By Katie Nicholl

Change of plan: It's thought that Prince William and Kate had originally wanted Earl Spencer to give a speech at the ceremony, as he did at Princess Diana's funeral (above right), but perhaps they remembered that he controversially used the occasion to attack the way he believed the Royal Family treated his sister


The Very Best Friends of William and Kate as well as members of the Middleton family and their guests will take pride of place at the Abbey.

But William’s uncle Charles Spencer, who had been expected to deliver an address during the service, will now have no formal role, Palace aides have confirmed.

More than 1,000 of the 1,900 in the congregation will be friends – who have been given the best seats.


The couple’s immediate families and VBFs from St Andrews University, where they met, will have the best view. Close to 500 of them will be seated in the North Lantern and the North and South Transepts and Stalls, which have unobscured views of the Sacrarium where the couple will exchange their vows.

While protocol has dictated that members of Foreign Royal Families and Crowned Heads will be seated next to the Royal Family in the South Lantern, the couple’s friends are spread out.

All the VBFs will have seats towards the top of the Abbey. And many will be seated in the North and South Stalls which have also been reserved for representatives of the Church and members of the Cabinet.

Meanwhile Princess Diana’s brother Earl Spencer and his fiancee, Canadian charity worker Karen Gordon, will be seated away from the Royal Family on the other side of the aisle. They will sit behind the Middletons, along with Princess Diana’s sisters Lady Sarah McCorquodale and Lady Jane Fellowes. Diana’s aunt Lady Anne Wake-Walker will also with the Spencers.

A Palace aide said: ‘The couple have worked tirelessly to get the seating plans just right. They have done all the hard work and I can tell you it has taken months.’

It will take Kate’s father Michael nearly four minutes to walk her down the aisle. His wife Carole will be opposite the Queen, who will be seated next to Prince Philip, then Charles, Camilla and Harry. In the row behind will be Prince Andrew, Beatrice and Eugenie, Prince Edward and Sophie, Princess Anne and her husband Vice-Admiral Timothy Laurence. Mr Middleton will sit by his son James, opposite Prince Philip.

Kate’s sister and maid-of-honour Pippa will also have a place with her family, together with her long-term boyfriend, former cricketer Alex Loudon.

Prince Charles’s personal friends, totalling more than 250, have been demoted to the North Nave where their view will be obscured by a giant organ screen which divides the Abbey in two. Seats have been reserved for Camilla’s family members including Tom Parker Bowles and his wife Sara Buys, Laura Parker Bowles and her husband Harry Lopes. Their daughter Eliza is a bridesmaid and Laura will be sitting close to the aisle in case she needs to rescue her three-year-old.

Also in the VIP rows will be William’s friend Harry Meade and his wife Rosie Bradford, Harry Meade’s brother James, known as ‘Badger’, and many members of William’s Glosse Posse set including Lady Natasha Rufus Isaacs, daughter of the Marquess of Reading, William’s best friend Guy Pelly, polo players Luke and Mark Tomlinson, Thomas van Straubenzee, who is understood to be helping with Harry’s best man’s speech, and Tom and Victoria Inskip, two of William’s best friends from Wiltshire.

William’s private secretary Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, who has helped plan the wedding, and his wife Susannah have also been given a key spot in the North Transept – their son Billy is a page boy.

Also invited is William’s former nanny Tiggy Legge-Bourke, whose son Tom is a page boy.


Abbey days: All the 'very best friends' will have seats towards the top of the Abbey, while Prince Charles's personal friends, more than 250 of them in total, have been demoted to the North Nave


William has invited 80 guests from his charities, who will be seated in the general congregation. When Charles married Diana in 1981, 3,500 people packed into St Paul’s Cathedral but the bride and groom were allowed to invite only 120 of their friends.

The Mail on Sunday has been told that Camilla was allowed to go through the guest list with a red pen and several names were crossed out. Among them were Lady Annabel Goldsmith and Princess Diana’s best friend Rosa Monkton, who are both said to be ‘rather upset’. Lady Annabel was exceptionally close to Diana, William and Harry when they were growing up and they were regular house guests at Ormeley Lodge, Lady Annabel’s home in Richmond, West London.

A source close to the Goldsmith family said: ‘Annabel and Rosa feel they have been deliberately snubbed because they were so close to Diana. It’s a shame, they were both a part of William’s life when he was younger.’ Rosa Monkton has written extensively about the hurt Camilla caused Diana during her marriage to Charles.

