Royal Flush

As they pay their respects to the House of Windsor, Arab royals may also catch a glimpse of their imperiled future.

BY SIMON HENDERSON

With heavy rain expected in London on Friday, the royal wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton could be a meteorological disaster. Rain or shine, it could also be a political catastrophe for the Arab royal families attending as guests. The affair will feature a total of eight Arab royals. By comparison, when the groom's father, Prince Charles, married his long-time "close friend," Camilla, in 2005, there were only four Arab royal guests. When Charles married Diana in 1991, there were just two.
With an estimated 2 billion people watching on television across the world, and another 400 million on the Internet, the royal wedding also promises to be a bold statement of defiance against the Arab Spring -- and clear proof of how much the Arab royals are out of touch.
 So far, the anti-autocratic trend sweeping the Middle East has only overturned the leadership of republics -- Egypt and Tunisia. The governments next in line to fall are similarly non-monarchies -- Libya, Syria, and Yemen. Ignoring the fact that this could be a distinction without a difference, apologists for Arab royals have discretely argued that kings and emirs "know" how to rule, and that traditional methods of the open-court "majlis" have made royals aware of public discontent before it boils over. Of course, the fact that they enjoy access to massive revenues from their energy deposits has also ensured that this process remains well-oiled, so to speak.
The rich Arab monarchies are said to be scared stiff about the vulnerabilities of the less oil-rich thrones. Morocco worries them, as does the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Bahrain, too -- which is why Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates sent security forces into the kingdom last month to boost the government of King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa.
Some adjustments in the seating arrangements in Westminster Abbey are already in progress. On April 24, the Gulf Daily News, Bahrain's newspaper of record, announced that Bahraini Crown Prince Salman would be going to London for the event. The same day, it emerged that his trip was cancelled. With "deep regret," he announced his withdrawal due to fears that his presence would "overshadow" the event. There had been threats of (peaceful) protests in London against Bahrain's state of emergency, which was imposed in March after large-scale demonstrations threatened the Bahraini throne.
King Abdullah II of Jordan, although invited, is also not going to be in London, at least according to the published list. Whether this is because he doesn't want to leave his kingdom when Syrian tanks are laying siege to a town along the Syrian-Jordanian border or because he worries about the risk of too overt a display of the notorious regal extravagance of his wife, Queen Rania, is not clear.
The biggest contingent of Arab royals will be from the Arab Gulf states, and Salman's absence will be the only gap. The least populous state will have the most senior and also the largest presence: the giant frame of the emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani. (Sheikh Hamad is also the new owner of a London grocery and general store known as Harrods.) Kuwait will be represented by Interior Minister Sheikh Ahmad Hamoud al-Sabah, and the United Arab Emirates by Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, who will be arriving from Washington following discussions about the Arab Spring with President Barack Obama.
Saudi Arabia will be represented by its ambassador in London, Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf bin Abdulaziz, who will be accompanied by his wife, Princess Fadwa. (Will her face be covered? Probably not. Will there be TV coverage of her face? Probably not.) Prince Mohammed is a slightly surprising choice. Both Prince Turki al-Faisal, then the Saudi ambassador to Britain, and Prince Bandar bin Sultan came to Prince Charles's 2005 wedding; the British heir to the throne is also close to Prince Khalid al-Faisal, the governor of Mecca. Perhaps the House of Saud, still unsure whether it has completely stamped out popular discontent in the kingdom, was leery of sending one of those more high-profile royals.
The most appropriate representative will be from Oman: Sayyid Haitham bin Tariq al-Said, a relative of Sultan Qaboos and the country's minister of heritage and culture. Heritage, after all, is perhaps what this wedding is all about.
In Queen Rania's absence, the glamor in the Arab royal contingent will be provided by the wife of the emir of Qatar, the diamond-studded Sheikha Mozah, and the Moroccan representative, the red-haired Princess Lalla Salma, the wife of King Mohammed VI (who will be absent).
Let us hope it is a happy day for the bride and groom. To the Arab royals: Pay close attention to who you are sitting next to. The ruling European kings and queens now lead constitutional monarchies -- they only have formal, rather than political, power. Others no longer even have a throne. The king of Greece has lived in London since 1973. Simeon II, Bulgaria's one-time czar, returned to his homeland after the end of communism and served as an elected civilian prime minister from 2001 to 2005. Crown Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia no longer has a country.
As the Arab world struggles for change, this bunch must be wondering if, amidst the pomp and the grand but hollow titles of their European counterparts, they are also catching a glimpse of their future.
www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/04/27/royal_flush

Absence of the Jordanian Svaq William - Kate raises questions

 

News - The absence of the representative of a Jordanian wedding ceremony for Britain's Prince William and his wife, Kate, raised questions about the significance of this, especially since the official list was missing the names of any representatives of the Jordan.

