Who's who at the royal wedding

28 April 2011 Last updated at 12:04

Royal wedding: Who's who

Royal wedding

Prince William and Kate Middleton have invited 1,900 people to their wedding in Westminster Abbey on Friday 29 April.

In addition to friends and family, the guest list includes foreign royal families, politicians from home and abroad, military personnel, and representatives of various charities and faiths.

The congregation will also be dotted with celebrities, and several lesser-known faces, such as a shopkeeper and pub landlord from Kate's home village. Here is a potted guide to who has the hottest tickets in town:

Key players at the royal wedding
Name	Who are they?	Why are they invited?

Kate Middleton	Miss Middleton is the bride. The 29-year-old "commoner" and former fashion buyer from Berkshire met the prince while they were studying at St Andrews University between 2001 and 2005.	After a long-running romance with a brief interlude, Prince William proposed on holiday in Kenya in October. The engagement was announced the following month.
Prince William	The groom is second in line to the British throne, after his father, Prince Charles. His mother, Princess Diana, was killed in a car crash in Paris in 1997, when he was 15. In addition to his royal duties and charity work, the 28-year-old also has a day job as a search-and-rescue pilot, based at RAF Valley in Anglesey.	He proposed and luckily Miss Middleton said yes, so the British public have both to thank for the extra bank holiday on their wedding day - Friday 29 April.
Wedding party
Philippa Middleton	Philippa "Pippa" Middleton is Kate's younger sister and the Middletons' second child. The 27-year-old party planner is known for attending a few parties herself and has earned the honorary title of "socialite" as a result.	The younger Miss Middleton will be her sister's chief bridesmaid. With not even two years between them, they are said to be very close.
Prince Harry	Prince William's younger brother and only sibling was a shoo-in for the role of best man. He is training to be an Army Apache helicopter pilot and the 26-year-old recently took part in a trek to the North Pole to support the charity Walking With The Wounded.	The brothers have a strong bond. Royal bridegrooms traditionally choose one or more "supporters" rather than a best man, but Prince William has chosen to give his brother the more informal title. When asked about his speech, Prince Harry said he would "dig him in the ribs a few times and embarrass him, and make him lose some hair".
Lady Louise Windsor	A bridesmaid, the seven-year-old daughter of the Earl and Countess of Wessex, is Prince William's first cousin. Lady Louise was born with exotropia, a rare condition which causes a divergent squint, and her parents have tried to shield her from the media in the past.	Royal Family ties
Margarita Armstrong-Jones	The eight-year-old daughter of Viscount and Viscountess Linley is another bridesmaid. Viscount Linley is the Queen's nephew, so Margarita is Prince William's second cousin.	Royal Family ties
Grace van Cutsem	The three-year-old daughter of William and Kate's close friend, Hugh van Cutsem, is another bridesmaid. She is Prince William's goddaughter.	Friendship ties
Eliza Lopes	Still on the bridesmaids, Eliza is also three years old and is the Duchess of Cornwall's granddaughter.	Royal Family ties
William Lowther-Pinkerton	One of two page boys, he is the 10-year-old son of Prince William's and Prince Harry's private secretary Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton.	Friendship ties
Tom Pettifer	Aged eight and the son of the princes' former nanny, Tiggy Legge-Bourke. He is Prince William's godson.	Friendship ties
Immediate family
The Queen and Prince Philip	The Windsor matriarch is the UK's head of state. The elder daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, she was born in 1926 and has reigned for nearly 60 years. The Queen will be accompanied, as ever, by Prince Philip, whom she married in an post-war "austerity wedding" in 1947.	She is the Queen and the groom's grandmother. Plus she is paying for most of the wedding. The Royal Family, with a private contribution from the Middleton family, will pay for the Abbey service, flowers, dresses, carriage procession, reception and dinner.
Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall	Prince Charles will be accompanied by his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall. He married the late Princess Diana at St Paul's Cathedral in 1981 but they separated in 1993. He married Camilla Parker Bowles in 2005, 30 years after their romance began. It was the second time around for both of them.	The groom's father is hosting the private dinner for about 300 people after the garden reception at Buckingham Palace for 650 guests. More than 50 members of the Royal Family have been invited.
Michael and Carole Middleton	The father of the bride will be joined by his wife, Carole. Much has been made about their non-royal backgrounds - she is a former air hostess and they met when he was working as a flight dispatcher. The couple now run their own successful business, Party Pieces.	Kate's parents, who are contributing to the cost of the wedding, will be staying with the bride-to-be and other family members at the Goring Hotel in central London ahead of the big day.
