Designers praise Kate’s classic wedding gown

The world’s most high-profile fashion designers have praised Prince Williams bride Kate Middleton for her "classic" and "beautiful" wedding dress. The brunette beauty unveiled her highly-anticipated wedding gown to the world on her big day in London, putting an end to months of rumours over who had been given the task of designing the famous frock. Middleton chose Alexander McQueen designer Sarah Burton to make her wedding gown."She is very elegant. The dress is classic and goes very well in the Westminster decor. I love the modest veil with the Queen Mother’s Thirties scroll tiara and balanced volume of the whole gown. She’s radiant. She never was so beautiful,” said legendary designer Karl Lagerfeld.

Donatella Versace said, "Kate’s dress was beautiful. She looked very regal," while Hubert de Givenchy added, "The dress is very simple and very nice. The veil is a little flat, but because she has such a lovely face, she can afford to wear it this way. She is very pretty."

Kate Middleton wants Victoria’s dresses for honeymoon

British royal bride Kate Middleton has expressed a desire to wear former Spice Girl-turned-fashion designer Victoria Beckham’s evening dresses during her honeymoon with Prince William.

The 29 year old, Middleton, called up Victoria to say she loved her outfits after Victoria sent her a selection of her spring-summer collection. The bride-to-be also asked Victoria for general advice on evening wear during the romantic break after her April 29 wedding.

"Victoria is thrilled Kate loved her dresses and was only too happy to give her fashion tips. The ladies get on very well and Victoria can’t believe she is helping to dress the future Queen," said a source.

Victoria, who is expecting her fourth child with ace footballer David Beckham, had earlier spoken about how she admires Middleton’s dressing sense.

"She is a beautiful young girl, she has a wonderful figure and I think she wears clothes beautifully. I would be honoured if she were to wear my designs," she had said.

Kate Middleton gets Jaguar fleet for wedding ceremony

Kate Middleton has been given a 500,000-pound fleet of luxury cars so that she gets to the church on time for her wedding, after the British royal bride said she does not want to arrive in a horse-drawn carriage.

Palace officials have taken delivery of seven new Jaguar XJ limos for the wedding scheduled for April 29.

The British-made cars were dispatched from the company earlier this month.

Kate had said she does not want to arrive at the Westminster Abbey in a traditional horse-drawn carriage.

Palace officials said the royal Rolls-Royces and Bentleys would be "too stuffy" for her and her groom, Prince William.

"When the Prince of Wales was attacked by students in his Rolls-Royce, it sent a message out about what people think is acceptable," an aide said.

Vogue editor urges Kate to pick McQueen dress

It has emerged that the editor of British Vogue, Alexandra Shulman urged Kate Middleton to choose a wedding dress designed by the Alexander McQueen label. The recommendation has apparently added to the speculation that Sarah Burton, the fashion house’s creative director, will design the royal bride’s gown. Buckingham Palace began canvassing for guidance on behalf of Middleton shortly after her engagement was announced in 20110. Stylists and editors were asked to name their ‘top choice’ for the coveted commission. Fashion industry sources confirmed that Shulman had been approached and had recommended the McQueen label. "She was asked for her first choice and that choice was McQueen," said a source.

However, Buckingham Palace has refused to comment and McQueen insiders have strongly denied they have won the assignment.

Royal Wedding day may result to Mobile meltdown

The police fear that the UK might witness a mobile meltdown thanks to the Royal Wedding in April. As a result, are renting satellite phones and special mobile SIM cards for the wedding. With more than a million well wishers expected to descend on London for the big day, there are concerns communications could be jammed by a deluge of data, compromising the police’s huge pound security operation. The Metropolitan Police confirmed contingency plans were being put in place. The police radio system will also be upgraded.

“We have robust systems in place. Engineers will also carry out live monitoring,” said a spokesperson.