It is known that the Royal Family has close ties to the royal family in Britain.

It is known that most of the royal families in the world were represented at the wedding, with the exception of some Arab countries that were invited and apologized at the last minute, but Jordan did not announce a representative at all.

khabarjo.net

What Did You Do for the Royal Wedding?

By R_Ferrier

Corsham celebrated the Royal Wedding with various businesses putting up Union Jack flags, holding parties and stringing up bunting across their doorways or over their porches. Hopefully you are fully recovered from all the excitement of yesterday, so tell us what you did for the Royal Wedding.

1.  
   Pick some local goodies to help you remember the Royal Wedding. How did you spend the day?

Along the High Street and surrounding businesses were flags bearing the image of Prince William and Kate Middletown, now Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Were you watching the wedding on the television or did you travel down to London to catch a glimpse of all the excitement. Let us know! 

Got any Royal Wedding party pictures? Add them to our Corsham People galleryand help share the fun which the Royal Wedding brought to the country and our local Corsham community. 

There’s still time to get those Royal Wedding goodies in Whitehall or to purchase a Wills and Kate pie from the Hare and Hounds. 

Automattic Comics also has a Royal Wedding comic book if you are looking for something really different and original to mark the special occasion. 

Did you see the Mummer’s Play at the Harp and Crown Inn at Gastard. The play had a Wills and Kate theme to honour the special occasion. 

Let us know in the comment box below how you spent the day and what you were doing at the historic moment when the Royal Wedding took place. 

Royal wedding: William and Kate 'moved by affection'

The wedding ceremony will be the epitome of "Britishness", St James's Palace says

Prince William and Kate Middleton say they have been "incredibly moved" by the affection shown to them since they announced their engagement.

In a message in their official wedding programme they thanked "everyone most sincerely for their kindness".
During Friday's Westminster Abbey ceremony Miss Middleton will vow to "love, comfort, honour and keep" Prince William but will not vow to obey him.
The service will be the epitome of "Britishness", St James's Palace said.
VisitBritain has predicted more than 600,000 people will be on the streets to watch Friday's events and several hundred are already camping out in tents and sleeping bags outside the abbey and in The Mall near Buckingham Palace
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-13217693

Dressing Kate

The dress.
Palace officials say Middleton wants to surprise William when she steps out of her Rolls-Royce and enters Westminster Abbey.
While everyone is speculating and predicting what the gown will look like, we asked some local fashion designers how they would design the dress.
Designer Sabrina Stapp likened Middleton to Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, “She has a timeless beauty and style. But she is also very petite, so I would not want her dress to overpower her or completely hide her figure.”
Stapp's design is for a silk ivory dress with ivory embroidery and crystal detailing with several layers of a sheer silk for a full skirt. During the ceremony, Stapp would cover Middleton's arms with a shrug that could later be removed.
As for the train of the dress, it will be hard to top the extravagance of the 25-foot train on Princess Diana's dress when she married Prince Charles in 1981.
Stapp said the train should be “quite lengthy” and would need an extra piece of sheer extension, which also could be removed later.
Omaha designer Williams Torres created a design that he thinks would reflect Middleton's personal style.
Torres went with a “cathedral design” with a medium-size train, a sweetheart neckline and cap sleeves. He combined the sleeves with long gloves as a “perfect substitute for a long-sleeved gown.”
Torres used soft satin under layers of soft lace that have artistic beading on the outer layers. His veil is long and voluminous to complement the train of the dress.
These little details, Torres said, “will allow her to show her personal style and make her more comfortable for the ceremony.”
But why is the design of the dress cause for so much scrutiny?
“The dress has to rise to the occasion,” said Joanna Marschner, senior curator at Britain's Historic Royal Palaces, which takes care of dresses worn by past royal brides. “It has to be big, it has to stand up to the scale of the space and stand up to the scrutiny of all those eyes. It has Ao carry the day, it has to say something about our time, and it has to be the choice of the bride. She has to be comfortable in it.”
And if the pressure of billions of people watching at home isn't enough, Middleton must also deal with the political aspects of her dress.
It is a generally accepted guideline that the designer will be British, like many royal wedding gowns before. And even the materials used in the dress send a message.
Queen Victoria, for example, used English lace and silk woven in London to show support for British industry when she was married in 1848.
Her low-key wedding is seen as a watershed moment for royal wedding fashion. It was the first time a monarch had married for love instead of power and the sentimentality attached to the dress appealed to the masses.
Marschner said Victoria's wedding sparked public interest in the royal events, laying the foundation for the global interest in the 1981 nuptials of Prince Charles and Diana Spencer and the frenzy now over Friday's wedding.
No matter what materials are used or which designer is ultimately chosen, Middleton will maintain a bit of tradition by revealing the dress to William only when she begins to walk down the aisle.
This report includes material from the Associated Press.

