BBC COVERAGE OF THE ROYAL WEDDING

Your Guide to the BBC’s Royal Wedding Coverage on April 29

We've been receiving tons of inquiries about BBC America's royal wedding broadcast on April 29. Well, today (April 11), the BBC has revealed more details about its coverage across multiple platforms in the U.S. Here's the full rundown via press release:
1. BBC America has live, commercial-free coverage of the Royal Wedding from 3 am ET/12 midnight PT to 8:30 am ET/5:30 am PT.
• Five-and-a-half hours of live, commercial-free coverage in a simulcast with BBC ONE, the BBC’s UK flagship network.  The day’s commentary will be from veteran BBC newsman Huw Edwards.
• The history-making, all-important scenes of the day

o   the royal family, including Prince William and Catherine Middleton as they arrive at Westminster Abbey

o   the first glimpse of Catherine Middleton’s wedding dress

o   the wedding ceremony at 6 am ET/3 am PT

o   the newly-married couple on their return journey to Buckingham Palace

o   the millions of people expected to line the wedding route

o   and finally the moment when Prince William and Princess Catherine join the rest of the royal family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace as they greet the crowds and witness the Royal Air Force flyover.

• In addition BBC AMERICA will air:

o   live reports from St. Andrew’s University in Scotland where William and Catherine first met, from Bucklebury, Catherine's home village, and from a number of military locations in the UK and abroad.

o   exclusive live reporting from on board the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight as it soars across London and down the Mall to salute the Royal newlyweds.

o   And BBCAMERICA.com has daily updates at its Royal Wedding Insider blog – www.blogs.bbcamerica.com/anglophenia/category/royal-wedding/ including updates from BBC Royal Correspondent, Peter Hunt, who conducted the first television interview ever with Prince William.  On the big day the blog will have reports from Mille Bratton, editor-in-chief of Brides Magazine and from the Anglophenia correspondent in the UK.

2. BBC.com will stream the wedding live at www.bbc.com/royalwedding from 5:45 am ET to 8:45 am ET.
• The BBC ONE feed will stream live online with commentary from Huw Edwards
• Historical background and archive footage of previous royal weddings starting with George VI in 1923
• A stream of video news clips that turns the spotlight on many of the most memorable details of the event.
3. BBC World News – the 24 hour international news channel – will begin its coverage at 3 am ET.
• Mishal Husain will anchor live from outside Buckingham Palace. Check your local PBS stations for details.
4. BBC World Service covers the day’s event live from London.
• Listen online at www.bbcworldservice.com or check your local NPR stations for details.

Today is Wedding Anniversary in Royal Family

On April 9, 2005 Prince of Wales married his long time love Camilla. Best wishes to Their Royal Highness today and everyday!

The Future Princess!

 Catherine Elizabeth Middleton was born at Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading, Berkshire. She is the eldest of three children born to Carole Elizabeth (born 1955, née Goldsmith), a flight attendant, and Michael Francis Middleton (born 1949), a flight dispatcher and later an airline officer for British Airways. Her parents married on 21 June 1980 at the Parish Church of Dorney, Buckinghamshire, and in 1987 founded Party Pieces, a mail order company that sells party supplies and decorations.
Middleton's paternal family came from Leeds, West Yorkshire, and her great-grandmother Olivia was a member of the Lupton family, who were active for generations in Leeds in commercial and municipal workThrough Olivia Lupton, her ancestors include The Rev. Thomas Davis, a Church of England hymn-writer.  Carole Middleton's maternal family, the Harrisons, were working class labourers and miners from County Durham.Middleton has two siblings, Philippa Charlotte, known as "Pippa"and James William.Pippa Middleton, a graduate of the University of Edinburgh, has received press coverage since her sister became famous, with focus on her relationships and lifestyle. Middleton's family were in Amman, Jordan from May 1984 to September 1986, where Middleton went to an English language nursery school, before returning to their home in Berkshire

Prince Charles

Prince Charles reveals the 'ridicule' he has endured for promoting diversity and tolerance

