Thursday, April 28, 2011

Kate Middleton gets new coat of arms

It will feature on the souvenir programme for the marriage which is to be streamed live on YouTube at the request of the couple.

William and Kate are keen the wedding reaches out to as many people as possible with updates on the big day on other social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook.

The Middleton family's crest was commissioned by Kate's father Michael in time for the marriage of his daughter to Prince William.

The design, released today, incorporates three acorn sprigs ? one for each of the Middletons' children ? an idea suggested by Kate.

The move signifies the growing social status of Kate's parents - made millionaires by their successful mail order business Party Pieces - and also the practical need for Kate, a future Queen, to have a coat of arms.

But it can only be used by Kate up until her wedding day, while she remains a Middleton spinster.

It will be printed on the back of 150,000 official souvenir programmes to go on sale on the day of the Royal Wedding.

William's coat of arms will be on the front.

The booklet, handed out by a team of military cadets and Explorer Scouts, will also contain a personal message of thanks from the couple and a never-before seen snap by fashion photographer Mario Testino.

Following the wedding, the coat of arms of William and his fiancee will be combined ? something known as "impaled arms".

Kate's brother James will be able to pass down the coat of arms to his children but her sister Pippa, as a woman, will not but she can use it during her lifetime.

Kate's coat of arms features a tied ribbon to show she is an unmarried woman and the overall shape is an elaborate lozenge, rather than a shield which is a shape reserved for men.

The acorns were chosen as the oak tree is seen as a traditional symbol of England and strength, and is a feature of west Berkshire where the family have lived for more than 30 years.

The gold bar in the centre represents Kate's mother Carole whose maiden name was Goldsmith.

The white inverted V shape above the bar symbolise peaks and mountains, reflecting the family's love of the Lake District and skiing.

Thomas Woodcock, Garter Principal King of Arms, from the College of Arms in the City of London, sat down with Kate's parents to create the design which cost ?4,400.

He said: "It's not compulsory but as their daughter is marrying into the Royal Family she will have a need probably to use a coat of arms."

Meanwhile, Regent Street turned into a sea of red, white and blue today.

Union Jack flags were raised along the famous central London street early this morning as police launched a massive security operation along the Royal Wedding procession route.

Officers with sniffer dogs have been scouring drains, bins and peering inside lampposts to check for explosives.

They have even hunted inside traffic lights and under manhole covers along the route the bride and groom will travel between Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey.

MIDDLETON design was commissioned by Kate's father for the Royal wedding

The couple will arrive in separate cars to the Abbey, but return along the route together in an open-topped horse-drawn carriage, waving to the crowds, and then appear on the balcony of the palace with the rest of the royals.

Inspector Ian Fairman who is in charge of the search teams, said: "Officers are trained to be vigilant and check areas where items may have been hidden.

"Officers will be checking vulnerable areas all along the route of the procession."

Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to line the route and with 50 heads of state and celebrities attending, the event will be an obvious target for militants.

Britain is currently at its second highest threat level of "severe", meaning an attack is considered highly likely.

There is also concern that anarchists will target the event after riots last month.

In December, a car carrying William's father Prince Charles and his wife Camilla was attacked during student protests in the capital.

Security Minister Pauline Neville-Jones recently said she was confident the wedding would pass off safely.

She said: "A properly planned effort will swing into action to ensure that that occasion is incident-free.

"I think we are always concerned ... any event is something we have to take very seriously."


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