Kate Middleton to wear a modest wedding dress

Bruce Oldfield has predicted that royal bride-to-be Kate Middleton will wear a modest dress on her wedding day. On the US breakfast show Good Morning America, Oldfield, who is believed to have won the coveted commission to create Middleton’s bridal gown, said Prince William’s fiancée’s outfit will have sleeves but will still provoke a strong reaction from the watching world. In keeping with the tradition of past royal weddings, most famously Diana, Princess of Wales’s wedding. She will also wear a veil. But for the evening dinner and dance, hosted by her future father-in-law the Prince of Wales, Middleton will change into another dress, he said. When asked if there would be two dresses on the wedding day, Oldfield replied ‘yes’ but remained tight-lipped about his sources and whether he had been commissioned to create the wedding gown. He predicted that the marriage outfit, despite being demure, would still cause a strong reaction when William’s fiancée arrives at Westminster Abbey for the ceremony on April 29th.

The designer said, ‘‘whatever happens, there’s going to be a sharp intake of breath, "Shhh - oh my God, what is she wearing" or, "Oh, doesn’t she look fabulous?"

“I’m sure the dress is going to be modest in terms of coverage - it has to be. It will have sleeves, it has to have sleeves.

“You can’t walk down Westminster Abbey in a strapless dress. It just wouldn’t happen. It has to suit the grandeur of that aisle, it’s enormous. I can predict she will wear a veil,” he added.

Kate-William planning Honeymoon in Scilly Isles

The royal couple, Prince William and his fiancee Kate Middleton, are considering a budget honeymoon in the Scilly Isles, the same place where Prince Charles took Diana in 1989. The couple has reportedly drawn up a shortlist of British honeymoon destinations - because Palace officials don’t want them going on an expensive foreign break while Britons see their living standards squeezed. William last went on holiday to the Scilly Isles - off the coast from Penzance - on a family holiday with his mother Diana, brother Harry and Prince Charles in 1989 when he was just seven.

“William and Kate are acutely aware that in these difficult times being seen to take a luxury honeymoon would not look good and send out entirely the wrong signal,” said an aide.

“Neither has lavish tastes and a domestic location is ideal to ensure they are secure,” aide added.

Kate-William wedding 'wide open to terror attack'

Grapevine has suggested that Prince William’s wedding to Kate Middleton is wide open to a terror attack. It has been revealed that London’s Westminster Abbey has shocking security lapses that could leave William, Kate, the Queen, Prime Minister David Cameron and a host of royals and VIPs exposed to a terror bomb outrage. The security shambles at the venue that will host the most important public event of 2011 on April 29 in front of a worldwide audience of millions, it has emerged. In an undercover operation, an investigator, posing as a tourist, managed to leave an unaccompanied backpack ‘bomb’ at several sites among the Abbey’s cloisters and corridors for up to 45 minutes unchallenged. The bogus bomb was just metres from where the Royal couple would exchange their vows in front of the High Altar. The investigators have found that there were scant checks at the church’s entrance carried out by staff using a wooden stick to poke around bags and the absence of any airport-style scanning equipment.

Even the CCTV coverage inside the building is inadequate as there are uncovered areas where terrorists could hide explosives with little chance of being spotted.

Said a security source, “The fact the place is so open makes it an ideal target for terrorists looking to stage an attack. That means security staff, especially leading up to the royal wedding, will really need to be on their guard to prevent an attack."

“In the lead-up to the big day a lot more thought is going to have to be given to the backgrounds of those who work in the church and exactly who is being allowed in. The royal wedding is a massive event that is going to be watched by millions of people around the globe,” said the source.

Kate-William wedding memorabilia goes on sale

Four months before the couple are to tie the knot, Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding memorabilia has gone on sale - but without their faces on it. According to a report by ‘The Sun’, “The plate, tankard and pill box are decorated with an entwined "C" and "W" plus doves, white ribbons and hearts in silver, gold and grey. The design, which also carries the Prince’s coronet and the wedding date, is the only one which has been approved by the lovebirds.” "Collectors aren’t interested in anything with no portrait. It’s not about quality and beauty, anyone in their right mind would prefer something with Kate and Wills on. "I’m sure they’ll shift enough of them but in a couple of years these plates and mugs will be sold on ‘eBay’ for a fraction of the price. People will end up not caring about them because they look pretty dull," quoted a memorabilia specialist. Buckingham Palace has allowed only a few items to carry the couple’s picture, including biscuit tins and jars - but only sanctioned engagement snaps by Mario Testino. There is also a 2011 calendar.