By Daily Mail Reporter

'Ridiculed': Prince Charles told religious scholars in Morocco about the scorn he receives for his views on diversity

Prince Charles has complained about the 'ridicule' he says he receives for promoting diversity and accepting people of different faiths.
He was speaking with Islamic scholars at the Qarawiyyin University in Fez while on a trip to Morocco where he said that people find it easier to focus on the negative.
The Prince, who is not averse to being mocked - he once admitted that he talks to his plants - also spoke about wanting to promote student exchanges between Britain and Morocco.
After going to see some 12th century manuscripts, he said: 'One of the hardest things is to remind people of the great truth of traditional Christianity, not distorted Christianity, and we know there are problems in both religions.
'It's the issue of stereotypes that is difficult. It's so easy to concentrate on the negative and not the positive. But what I do is remind people of what we share in common.
'I find a certain amount of ridicule has come my way but respecting other people's cultures is the only way to achieve unity through diversity.'
The Daily Telegraph reports that his comments to the scholars reveal his sensitivity to criticism but that he will not let that stop him from saying things.
Speaking about his ideas for religious exchanges, he said: 'If scholars can come to universities in Britain to study for a year or two, perhaps broaden their horizons, and people from Britain can come here and understand the context of Islam, we have a better chance in the future of ensuring better tolerance and understanding.
'I'm one of those people who respects enormously diversity so I try to encourage the consultation of local people. Human society seems to function much better at a community level.'

Royal Wedding Prayers

Royal Wedding Prayers: Anglicans, Catholics Publish Official Blessings for Will and Kate

The Church of England has published a special prayer in anticipation of the wedding of Prince William to his fiancee, Kate Middleton.
The prayer is designed for use by groups and individuals who wish to bless the royal couple ahead of their impending nuptials. The prayer asks for God's help in strengthening the will of the couple so that they may keep their wedding vows and remain faithful to one another. (Scroll down for full text.)
Additionally, the Church has issued a prayer specifically intended for schoolchildren who wish to pray for the royal couple. This prayer forgoes the more mature subject of fidelity in favor of a generic wish for the couple's safety and happiness.
This sort of topical prayer is common practice for the Anglican Church, which has recently offered prayers in response to current events in Libya, Japan and New Zealand, as well as the global economic crisis.
The Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales has also issued a special prayer for use around the time of the Royal Wedding, which is slated for April 29 at Westminster Abbey. The Catholic prayer strikes a broader tone, wishing the couple strength to serve God and country throughout their lives.
FULL TEXT OF THE ROYAL WEDDING PRAYERS:

Church of England Prayer ahead of the Royal Wedding

Story continues below

God of all grace,
friend and companion,
look in favour on William and Catherine
and all who are made one in marriage.
In your love deepen their love
and strengthen their wills
to keep the promises they will make,
that they may continue
in life-long faithfulness to each other; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Prayer for school children praying for the Royal Wedding
Dear Jesus,
we pray for Prince William and Catherine Middleton
as they get ready for their wedding day.
Keep them safe,
make them happy
and help them
to look after each other always.
Amen.

Catholic Bishops Conference Prayer for the Royal Wedding
Heavenly Father,
we ask your blessing
upon his Royal Highness, Prince William and Catherine
as they pledge their love for each other in marriage.
May your love unite them through their lives.
Grant them the strength to serve you, our country and the Commonwealth
with integrity and faithfulness.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen

Kate Middleton another Princess Diana

The press won't make Kate Middleton another Princess Diana

Hunting as a pack ... Lady Diana surrounded by press photographers shortly before the announcement of her engagement to Prince Charles. Photograph: Ian Tyas/Hulton Archive

