Royal Wedding: Prince William Spends Easter in Bucklebury With Kate and the Middleton Family

LONDON, April 25, 2011— -- Prince William and Kate Middleton spent a quiet Easter in Bucklebury at Middleton family home Sunday, six days before their wedding day.

Meanwhile, the Middletons plan to throw a barbecue at the Goring hotel for their guests who will attend the ceremony at Westminster Abbey but didn't get invited to the queen's reception at Buckingham Palace, ABC News contributor Duncan Larcombe reported in the Sun newspaper this morning.

And royal sources have confirmed that the queen and Prince Philip will leave Buckingham Palace after the luncheon, allowing the newlyweds and their friends to party until Prince Harry's "survivors breakfast" at 6 a.m.

Also, intrigue has emerged over who has and has not been invited to the wedding. Elton John is in, as well as Guy Ritchie and the Beckhams.

But the Crown Prince of Bahrain, who initially said he was coming, has announced he will stay away after a media backlash against his crackdown on protestors.

Back to home shores, the late Princess Diana's brother, Earl Spencer, will attend. But, in a move that raised a few eyebrows, he was given no formal role and won't be speaking.

Then, there are some who didn't make the cut at all. Former Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown were not invited, but Margaret Thatcher and John Major are to attend.

This is because neither Blair nor Brown is a Knight of the Garter, whereas Thatcher and Major are, a St. James's Palace spokesman told the Daily Mail.

And for all those who will be there, London is set for a celebration like no other. One million people are expected to line the streets.

"I've never seen the lines as they have been this week," London tour guide Tony McDonell said. "It's been absolutely astonishing."

Flags have been hung across streets throughout the country in preparation for the 5,500 street parties planned across Britain.

As with many others, India Hicks will be watching Friday's wedding festivities with a great deal of interest. But, unlike most people, she won't have to wonder what it's like to see a princess bride up close, or to be taken by carriage to Buckingham Palace.

That's because Hicks, at the age of 13, was bridesmaid to Princess Diana.

At the time of the wedding, Hicks said, she was a tomboy who hated the lace and frills of her bridesmaid dress. But now, the former model says, she has come to appreciate her place in history.

"Diana was young but she was very strong, and I think had some very definite ideas about how that morning was going to be running," Hicks told ABC News.

"I remember very clearly seeing Diana dressed in a pair of jeans with a tiara on her head, which is a very unusual sight.

"She was watching TV," Hicks said of the morning of Diana's wedding. "She was watching herself."

Hicks recalled the challenge of straightening out that enormous 25-foot train. Her favorite part of the ceremony was the time on the balcony.

Now a successful designer, television show host and mother of four, Hicks said, she's ready to witness history all over again.

The main difference with this royal wedding, Hicks said, is that Prince Charles was the heir to the throne, whereas William is not.

"So it will be a smaller occasion," Hicks said. "It will be a different occasion for the fact that we're seeing a very modern couple. ... Kate and William are possibly more down to earth from the fact that they've lived together.

"I think their choices are deliberately more low key," the former bridesmaid said. "They want to be married in an abbey rather than a cathedral; the cathedral held 3,500 guests, the abbey only holds 1,800.

"We felt the world was watching that wedding," Hicks said of Charles and Diana's nuptials in 1981. "But really the world is going to be watching this because now of the Internet and the access that we have. ... Two billion people are going to be watching."