St James’s Palace said Wills and Kate, both 28, would be "more than content" if they are sold - even with their pictures. Nuala McGourty, director of retail for the Royal Collection, said: "We are proud to continue to champion products made in England."

Kate Middleton picks Bruce Oldfield to design her wedding dress

Kate Middleton is set to marry Prince William next year and she has reportedly chosen British designer Bruce Oldfield to create her wedding gown. There had been speculation that the 28 year old future queen, who will tie the knot on April 29, would choose her favourite label Issa to design the gown. But designer Ben de Lisi says Bruce has been handed the task. "There are lots of rumours but I’ve heard it is Bruce Oldfield," said Ben. "I’m absolutely certain I won’t get chosen. I’m sure I’m not in the running." American-born Ben, whose gowns have been worn by Kate Winslet, Helena Bonham Carter and Angelica Huston, feels sorry for Kate because the whole world will be waiting to judge her wedding outfit.

"Kate has to do what’s right for Kate. It’s never going to be easy for her because the whole world is looking at her," said Ben.

Kate - William brimming with happiness

Prince William and Kate Middleton have released two official photographs to mark their engagement. The royal couple released a set of official engagement portraits this weekend, shot by famed fashion photographer Mario Testino. The loved-up pair, who announced their engagement last month, posed for one formal shot in the Council Chamber in the State Apartment in St. James’s Palace. The more informal picture was snapped in St. James’s Palace. Prince William and Kate Middleton look very much in love in official photos released to mark their engagement. Celebrated fashion photographer Mario Testino, who took the pics, described the couple as "brimming with happiness" during the photo shoot in the Council Chamber in the State Apartment in St James’s Palace. The two portraits, one formal and one more casual, show the couple smiling and embracing after the announcement of their engagement last month.

"I am very happy to have been asked to cover this historic moment that the whole world was waiting for,” said Testino, who created some of the most enduring images of Princess Diana as saying. "They are in their prime and brimming with happiness. I have never felt so much joy as when I see them together," he said.

The Prince and Middleton selected the two photographs from a set. In the formal image, taken in the Palace’s Council Chamber, the couple stands together with Middleton resting her arm on her fiancé’s.

The informal image shows the couple embracing in the Palace’s Cornwall room. "Prince William has worked with Mario Testino on many occasions before, and so the couple decided that he was the right choice for such an important portrait," a Clarence House spokesman said.

3D broadcast for Kate-William wedding

Rupert Murdoch’s BSkyB wants to add an extra dimension to the April 29 wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. The satcaster is considering broadcasting the signal to British cinemas and 3D TV-enabled homes as a way of generating standout coverage of an event that could have the biggest global audience in TV history. Discussions with Clarence House and Buckingham Palace have not begun, "but if the planets align, then this is the kind of big-event TV that would definitely be a contender for our strategy of offering 3D coverage," says a Sky insider. Sky has shown Premier League soccer in 3D for more than a year, and it aired the election leaders’ debate, operas, concerts, ballet and the ATP tennis finals on its own 3D channel. The 3D service can only be accessed by the 3 million-plus homes with Sky’s high definition set-top box and 3D glasses. The strategy is indicative of the worldwide scramble as broadcasters plan coverage of the first royal wedding of the multimedia age.

"I think it is going to be a major event for many, many people in this country and around the world," says BBC director of vision Jana Bennett, who oversees the pubcaster’s television, radio and online content.

Video of the Westminster Abbey ceremony will likely be made available free to accredited broadcasters around the world. BBC is looking at filming and broadcasting the event in HD and Bennett thinks it might be a driver for HD services. "It could be a bit like the Coronation when TV sets were turned on for the first time in so many millions of households," she says.

Nearly 1 billion viewers worldwide tuned into the 1981 state wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer - then broadcast by the BBC in an era when both the U.K. and the U.S. had just three national TV channels.

