The insanely popular, royal couple; Prince William and Kate Middleton, seem to be keeping their promise of a low-key wedding, or as low key as the most anticipated wedding of the century can remain.
As has already been reported, the bride-to-be will be arriving via car, as opposed to the usual horse drawn carriage, and the usual sit down dinner has reportedly been replaced by a buffet. And although much ado has been made about the celebrity names, like David and Victoria Beckham, And Elton John. That had popped up on the guest list last week; it seems that Middleton’s more modest roots are being represented as well.
The Daily Mail has spoken to a few residents of the Berkshire Village that Middleton grew up with; it seems a postal server, a store owner, and the local pub’s landlord all have received an invitation to the Royal wedding spectacular this April.
Chan Shingadia and his wife Hash own the local store, ‘Peaches Spar’ which they also live above, in Bucklebury and have known the Middleton family for the past few years, recently received an invitation for the April 29th ceremony.
“They were here three weeks ago. Kate showed us her ring and she seems very happy with William,” Mrs. Shingadia told the newspaper. “We’ve really got to know Kate. She is really caring. She is like a human being, not a celebrity, and she is always a good customer.”
The Indian born couple was thrilled to be included for the big day, and are eagerly preparing.
“My wife checked with Mr. Middleton whether it would be all right for her to wear her sari,” Shingadia said. “She wanted to wear national dress and he said that’s fine.” We’re going up to Wembley next weekend so she can choose a sari from the shops there. If there are none she likes, she is travelling to India next month and will buy one there.”
John Haley, the landlord of the ‘Old Boot’ pub where the couple has been known to have a quiet drink, is another local friend of the family that received a golden ticket for the spring. Haley, who has known the Middleton family for about 14 years, is more than happy to attend the nuptials of the couple, who he shared, has visited the pub quiet frequently lately.
“William and Kate have been to my pub about 10 times in the past year. They come in, sit quietly at the table, drink wine and are a lovely couple,” Haley said. “They’ve been in to dine and are very natural, talking to the regulars.”
However the guest list isn’t the only area where changes to tradition are being made, as it is reported that the couple is considering using fair trade gold for their wedding rings, instead of the traditional Clogau gold wedding bands used in the past.
Fair Trade gold, which requires mines to adhere to a set of standards guaranteeing that the gold is produced in a way that is safe for people and the environment, has been popping up on the British eed carpets lately.
The news might very well be just a rumor, but reportedly the offer was made by the same jeweler responsible to for the sapphire and diamond engagement ring originally made for William’s mother, Princess Diana, and now currently is worn by Middleton herself.