Possible royal wedding dress designers

LONDON (AP) — What dress Kate Middleton will be wearing when she marries Prince William on April 29 remains one of the most eagerly anticipated and closely guarded secrets of Britain’s royal wedding. Here’s a look at some designers who may have been asked to lend a hand.

SARAH BURTON
Appointed creative director of Alexander McQueen shortly after the designer’s death in 2010, Burton is widely tipped among the British press to be Middleton’s dress designer — despite Burton’s denials.
Burton’s work is said to have caught Middleton’s eye when she designed an off-the-shoulder wedding dress for Sara Buys, a fashion journalist who in 2005 married Tom Parker Bowles, the son of Middleton’s future stepmother-in-law, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.
The designer has dressed Cate Blanchett, Lady Gaga and Gwyneth Paltrow. She joined McQueen in 1996 as an intern and in September presented her first womenswear collection in Paris. Her clothes were not as dark or dramatic as McQueen’s but still bold enough to make her a fashion-forward choice for a royal bride.

BRUCE OLDFIELD
One of Princess Diana’s favorite designers, Oldfield is best known for his couture evening dresses and bridalwear. He counts Queen Rania of Jordan, Jerry Hall, Barbra Streisand and Catherine Zeta-Jones among his celebrated clients.
Oldfield’s style is traditional and timeless, and his gowns, made in classic bridal fabrics like crushed velvet and taffeta, would befit a royal wedding.

PHILLIPA LEPLEY
A luxury bridal fashion designer based in London’s swanky Chelsea — an area frequented by Middleton and her well-heeled friends — Lepley is known for her romantic, classic style. Lepley, who made wedding gowns for celebrities Davina McCall and Ulrika Jonsson, was an early frontrunner as a designer for Middleton.

ALICE TEMPERLEY
Known for Bohemian designs that use traditional embroideries and intricate embellishments, Temperley makes bridal gowns that are ethereal and vintage-inspired. Middleton’s mother and maid-of-honor/sister Pippa were recently snapped in Temperley’s London showroom, fueling gossip that she may be designing the bridesmaids’ dresses or the wedding gown.

JASPER CONRAN
Conran’s trademark style is clean and understated, and his bridal line is dominated by regal, modern silhouettes. Conran, known as one of Princess Diana’s favored designers, made the wedding gown of Princess Margaret’s daughter Lady Sarah Chatto in 1994. The designer studied at New York’s Parsons School of Art and Design before launching his label, which now spans clothing, perfumes, furniture and tableware.

SOPHIE CRANSTON
Sophie Cranston won the Designer of the Year award at Graduate Fashion Week in 1999 and then went on to work with Alice Temperley and Alexander McQueen before founding her own label, Libelula (“dragonfy”) in Spain. As Libelula grew in stature, she returned to south London, where the label has attracted a devoted following. She is known for her use of bright, exuberant colors and has designed numerous bespoke wedding gowns and bridesmaids outfits.

AMANDA WAKELEY
Wakeley, a self-taught designer, launched her label in 1990 and has since dressed celebrities including Scarlett Johansson, Demi Moore, Kate Beckinsdale and Dita Von Teese. Her bridal line is contemporary and glamorous, with lots of slinky, bias-cut silk dresses — perfect for an outdoor or a beach wedding but perhaps not so for traditional church ceremonies.

JENNY PACKHAM
Another designer with a vintage-inspired bridal line, Packham’s wedding dresses are often unstructured sheaths that dip low in the front and back — not exactly royal wear. Packham opened her first ready-to-wear shop in 2008 and her bridal gowns are now much sought after among British brides.

