Basic facts about British monarchy and royal family issues.
Vionjo vya katika harusi hiyo
Prince William na Kate wamekubaliana kuwa, iwapo wataachana (talaka), watoto watabaki kwa baba yao yaaani prince William.
Prince William alimvisha pete bibi harusi Kate na Kate (bibi harusi) hakumvisha pete mumewe prince William. Hili ni jambo geni kwetu ila ndiyo hivyo limetokea.
The wife of the British king automatically becomes the queen. That means Kate [Catherine] Middleton will one day become England's sixth Queen Catherine.
Other British Queen Catherine's being: Catherine of Valois, Catherine of Aragon, Katherine Howard, Katherine Parr and Catherine of Braganza.
Prince William and Kate Middleton are to marry at Westminster Abbey on April 29th, 2011, which has been declared a bank holiday [national holiday in the UK] in celebration.
It's also been the site of countless other ceremonies ; including the weddings of his grandparents, then future Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, and his great-grandparents, the future King George VI and Queen Elizabeth.
The couple, both aged 28, met, as students, at St Andrews University, Fife, Scotland.
William has given Kate his mother Diana's 18-carat engagement ring, which is a sapphire surrounded by diamonds. (picture right)
William has chosen to marry a "commoner"; there's no rule that says the king has to marry a fellow royal.
The King of England may marry a commoner, but not a Catholic. That's specified under the 1701 Act of Settlement.
The best man is to be Prince Harry, William's younger brother.
Westminster Abbey has long been used for Royal Weddings and Royal Coronations and Funerals since William the Conqueror won the throne in 1066. It's also the final resting place of 17 monarchs. [The funeral for William's mother, Princess Diana, was held there in 1997.]
The present church, begun by Henry III in 1245, is one of the most important Gothic buildings in the UK.
Sir David Manning, the former British ambassador to the USA, will give the future Royal bride "advice and mentoring" on a range of subjects including state matters and foreign affairs.
Prince William and Kate Middleton will go on a nine-day tour of Canada for their first official overseas tour after their wedding.
Prince William has received his first honorary Army appointment - becoming Colonel of the Irish Guards.
The second-in-line to the throne already holds honorary ranks in the RAF [Royal Air Force] and Royal Navy.
A royal bride takes her husband's rank upon marriage, so Miss Middleton will become an HRH: Her Royal Highness.
A comic book telling the story of Prince William and Kate Middleton's romance is due to be published in April, joining a host of other books and memorabilia flooding the market ahead of the April 29 royal wedding.
The first televised royal wedding was on May 6th , 1960, when Princess Margaret, younger sister of Queen Elizabeth II, said "I do" to Antony Armstrong-Jones. An estimated 20 million viewers tuned in.
King Henry VIII married six times, and four of his brides were commoners. Two of them were beheaded (Anne Boleyn and Katherine Howard), one died of complications from childbirth (Jane Seymour) and the last (Catherine Parr) survived him, and went on to marry again.
Watch videos of the Royal wedding: William and Kate