The most awkward encounter of Camilla’s life took place at the home of Lady Annabel when Diana confronted Camilla at a birthday party.

Charles’s first girlfriend Lucia Santa Cruz, daughter of the former Chilean ambassador, will be at Friday’s wedding.

Cabinet cough up just £35 each for gift

Cabinet Ministers were accused of being mean yesterday after they gave just £35 each towards a collective ‘wedding present’ for Prince William and Kate Middleton.

The 23 Ministers, who each earn about £135,000 a year, received letters from Cabinet Secretary Sir Gus O’Donnell telling them £35 was ‘an appropriate sum’.

They raised £805 for the couple’s wedding charity, which supports 26 charities chosen by them. The uniform sum and the decision to give it to charity was agreed by Sir Gus and David Cameron after fears it would be embarrassing if some bought lavish gifts while others gave nothing.

The decision was approved after a Cabinet discussion. Ministers then privately agreed they would all give exactly £35 to avoid one-upmanship. One said: ‘You can imagine the kind of media frenzy there would be if everyone gave different amounts.

It may not be very romantic but it is best if we all do the same.’

Labour MP Tom Watson said: ‘Most people will think £35 is pretty mean-minded coming from well-paid Ministers who can afford to give a lot more, especially when it is going to such good causes. You would raise more money at a jumble sale.’ Nick Clegg and Mr Cameron will also buy the Royal couple separate presents.

Tailsgate: Red Ed’s off to Moss BrosEd

Miliband will hire his morning suit for the Royal Wedding from Moss Bros.

The Labour leader, who doesn’t own morning dress, made the decision after Downing Street announced that the Prime Minister would, after all, wear the traditional attire.

Last weekend, aides to the Labour leader told The Mail on Sunday that he – like the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister – was intending to wear a lounge suit.

But once Mr Cameron announced on Wednesday that he was instead going to sport morning dress, Mr Miliband concluded that he should do the same. He decided that wearing a lounge suit would be seen as a statement and that nothing should detract from Prince William and Kate Middleton’s big day.

He will be able to hire a morning coat and trousers for £55 from the outfitting chain.

A waistcoat will cost him an extra £12.

He does not, though, plan to wear morning dress to his own wedding to his partner Justine Thornton, which is on May 27.

Who spelt Eton wrong?

There was one howler in the wedding guest list.

One of the guests, Dr Andrew Gailey, was described as Prince William’s housemaster at ‘Eaton’ rather than Eton College.

A Clarence House spokesman described it as a typographical error but declined to unmask the culprit.

Meanwhile, Eton pupils are planning a protest after the school announced it has no plans to celebrate the Royal Wedding.

Boys at the £9,995-a-term school, who will return from their month-long Easter holiday on Wednesday, are upset they must attend lessons while the rest of the country has the day off.

The 1,300 pupils’ only time off will be to watch the service at 11am in their boarding houses before resuming their normal timetable.


source:dailymail

By Daily Mail Reporter


Worrying: Malissa Jones, who dropped from 32st to 8st, is now anorexic after developing a fear of eating following her gastric band surgery. Right, taken two years post-surgery, Malissa carried 2st of excess skin


A woman who was once Britain's fattest teenager is now battling with anorexia after her life was turned upside down by a gastric bypass operation.

Malissa Jones, 21, lost so much weight that she now tips the scales at just 8 stone. Four years ago, before her surgery, doctors were warning her that she had to take drastic action after ballooning to 34 stone.

They warned her she had to shed 20 stone or would die within months. Now the pendulum has swung the other way for Malissa, from Selby, North Yorkshire with doctors now warning she could die in six months unless she increases her food intake.


Malissa told Closer magazine: 'I would urge anyone wanting surgery to lose weight healthily. I wish I had. 'Surgery can have consequences you might never have imagined.'

Malissa was the youngest person in the world to have a stomach bypass when surgeons performed the £10,000 NHS operation in January 2008.

She consumed 15,000 calories a day from gorging on chocolate, crisps and junk food - seven and a half times the recommended 2,000 calories for a girl of her age. But parents Richard and Dawn were unable to stop her food cravings.

Despite the risk of drastic surgery in such a young girl, she survived the operation and within a year lost more than half her body weight.

She started going clubbing and fell pregnant with farmer boyfriend Chris Robottom, 22. In February, after six months' pregnancy, she became ill with liver failure and her baby had to be delivered by Caesarean.

Sadly her baby, Harry, died an hour after delivery. Doctors then revealed Malissa's failure to eat properly had led to him being malnourished.