The 1997 funeral of Princess Diana was watched by an estimated 2.5 billion people worldwide, making it the most-viewed TV event ever. Given the number of TV channels, online video outlets and social networking sites, viewership totals for the Prince William wedding will likely eviscerate previous records.

"We haven’t gotten into the logistics of how all the media feeds will work," a Buckingham Palace spokeswoman said. BBC, ITV and Sky News are all planning live coverage, as are a host of broadcasters in the U.S. and around the world. But despite the high tune-in, the Royal Wedding - in 3D or not - likely won’t generate a huge payday for broadcasters because the event will air live.

Suspense over Middleton’s wedding dress designer

Kate Middleton’s wedding dress has been the topic of a lot of speculation ever since she got engaged to Prince William. Now bookmakers have received the strongest indication yet that Bruce Oldfield might be the official wedding dress designer. A spokesman for Paddy Power told that it was no point taking bets when all the interest was in one person, and hinted that the surge in interest could be the result of a leak. “We suspended betting on November 26. We were receiving one-way traffic for Bruce Oldfield and there is no point in taking bets when all the interest is in one person,” he said. “He started as 4/1 joint favourite, but since then his odds have been slashed to 1/3. That would mean there is a 75 per cent chance of him being the wedding dress designer,” the spokesman added. Oldfield is renowned for his couture gowns, which start at 8,000 pounds. His ready-to-wear line gowns cost from 1,700 pounds and his pieces have been worn by everyone from Sienna Miller to Rihanna. Oldfield’s designs were also a favourite with William’s mother, the late Princess of Wales.

The Paddy Power spokesman added, “Sometimes this kind of betting comes from people taking an educated guess, but sometimes it is the result of a leak. We were taking bets of 500 pounds or more so it could be a leak. The wedding is in April, so someone knows what dress she is wearing. I suppose we will just have to wait to see on the 29th.”

Prince William to marry Kate Middleton in April

Royal couple Prince William and Kate Middleton have their hearts set on an April wedding. Royal sources confirmed that the couple are hoping to tie the knot in a spring ceremony in London, and have selected a "first choice" date, thought to be in the final week of April. The date, which is understood to be a weekday, is currently being cleared with other members of the Royal Family and Downing Street and is expected to be announced later in this week. A second choice date in the summer has also been earmarked should April prove logistically problematic. An April wedding, set to take place at Westminster Abbey, would see Prince William marrying in the same month as his father, the Prince of Wales, whose second marriage to the Duchess of Cornwall took place in Windsor on April 9, 2005.

"Prince William and Miss Middleton have a specific date and venue in mind, and Prince William’s Household is consulting with all relevant parties,” said a senior royal aide.

"However, they are realistic that for one reason or another, their first choice date may not work for all parties involved, and so they have selected a second choice summer date.”

"Traditionally royal weddings take place on a weekday, usually a Friday rather than a Saturday, so a weekday is likely," the source added.

Prince William’s wedding day to be national celebration

The entire UK is apparently poised to get a day off for Prince William and Kate Middleton’s royal wedding. PM David Cameron wants to give Brits a bonus bank holiday for the big day. The royal couple - keen that everyone should share their happiness - immediately backed him. David Cameron told MPs next year’s nuptials should be a "national day of celebration". "Prince William and Catherine Middleton are grateful for the Prime Minister’s comments,” said St James’s Palace. "They support the idea of a bank holiday - but recognize this is very much a matter for the Government." He told MPs: "There is a debate I think we ought to have - obviously not knowing what the date is yet - but whether there ought to be a bank holiday. "I think if it’s in the middle of the week it would be a very good idea to have a bank holiday."

Cameron, speaking to the Commons Liaison Committee, said a weekend wedding was just as likely - and that it was "entirely a decision for the Royal Family".

But he stressed: "Even if it’s at a weekend I think there would be a great temptation to have a bank holiday - a day of national celebration to mark what is happening."

The committee’s chairman - Lib Dem MP Alan Beith - declared: "That sounds like a decision."