James Middleton	Brother of the bride. The Middletons' youngest and third child.	The vast majority of guests - more than 1,000 - are drawn from Prince William and Kate's family and friends.
Clergy
Very Reverend Dr John Hall	The Very Reverend Dr John Hall will conduct the service. He was installed as the 38th Dean of Westminster in December 2006. Since the Abbey is a royal peculiar, under the jurisdiction of the British monarch, the dean is responsible to the sovereign alone.	Religious role
Dr Rowan Williams	Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams will marry Prince William and Kate. The archbishop's and dean's roles follow precedent.	Religious role
Right Reverend Richard Chartres	The Bishop of London will give the address. The bishop of London is a personal friend of Prince Charles, as well as being dean of the Chapel Royal. He confirmed Prince William and officiated at Princess Diana's memorial service.	Religious role
Dignitaries
Prince Albert II of Monaco	Prince Albert II of Monaco and his fiancee Miss Charlene Wittstock	Overseas royal. More than 40 members of foreign royal families will be at Westminster Abbey.
Julia Gillard	Ms Gillard became prime minister of Australia in June 2010.	Prime ministers and governors-general from Commonwealth countries have all been invited.
David Cameron	British Prime Minister David Cameron and his wife Samantha.	More than 200 members of government, Parliament and devolved administrations, including Nick Clegg, Ed Miliband, William Hague. Former Prime Ministers Gordon Brown and Tony Blair have not been invited.
Controversial guests
King Mswati III of Swaziland	One of the world's last absolute monarchs, he is also well known for having 13 wives. As poverty and Aids are rife in Swaziland, the king's visit to London, staying in a luxury hotel, has been widely criticised.	Although this wedding is not a full state event, a spokesman for Clarence House said: "The heads of state invited are members of royal families, in accordance with protocol for this kind of event."
Prince Mohamed bin Nawaf bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia	The prince is a member of the Saudi royal family and also ambassador to the UK and Ireland. that demonstrations are likely to take place outside the country's London embassy in protest at its deployment of troops to Bahrain.	A St James's Palace spokesman said ambassadors of countries with which Britain had normal diplomatic relations were invited. He said: "We take constant advice from the Foreign Office and it is not for the Palace to determine those countries with which we enjoy diplomatic relations."
Charity and military
Emma Parry	Emma Parry and her husband, Bryn, a former soldier, founded the charity Help for Heroes to assist wounded servicemen and women.	Both Princes William and Harry are supporters of the charity.
L/Cpl Martyn Compton	L/Cpl Compton, of the Household Cavalry, was injured in an ambush in Afghanistan in 2006, which put him in a coma for three months and left him with 75% burns.	The armed forces will play a large part in the wedding - both in the pageantry and invited guests. Top military personnel, including Gen Sir David Richards, Chief of the Defence Staff, have been invited to the service, as have members of Prince William's RAF squadron at Anglesey.
Celebrities
Ian Thorpe	The swimmer, who has won five Olympic gold medals in his career, is Australia's most successful Olympian.	Prince William met Mr Thorpe on a visit to Australia in 2010. The Prince has since supported his charitable organisation - Ian Thorpe's Fountain for Youth - which focuses on improving health and education for children.
Rowan Atkinson	Mr Atkinson is an actor, best known for his roles as Mr Bean and Blackadder.	He is a close friend of Prince Charles.
Sir Elton John	Sir Elton is a singer-songwriter, composer and pianist.	The chart-topping artist performed at the funeral of the late Diana, Princess of Wales.
David and Victoria Beckham	The 35-year-old football midfielder is the former England captain. He currently lives in Los Angeles, playing for LA Galaxy. Mr Beckham's wife, Victoria, was in the pop group, the Spice Girls, and is now a fashion designer.	Prince William, as president of the Football Association, has met the football superstar on a number of occasions. They recently worked together as ambassadors of England's 2018 World Cup bid.
Guy Ritchie	Guy Ritchie is a well established film-maker, who directed Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch and Revolver.	The British director is a friend of Prince William and Miss Middleton.
Joss Stone	Joss Stone is best known as an English soul singer and songwriter.	She performed at the Concert for Diana at Wembley in 2007 and at City Salute in 2008.
Bucklebury locals
John Haley	The landlord of the Old Boot Inn, a favourite haunt of Prince William and Kate when they are in her home village of Bucklebury.	Middleton family friend
Chandrika Shingadia	Mrs Shingadia runs the Peach's Store in Upper Bucklebury along with her husband Hasmukh. They apparently keep the store well stocked with Prince William's and Kate's favourite ice-cream and sweets.	Middleton family friend