Malissa's weight dropped rapidly as she lost interest in food and doctors have now diagnosed her as anorexic.

'Food made my physically sick,' she said. 'I had to force myself to eat.' Her daily diet is now three cooked carrots, two portions of parsnip and a roast potato, which provides 300 calories.

Doctors have advised her to eat between 500 and 1,000 calories a day. Malissa, who is 5ft 8in tall, says: 'I am not deliberately starving myself but, right now, I would rather die than force myself to eat.

'I'm too thin. My body shocks me. But swallowing is painful. Eating a tiny amount gives me stomach cramps or makes me sick.

'My consultant says, if I continue like this, I only have six months to live.

'I will most likely die of a heart attack, so I must persevere with eating. I am trying, but it is so hard.'

'My body shocks me': Malissa is unhappy with how thin she is but swallowing is painful and she eats so little that she frequently ends up in hospital


Clinical psychologist Dr Funke Baffour from Waltham Cross, Herts, said: 'There would have been psychological reasons for Malissa' obesity that a gastric band would not have dealt with.

'It is not surprising she has swapped one emotional relationship with food for another.

'Perhaps, subconsciously, Malissa is so afraid of becoming obese again, she is stopping herself from eating.'







source:dailymil

By Daily Mail Reporter


Kate's second dress was a strapless white satin gazar evening dress with a circle skirt and diamante embroidered detail round the waist.
William stuck to the safe bet of a dinner jacket and bow tie


-William and Kate leave Buckingham Palace by helicopter this morning

-Mystery surrounding couple's honeymoon destination
-Couple spent first married night together at the Palace

-Prince Charles quipped about his son going bald during speeches

-Harry leaves party in minibus at 3am - while Chelsy Davy leaves in car with Beatrice and Eugenie

It was the most nerve-wracking moment of the whole day. No, not Kate Middleton walking down the aisle - Prince Harry's best man speech.

He is infamous for his bad jokes and the Queen and Prince Philip opted to stay away from Buckingham Palace as Harry turned Palace jester last night.

And Prince Charles was reportedly in jovial mood - joking about his newly-married son going bald. William hit back with a joked about his father's waistline.


This morning the couple flew out of Buckingham Palace in a helicopter as they head off on their honeymoon - but their destination remains a mystery.

Last night joker Prince Harry struck again with a quip about his grandfather the Duke of Edinburgh being dwarfed by Kate Middleton, who stood tall in three-inch heels alongside her prince.

His stunning second sister-in-law Pippa, 27, did not appear amused – but she will need to get used to Harry’s humour.

After the lavish Palace party for 300 family and friends last night guests slowly began to leave the party from 11pm onwards with the last departing at 3am.

Prince Harry boarded a minibus with around a dozen over people while Kate Middleton and Prince William spent their first night as a married couple in one of the suites at the Palace.

Chelsy Davy was seen leaving in a car with Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie. There was a short 20 second blast of fireworks at the end of the party.

Palace joker: Prince Harry leaves Buckingham Palace in a coach - while wedding guest Chelsy Davy left in a royal car with Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie

Casually dressed, the newly-wed couple leave Buckingham Palace this morning to head off on their honeymoon

Mystery: The couple are heading off on their honeymoon - although their destination is unknown. Kenya and Scotland are the 3-1 favourites, bookmakers said

Royal honeymoon: Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, fly off from Buckingham Palace this morning


The older guests were seen leaving earlier in the evening before the last of the partygoers got into cars at 3am - or walked off down The Mall.

Some partygoers could be seen kissing in the back of taxis as the vehicles left the lavish late night event.

Prince Charles, who kept a low-profile throughout the wedding say, was this morning back in his Aston Martin car that William used to drive Kate to Clarence House yesterday afternoon.

Long day: Princesses Beatrice and Eugiene leave in a royal car with Chelsy Davy, centre

Royal departure: Prince Charles is driven away from Clarence House in his Aston Martin which William used to drive Kate yesterday with the numberplate 'Just Wed'

Flashback: William drives his new wife in his father's soft top, decorated in balloons, out of Buckingham Palace and down to Clarence House


After a very public wedding watched by an estimated two billion people, the new Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will be hoping for some privacy on their honeymoon.

The royals are expected to set off to a mystery location today and William has taken a fortnight's leave from his job as an RAF Search and Rescue pilot for the holiday.

The destination has so far been shrouded in secrecy, with William having reportedly not even told his new wife where they are going, but speculation is rife over possible choices.