DANIELLA ISSA HELAYEL
Brazilian designer Daniella Helayel founded her label, Issa, in 2001 and has since been widely known as Middleton’s favorite go-to designer for feminine, elegant dresses. The Daily Mail went as far as to say that Issa has become “a name synonymous with Kate.”
Although she had dressed Hollywood stars from Madonna to Sharon Stone, the designer had not been widelyell known until Middleton wore a blue silk Issa dress to announce her engagement to Prince William in November. The dress — and numerous knock-offs — became an instant sellout.
Issa is known for soft silk jersey dresses in bright, tropical colors, but Helayel does not have wide experience with bridal gowns.

CAROLINE CASTIGLIANO
Castigliano, a popular bridal designer with six boutiques throughout Britain, set up her first bridal boutique in 1991, specializing in contemporary wedding dresses. She has been quoted saying she hopes Middleton finds a gown to show off her “tiny” waist.

Royal wedding guest list

Fairy tales have taken some beatings, but they never disappear.
"The beautiful princess and handsome prince heading off into the happily ever after is almost imprinted in our DNA," says author Michael Farquhar.
"There's an endless, bottomless fascination with royalty. In Britain, it's an enduring institution. Celebrities come and go, royalty is here to stay."
Princess Diana's marriage to Prince Charles showed the public just how false a fairy tale could be.
But now their son William - second in line to the throne - is set to marry longtime girlfriend Kate Middleton, all is forgotten.
On Friday, the next royal spectacle occurs.
Anglophiles everywhere will watch England's future king marry his college sweetheart at Westminster Abbey.
For months now, the guest list has kept people guessing.
In keeping with tradition, William and Kate have invited select exes to their big day.
"Since the male members of the Royal Family generally make a point of bedding as many high-born beauties as possible before making the inevitable march to the altar, the pews are generally filled with heartbroken young female aristocrats who, to put it bluntly, didn't make the cut," notes Christopher Andersen, author of William and Kate: A Royal Love Story.
"Camilla was front and centre at Charles's wedding to Diana, after all, as were at least a dozen or more of Charles's exes."
In addition to girl-and boyfriends past, William and Kate's guest list includes celebrities, heads of state, family and close friends.
The friends who've been invited have remained discreet, never broken their silence about the couple, and as a result have been rewarded with an invitation, Andersen says.
"These are the friends they can count on to keep royal secrets."
Here's a look at a handful of high-profile people who'll be there on the big day:
The spare: Now that the heir is off the marriage market, the spare is the most eligible bachelor in England. Prince Harry, 26, was kind enough to make his mother's sapphire and diamond engagement ring available to older brother Wills, who in turn gave it to Kate when they made things official. Nice. That's just one reason why Harry is best man.
William and Harry were close before Diana's death and even closer after, Andersen says. "There is no question that, next to Kate, Harry is the most important person in William's life. No one else knows what they've endured over the years. Harry has also come to regard Kate as the sister he never had. Poignant, really, because Diana desperately wanted a daughter but of course never lived to have one."
With a full head of hair and a face from both parents, Harry cuts a more rakish figure than his elder brother. Perhaps it's easier to be funloving when you don't have the burden of becoming king hanging over your royal head.
The kid sister: Philippa Middleton is Kate's lookalike sib and maid of honour for the big day. Known as Pippa, the 27-year-old shares her sister's long, dark hair and clean smile. Pippa is a party organizer who likes to attend parties: in 2008, Tattler Magazine named her "the No. 1 Society Singleton." She has had lots of boyfriends and may have a new flock of suitors after the world watches her attend to her sister.

