mine.
This slide show originally appeared with the article Kate and Will's Magic Carriage Ride: The ingredients of a successful royal wedding are more complex than "something borrowed and somthing blue."