The Duchess had switched into a new white outfit for last night's party - also created by Sarah Burton who designed her wedding gown.

The second dress was a strapless white satin gazar evening dress with a circle skirt and diamante embroidered detail round the waist, St James's Palace said.
Kate was also wearing a white angora bolero cardigan.

Princess Beatrice leaves the Palace in a purple and gold outfit after the evening celebration for 300 close friends and family

Morning after: Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall is driven away from Clarence House this morning after last night's celebration at Buckingham Palace

All change: Pippa Middleton, right, and Carole Middleton, left, in fresh outfits for evening celebration

EVEN KATE DOESN'T KNOW WHERE SHE'S GOING ON HONEYMOON TODAY

The royal couple's honeymoon destination remains a closely-guarded secret as they try to enjoy a private break together after the most public of weddings.

The Caribbean, Australia, Kenya and Jordan are among the exotic destinations that William and Kate could fly to.

Bookmakers had this morning made Kenya the 3-1 joint favourite after a punter had tried to place a £5,000 stake.

But they may continue their wedding theme of championing the UK and spend part of their break in Scotland, where both the Queen and the Prince of Wales have private homes they could use.

Bookies are also offering 3-1 odds on William and Kate heading north of the border.

The Duke is known to have a deep affection for Africa, and would be on safe romantic territory if he chose to take his wife to Kenya, where he proposed to her last year.

Jordan, with its plethora of ancient sites, has also been touted as a possibility for the couple's honeymoon.

The Middle Eastern country would no doubt have nostalgic appeal for Kate as her family spent two years there when she was a child. However its proximity to hotspots such as Syria could count against the country.

If they are keen to escape the prying eyes of the media, a secluded Caribbean island might be a safe choice.

Bequia and Necker Island all have the benefit of being easily secured, as does the ultra-exclusive Mustique, where Kate's parents Carole and Michael Middleton are frequent visitors.

Lizard Island, off the coast of Queensland, Australia, has also emerged as a contender.

However, with William resuming his pilot duties in two weeks, the significant jetlag likely from such a far-flung trip could rule it out.

They may also be tempted by Chile, as they both spent time in the South American country during their gap years before university.

Thirty years ago, William's parents the Prince and Princess of Wales spent the first stage of their honeymoon in Romsey in Hampshire, where they stayed at Broadlands, the family home of the Mountbattens.

The second part of their holiday was spent on board the royal yacht Britannia. They boarded at the Rock of Gibraltar before cruising to Algeria, Tunisia, Sicily, the Greek islands and Egypt.

Finally, they went to Scotland to spend time with the Royal Family in Balmoral.

Honeymoon destination odds

3/1 Kenya; 3/1 Scotland; 7/2 Jordan; 11/2 Cornwall, 6/1 South Africa,7/1 Caribbean, 10/1 Mustique; 10/1 Tanzania, 20/1 Seychelles, 20/1 Saint Tropez, 25/1 Australia, 25/1 Monaco, 25/1 Maldives, 33/1 Wales (all odds from William Hill)

Just wed: Couple return to Buckingham Palace last night for the evening reception with 300 guests where Prince harry delivered his best man speech

One last look: Unable to resist a backward glance, Kate leaves the balcony with her proud husband


The couple left with Charles and his wife the Duchess of Cornwall. The royal party looked happy and relaxed.

The heir to the throne and his son, the new Duke of Cambridge, were dressed in dinner jackets with black bow ties.

Kate had her hair down in her favourite style for the private par
ty.

Camilla wore a light blue hand-embroidered high-collared floor length Anna Valentine dress for the evening.

The new Duchess's family had left the Goring Hotel shortly before 7.30pm.

Her sister Pippa had changed from her bridesmaid dress into a long emerald green sleeveless dress with a jewelled embellishment on the front and a plunging neckline.

Her hair was pinned up at the back and she was carrying a clutch bag.

Kate Middleton, in her gown for the evening, left Clarence House alongside Camilla Parker Bowles for the short journey to Buckingham Palace

Helping hand: Prince Charles holds Eliza Lopes while her grandmother, the Duchess of Cornwall, looks on

Welcome to the Firm: The Middletons share the public's acclaim on the Buckingham Palace balcony. Kate's parents Mike and Carole are on the left, next to Prince Charles holding the Duchess of Cornwall's granddaughter Eliza Lopes. The bride's sister Pippa stands between Princes Philip and Harry


Kate's mother Carole Middleton smiled after stumbling slightly as she came down the stairs at the hotel and her son James placed a guiding hand on her back as she climbed into a silver people carrier.