Kate's parents: Carole and Michael Middleton were born into Britain's middle class. Long before the phrase "flight attendant" became de rigueur, she was a stewardess and he was a steward and flight dispatcher for British Airways. The couple has three kids; their eldest, Catherine Elizabeth (a.k.a. "Kate") will be marrying up, as they say, on Friday. The Middletons run a mail-order company called Party Pieces from a warehouse near their home in the village of Bucklebury, Berkshire.
The Beckhams: Becks and Posh are royalty in their respective worlds. Why'd they get an invite? "David Beckham met William at the World Cup in Africa and they have been friends ever since," Andersen notes. "Victoria is along for the ride." The Beckhams have been house-hunting in England in anticipation of Baby Beckham's birth. Apparently, even famous people want to be near mum and dad when a baby's coming.
Mr. Bean: Actor-comedian Rowan Atkinson has been goofing off for decades, from history-hopping stints in The Black Adder (later Blackadder) series to his wildly popular TV show, Mr. Bean, which spawned films and a cartoon. Mr. Bean is silly in a British way, with Atkinson emerging as a gangly collision between mime, clown and cut-up. He's a British treasure the same way that Jerry Lewis is an American treasure.
The X-factor: No hard feelings? There must be a few for Jecca Craig and Arabella Musgrave, who were serious love interests of Prince William. When the guy who got away is the man who would be king ... that's gotta hurt. "The reason these young women were invited . is that they have kept their mouths shut," Andersen says. By Andersen's count, William has invited at least seven of his exes. Kate has invited two.
Music royalty: Just a few weeks ago, Sir Elton John was "sweating it out, convinced that he had not been invited," Andersen says. "However, the treasured 'Golden Ticket' to the wedding breakfast being hosted at Buckingham Palace by the Queen finally came through for both Elton and his partner David Furnish.
"Elton is one of the very few friends of Diana's who are invited to the wedding," Andersen notes.
The prime minister: David Cameron is the guy who really runs Britain, and he does it without a crown, a palace or a horse-drawn carriage.
Madonna's ex: Filmmaker Guy Ritchie - the guy behind Sherlock Holmes is a distant (like, sixth) cousin of Kate Middleton.
The Virgin heiress: Holly Branson, daughter of Richard Branson, is a party girl with a brain. The 30-year-old is a pal of William and Kate, often accompanying them to clubs in London.
Random royals: Look for the kings of Tonga, Thailand, Jordan, Malaysia, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia; sultans of Oman and Brunei; the crown prince of Abu Dhabi and the emperor of Japan.

Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/entertainment/Royal+wedding+guest+list/4668592/story.html#ixzz1KZR95ZTX

Wills and Kate will have a week in Jordan

WILLS and Kate will spend a very private honeymoon in the kingdom of Jordan - at a luxury villa owned by the Middle East country's king.

The villa, part of King Abdullah II's lavish personal summer palace, is in Red Sea resort Aqaba.
Palmy army... beach at Aqaba Tibor Bognar/Alamy

It is surrounded by miles of private beach and protected by the monarch's elite military guard.

A source close to the Jordanian Royal Family told us: "The King has known the British Royal Family all his life and knew he could offer the newlyweds privacy unlike anywhere else in the world. It is completely isolated and hidden from prying eyes. After sharing their wedding with billions of others it will suit William and Kate perfectly.

"The King has made his summer palace impregnable. His father King Hussein suffered 37 assassination attempts on his life and over the years the Aqaba palace has been turned into a fortress."
Wonder... Petra Matthew Richardson/Alamy

Recent unrest across the Middle East, including Jordan, has forced royal officials to line up other possible honeymoon locations but Aqaba is top of Wills and Kate's list.

Towers manned around the clock by armed guards and palm trees line miles of beach where Wills and Kate will be able to sunbathe unseen and enjoy water-skiing and tennis. The warm, clear waters of the Red Sea will be perfect for Kate, who lived in Jordan for part of her childhood. She was spotted buying bikinis in London this week.

A helicopter pad on the villa's roof will allow the newlyweds to travel to visit some of the wonders Jordan offers tourists, including Petra, the city carved into a mountain in 1200BC.

Inside the villa, the couple will have their own butler and team of staff. The palace's huge kitchens have world-class chefs and the bathrooms are furnished with gold taps and marble floors.

It is said to have been decorated by Abdullah's wife Queen Rania, who is noted for her elegant but laid-back sense of style. Our insider added: "While being incredibly luxurious it's also cosy. The family are very down-to-earth."

Royal weddings from around the world

With Britain's Prince William and Kate Middleton set to tie the knot, Matt Hryciw looks back at other royal weddings around the globe. From the Duke of Windsor and Wallis Simpson in 1937 to Sweden's Crown Princess and her personal trainer last year, the grandeur, pomp and regality of the nuptials shine through

Prince Rainier III and Grace Kelly, 1956
The bombshell American film star Grace Kelly places the ring on the finger of Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, during the church wedding ceremony at the principality's St Nicholas Cathedral. Six hundred guests attended the wedding and the couple remained together until Princess Grace died in a car crash in 1982 at the age of 52.

The Duke of Windsor and Wallis Simpson, 1937
After famously abdicating the British throne in 1936 "to marry the woman I love", the former King Edward VIII wed the American divorcee at a French château the following year. Not a single member of the British Royal Family attended, but the pair went on to enjoy a glamorous cafe-society life and stayed married until the Duke's death 35 years later.

King Hussein and Lisa Halaby, 1978
Hussein bin Talal, King of Jordan, married four times, the last in a Muslim ceremony in Amman to Halaby, an American Christian. The bride gave up her US citizenship and, while not constitutionally required, converted to Islam to become Queen Noor on their wedding day. The couple remained together until the king's death in 1999, and Queen Noor remains active promoting dialogue, peace and development across the Middle East.

