The Isle of Man Post Office congratulates Prince William and Miss Catherine Middleton on their forthcoming royal wedding on April 29, 2011, which will be marked by a public holiday. To celebrate this special occasion, they are issuing a miniature sheet of two stamps, featuring Prince William and his bride to be the 15th April 2011.

 It will be an exciting day for Britain, which is currently in the middle of a recession. Billions of people around the world are expected to watch the ceremony on television and thousands will line the streets of London. Prince William follows in the footsteps of his grandparents by getting married to Catherine at Westminster Abbey. It was there that the Queen married the Duke of Edinburgh and it was the venue for Princess Diana’s funeral.

Kate will travel to the Abbey by a limousine from the Queen’s fleet of cars. Prince William will follow with the rest of the royal family. It is one of the few times that a future princess has not arrived in a fairytale horse-driven coach. The last royal to travel by car was Sophie Rhys-Jones when she married Prince Edward at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, in 1999. The service will take place at the church at 11am on April 29 and will be conducted by The Dean of Westminster, the Very Reverend Dr John Hall. But, in line with tradition, The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, will perform the marriage ceremony and The Bishop of London Richard Chartres, who counselled the prince in the wake of his mother’s death and presided over his confirmation, will give a ‘very personal’ sermon.

Up to 2,200 guests, including heads of state, members of European royal families and celebrities, are expected to attend. One hundred golden tickets have been reserved for the public, being drawn at random. After the ceremony, the couple will emerge to a spectacle of marching soldiers, military bands and mounted regiments. They will return to Buckingham Palace in a horse-drawn State Landau coach along the traditional route for the State Opening of Parliament taking in London landmarks such as The Mall, the Horse Guards Parade, Whitehall and Parliament Square. However, in a break with tradition, the Queen will host a buffet reception at Buckingham Palace rather than a ten-course wedding breakfast. It will be a marked difference to her own wedding reception in 1947 when she had a banquet of sole followed by braised partridge and Bombe Glacée.

After official photographs the newlyweds are expected to appear on the balcony for an embrace. Their appearance will coincide with a flypast from William’s RAF colleagues. After retiring for a rest, the couple will attend a private dinner and dancing at Buckingham Palace, hosted by the Prince of Wales. He is inviting 350 guests to the party, including William and Catherine’s school friends from Eton and Marlborough, contemporaries from St Andrew’s University, and military colleagues. Kate will be the first commoner to marry an expected future king for 350 years, since Anne Hyde married the future King James II, in 1660.

These stamps can be purchased online via WOPA through the following link http://www.wopa-stamps.com/index.php?controller=country&action=stampProduct&id=3014

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published April 7th, 2011