Yesterday, bridesmaid Grace van Cutsem had no qualms about showing her annoyance at the traditions of the day.

The three-year-old covered her ears grumpily as the flypast took place noisily overhead.

She may, too, have been grimacing about the soppy sweet nothings being whispered just over her left shoulder.

A lip reader’s analysis showed that, following their first kiss, William touchingly told his new bride ‘I love you’ before going in for a second crowd-thrilling embrace.

‘Let’s give them another one. l love you. One more kiss, one more kiss, okay,’ he said.

After the final kiss he gently mocked the enthusiasm of the cheering hordes, saying: ‘Come on! Come on! More! More! More!’

Prince Charles was also more tactile than usual, as he lifted up his wife’s young granddaughter Eliza Lopes so she could get a better view.

Charmed: Prince Philip has more success with the head bridesmaid

Unamused: Infamous joker Prince Harry provokes a grimace from Pippa


source:dailymail

By Daily Mail Reporter


-Prince Harry gave his speech at the reception last night

Kate Middleton, in her gown for the evening, left Clarence House alongside Camilla Parker Bowles for the short journey to Buckingham Palace


Prince William and Kate left Clarence House last night for the short trip to Buckingham Palace for their wedding party.

Some 300 of the new Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's closest family and friends celebrated with dancing and dinner at the black tie do, which was expected to stretch into the early hours.

The Queen gave over the palace to the wedding celebration as revellers including the couple's close friends Guy Pelly and Thomas Van Straubenzee attended.


Kate's second dress was a strapless white satin gazar evening dress with a circle skirt and diamante embroidered detail round the waist. William stuck to the safe bet of a dinner jacket and bow tie

Mrs Middleton wore a black capped sleeve dress, cut low at the front and back, with a tiered skirt while her daughter Pippa opted for a long emerald green sleeveless dress with a jewelled embellishment on the front and a plunging neckline

The Duchess had switched into a new white outfit for the party - also created by Sarah Burton who designed her wedding gown.

The second dress was a strapless white satin gazar evening dress with a circle skirt and diamante embroidered detail round the waist, St James's Palace said.
Kate was also wearing a white angora bolero cardigan.

The couple left with Charles and his wife the Duchess of Cornwall. The royal party looked happy and relaxed.

The heir to the throne and his son, the new Duke of Cambridge, were dressed in dinner jackets with black bow ties.

Kate had her hair down in her favourite style for the private party.

Camilla wore a light blue hand-embroidered high-collared floor length Anna Valentine dress for the evening.

The new Duchess's family had left the Goring Hotel shortly before 7.30pm.

Her sister Pippa had changed from her bridesmaid dress into a long emerald green sleeveless dress with a jewelled embellishment on the front and a plunging neckline.
Her hair was pinned up at the back and she was carrying a clutch bag.


Kate's mother Carole Middleton smiled after stumbling slightly as she came down the stairs at the hotel and her son James placed a guiding hand on her back as she climbed into a silver people carrier.

happy and relaxed William made the short journey along The Mall in a Jaguar car with Prince Charles and Camilla closely behind

Camilla and Prince Charles were not far behind the newlyweds as they travelled down The Mall


Mrs Middleton wore a black capped sleeve dress, cut low at the front and back, with a tiered skirt.

The bride's father and brother wore black tuxedos with bow ties.

The family left the hotel soon after two minibuses full of guests set off for the palace where guests had started to arrive in a stream of Land Rovers, taxis and cars soon after 7pm.

Zara Phillips and her fiance Mike Tindall, who are due to marry in late July, arrive for the party

Princess Anne and her husband Timothy Laurence arrive at Buckingham Palace for last night's reception


Within the walls of the royal residence, toasts were drunk to the newlyweds, speeches made, including Prince Harry's best man speech, and guests danced the night away within the walls of the historic royal residence.

The ballroom, measuring just over 36 metres in length and 18 metres in width, is the largest of the 775 rooms in the palace and was the focal point for the party.


Earl Spencer's children Lady Kitty, Lady Amelia and Lady Eliza and Viscount Althorp arrived together for the wedding party


Guests mingled in the white drawing room, music room, blue drawing room and state dining room - all found in the west wing - and the nearby picture gallery.

One of the most eagerly awaited moments of the event, held in the State Rooms including the grand ballroom, was Prince Harry's best man speech.

When the party concludes, the newlyweds were expected to spend their first night as a married couple at the Palace.


source:dailymail