Princess Elizabeth and Philip Mountbatten, 1947
Before ascending to the UK throne in 1952, Britain's future queen married the Duke of Edinburgh in a ceremony at Westminster Abbey that was broadcast to 200 million people around the world. Nearly 65 years later, Prince Philip is Britain's longest-serving consort and is widely known for his support of Queen Elizabeth's nearly six-decade reign as well as his famous faux pas.

Crown Prince Naruhito and Masako Owada, 1993
The heir to Japan's centuries-old Chrysanthemum Throne met his future wife in 1986. The pair were married in an elaborate Shinto ceremony broadcast to an estimated 500 million people, although the couple now maintain a private relationship. While the Crown Prince makes regular public appearances, the country's most famous and reclusive princess continues to suffer from emotional disorders widely reported to be caused by the pressure to produce a male heir.

Crown Prince Abdullah and Rania al Yassin, 1993


Jordan's King met his stunning Palestinian wife at a dinner party in January 1993 and, as he put it, "It was love at first sight". Just two months later the pair were engaged and in June that year the Crown Prince and Rania wed. The Crown Prince became King Abdullah II in 1999 following the death of his father, King Hussein, and in 2009 Queen Rania was named No. 76 on Forbes' 100 Most Powerful Women list for her advocacy of human rights and women's issues.

Prince Juan Carlos and Princess Sofia, 1962
The future King of Spain wed a radiant Princess Sofia of Greece and Denmark in Athens in both Catholic and Greek Orthodox ceremonies. The event was attended by more than 150 European Royals and the Greek capital was decked out in the flags of both Mediterranean nations.

King Ronald Mwenda Mutebi II and Sylvia Nagginda Luswata, 1999
The King of Buganda, a kingdom within Uganda, married his 35-year-old journalist wife at St Paul's Cathedral in Kampala. The event marked the restoration of relations between the monarchy, based in the fertile southern part of Uganda, and the modern Ugandan state.

Crown Princess Victoria and Daniel Westling, 2010
More than half a million Swedes packed Stockholm's streets to cheer the union of the heiress apparent to her former personal trainer, now known as Prince Daniel, Duke of Västergötland. The ceremony took place at Storkyrkan cathedral in the capital before the newlyweds greeted throngs of spectators from the balcony of Stockholm Palace. Sweden has practised equal primogeniture, or the right of the firstborn to inherit the throne regardless of gender, since 1980.

Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer, 1981
Charles, Prince of Wales and heir to the British throne, married Diana in the "wedding of the century" at London's St Paul's Cathedral. Six hundred thousand well-wishers lined the streets of the city hoping to catch a glimpse of Diana's extravagant puffball dress complete with 11-metre train. The pair divorced in 1996 after years of trouble, and in 1997, Diana, the "Queen of Hearts", was killed in a car crash, prompting an unprecedented public outpouring of grief.

King Farouk and Safinaz Zulficar, 1938
Effectively Egypt's final king, Farouk wed his wife when she was just 16, making the newly named Farida the youngest queen the modern state had ever known. But, in line with custom, the bride was absent from the ceremony, as her father signed the nuptials with the King instead. The couple divorced in 1948 before Farouk was overthrown four years later, and he died in obscurity in Rome in 1965. She died in 1988.

Matt Hryciw

Will, Kate plan honeymoon in Jordan?

Though their honeymoon destination is still officially a closely guarded secret, the couple will go to the West Asian country for two weeks and they have already booked a week-long tailor-made tour of southern Jordan, including a visit to the the ancient city of Petra, The Sunday Telegraph reported.
William (28) and Kate (29) will leave London for their honeymoon the day after the wedding on April 29, and are said to be considering several options for their break, with Jordan being their preferred foreign destination.

The couple are also expected to visit Amman where Middleton and her family moved in 1984, and where she had even attended a nursery school, the newspaper said, adding they may also pay an unofficial visit to King Abdullah and Queen Rania of Jordan who are close friends of the British Royal Family.

A royal aide said: "We will not be identifying which country the couple may be going to for their honeymoon. After the wedding, we will announce when they have gone away for their two-week break, where they hope to enjoy some privacy."

The second-in-line to the British throne's late mother Princess Diana and father Prince Charles began their honeymoon at Broadlands, the Hampshire estate of Lord Mountbatten before cruising the Mediterranean on board the Royal Yacht Britannia and spending time at Queen's Balmoral estate.