Prince William and Kate Middleton's Wedding Day Timeline
Anatomy of Prince William and Kate Middleton's big day.
April 6, 2011 -- If Prince William and Kate Middleton feel that the eyes of the world will be upon them when they marry, it's not much of an exaggeration. The palace has announced there will be 7,000 journalists covering the wedding, with 60 cameras along the procession route.
Until now, many of the details of this big day have been shrouded in secrecy. But with just over three weeks to go, the palace is finally revealing how William and Kate's royal wedding day is shaping up.
The morning of April 29 will start with an announcement from the Queen's office stating the titles that Prince William and Kate Middleton will take. One option for the royal couple could be the Duke and Duchess of Clarence. However there is a possibility the bride and groom may choose not to take any titles at all.
At 8:30 a.m., London time, guests will begin arriving at Westminster Abbey. Previous reports stating that wedding guests would arrive at the church by bus have been refuted by the palace. All of the guests will be coming by foot and car, and must leave cellphones and cameras at home as they are not allowed in the Abbey.
At 10:40 a.m. the royal family will begin to pour in, entering the front of the church through the west door. Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip are the last to arrive before the bride.
At 11a.m., Kate, accompanied by her father, will roll into Westminster Abbey with her five bridesmaids. At that moment, details about her wedding dress will finally be revealed.
"I think the reason that Kate's been so determined to keep the designer under wraps is because she genuinely wants to surprise Prince William on the day," Katie Nicholl, ABC News Royal Correspondent, told the Royal Diary. "She wants him to turn around and say 'wow.'"
A press release will be sent out upon Kate's arrival at the church including the wedding dress designer's name, and sketches and photographs of the dress.
Tick Tock of Will and Kate's Wedding Day
The ceremony is expected to last approximately an hour and will include vows and a sermon delivered by the Bishop of London, private clergyman to the queen. The bells of Westminster Abbey will chime as Prince William and his new wife depart the church.
Once the royal couple arrive at Buckingham Palace, wedding photographer Hugo Burnand will take the official photos. But those private moments between Will, Kate, their families and their bridal party will remain private. The palace says they "hope" to release some photographs the following morning.
At 1:25 p.m., the married couple will re-appear on the balcony at Buckingham Palace for 10 minutes. We can only hope they will follow in William's parents footsteps and mark the occasion with a kiss.
Prince William and Kate will head straight to the afternoon reception hosted by the Queen. But thankfully upon its end, husband and wife will drive to St. James Palace for some down time.
"That will really be the first time they probably will be able to look at each other properly," ABC News contributor, Duncan Larcombe, told the Royal Diary. " [All day] their feet won't have touched the ground."
The 7 p.m. evening party is expected to be much more fun, relaxed, and most importantly, private. No pictures from the event are expected to be released. Speeches, including the one given by Best Man, Prince Harry, will be delivered at this reception. This is the one moment of Prince William and Kate's day that is not planned to the second. The palace says the party will "finish when it finishes."