LONDON — Britain’s Prince William and his fiancee Kate Middleton are to be married on April 29 at Westminster Abbey in London, St James’ Palace announced Tuesday.
The wedding day, a Friday, will be a public holiday, a statement from Downing Street said. Prince William and Middleton, both age 28, announced their engagement last week.
The Middleton family would take over part of the cost for the wedding, which is expected to be attended by more than 2,000 guests. They will include international leaders, European royalty and friends.
“The wedding of Kate and William will be a happy and momentous occasion. We want to mark the day as one of national celebration. A public holiday will ensure the most people possible will have a chance to celebrate on the day,” Prime Minister David Cameron said.
For William, the wedding venue will have strong associations with his late mother, Princess Diana, whose emotional funeral service was held at the Abbey on Sept. 6, 1997. He was 15 at the time.
William surprised observers with his revelation last week that he had given his fiancee, whom he first met nine years ago, the sapphire and diamond engagement ring once worn by his mother so that she would not “miss out” on the big day.
The couple had chosen Westminster Abbey for its “staggering beauty”, 1,000-year royal history and the sense of intimacy it conveyed despite its size, said a spokesman for Prince William.
Westminster Abbey has been the coronation church since 1066, when King William I was crowned there on Christmas Day.
It is the final resting place for 17 monarchs and many prominent historic figures, including Charles Darwin, Isaac Newton, explorer David Livingstone and German-born composer Georg Friedrich Handel.
William’s grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, married Prince Philip at the Abbey in November, 1947.
Princess Margaret, the queen’s younger sister, who died in 2002, married Antony Armstrong-Jones at the Abbey in May, 1960. Princess Anne, and her brother Prince Andrew, were also both married at Westminster Abbey.
“The venue has long associations with the royal family. It is in many ways the royal family’s church,” said a spokesman for Prince William, referring to the abbey’s history.
Despite the tradition and the glorious surroundings, both William and Kate were keen to “ensure that a balance is struck between an enjoyable day and the current economic situation,” he said.
The wedding comes 30 years after William’s father, Prince Charles, married Princess Diana in St. Paul’s Cathedral in July, 1981 — an occasion cheered by hundreds of thousands on the streets of London and watched by 750 million people around the world.
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