Thirty years ago this month every issue of every popular newspaper ran stories and pictures virtually every day about the upcoming royal wedding.
Though it was still three months off, the papers were full of material about Lady Diana Spencer. She was editorial catnip. Editors loved her because the public loved her. She was about to become the Princess of Wales but they rightly anticipated that she was on her way to becoming their Princess of Sales.
The contrast between the media coverage during the buildup to that 1981 wedding of Charles and Diana and the treatment of this month's wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton is marked.
Newspapers have found it difficult to find anything to write about. There have been few pictures because there have been few, if any, photo opportunities. Clearly, that is just what the couple wish. It follows a pattern throughout William's life – at school, at university, in the household cavalry, now in the air force – during which he has successfully sought to maintain a low profile.
Similarly, his bride-to-be has followed suit. She has never made the slightest error by offering up an inappropriate quote. Nor has she made friends with any journalist.
They have kept out of the public eye, making very few appearances together aside from their first official public engagement in Anglesey in February to dedicate a lifeboat.
There has been routine speculation about the cake, Kate's dress and her hair (in the Daily Telegraph of all places). The Daily Mail has run occasional articles insinuating that Kate's "racy" parents were somehow attempting to profit from their daughter's marriage. But the Middletons, like their daughter, have not received much coverage elsewhere.
The Sun has been noticeably restrained in its coverage. I was assistant editor at the paper in 1981 and recall the feverish daily demands in both the news and features departments for copy about Diana. The same pressure was occurring at the Mail, Daily Star, Daily Express and Daily Mirror.
It will be interesting to monitor the take-up of the royal wedding app launched last week by the Mirror, with a voiceover by that doyen of royal correspondents, James Whitaker.
In 1981, he was chasing Diana on a daily basis. In 2011, none of his successors appear to be doing the same. Part of the reason, aside from the lack of public appearances by Kate, is that the press has had to come to terms with its own behaviour since the death of Diana in 1997.
The subsequent change in the editors' code of practice, in which the rules prohibiting harassment were tightened, has had an effect. It choked off the market for paparazzi pictures involving any kind of pursuit.
Clarence House, which oversees the affairs of William, has made judicious use of the Press Complaints Commission's system, in which editors are routinely informed about instances of misbehaviour by freelance photographers.
That mechanism grew up around William and Kate. But it is available to everyone and has been used by many celebrities too. Indeed, it is a reminder that William's whole approach to his position has been aimed at what we might call a de-celebrification of the royal family. In an age of celebrity, it would appear that he is returning monarchy to the 1930s and 40s, to the time of his great-grandfather George VI, to an era of discretion.
Whether this is a conscious act is less clear. Indeed, it is doubtful if he sees it in such terms. But it is patently obvious that he wishes to avoid he and his wife becoming sales-building tabloid fodder. He seeks, if not anonymity, then a large measure of privacy. He will not countenance the nightmare of publicity in which his mother became embroiled. Then again, newspapers appear reluctant to repeat the Diana experience. Consider, for example, the way they helped to create Diana as a fashion icon. From the moment she emerged as Charles's wife-to-be, her clothes became a major feature in daily papers.
Kate, who dresses with an understated classic elegance, has not been subjected to anything like the same kind of attention. There have not been any Kate-alike clothing offers. Papers have not been promoting Middleton wear. Nor has there been any attempt to cast Kate as the leader of some kind of middle-class subculture in the way that Diana was conceived to be the redefining incarnation of the Sloane Ranger phenomenon.
The only speculation about Kate has been over her weight, with some female commentators asking whether she has lost her curves. The Telegraph columnist Allison Pearson even went so far as to suggest, on the basis of "very good authority", that Kate was trying to put on weight by "making trips to shops to buy packets of Haribo sweets".
That did remind me of the Diana period but, thus far at least, the subject of her weight has not generated – please forgive the pun – a press feeding frenzy. This is not to say that the wedding itself will not be given huge treatment. Within a week or so, I am sure that endless pages will be devoted to the subject, with special supplements already under way. The marriage is bound to get wall-to-wall coverage.
The Guardian's editor-in-chief, Alan Rusbridger, has already revealed that the paper will produce a supplement the following day and will live-blog the event.
"It will be a nice human story on the day, but we won't go overboard," he said recently. That reaction is unsurprising from the Guardian. What is so different this time is that none of the tabloid papers have gone overboard either.

Prince William talks about his wedding

Prince William
Prince William is talking about his upcoming wedding in few weeks. His grandparent's came to visit him at RAF (Royal Air Force) base today.