Royal pair keep wedding in the family with best man and maid

Prince William will have his brother Harry at his side while Ms Middleton’s maid of honour at the wedding on April 29 will be her sister, Philippa.

The couple have selected four bridesmaids and two page boys – two of whom are the Prince’s godchildren.

As widely predicted, Lady Louise Windsor, seven, the eldest child of Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, and Sophie, Countess of Wessex, is a bridesmaid, along with Margarita Armstrong-Jones, eight, Eliza Lopes, three, and three-year-old Grace van Cutsem – Prince William’s goddaughter. William Lowther-Pinkerton, 10, and eight-year-old Tom Pettifer, the godson of Prince William, will be page boys.

Bridegrooms in royal weddings traditionally choose a “supporter” instead of a best man. However, Prince William opted to have a best man rather than a supporter, a St James’s Palace spokesman said.

When royal bridegrooms select their supporters there is usually more than one, with a chief supporter taking the main role. The Prince of Wales chose his brother Prince Andrew to be his main supporter when he married Lady Diana Spencer at St Paul’s Cathedral in 1981 but because William has only chosen one companion on his wedding day he decided to use the term best man.

Harry, who is training to fly Apache attack helicopters, is likely to have the role of planning William’s stag do, while on the wedding day he could be tasked with looking after Kate’s wedding ring. He may also have to give a speech at the private reception following the ceremony at Westminster Abbey.

Harry said he was “delighted” about the engagement when it was announced. “It means I get a sister, which I have always wanted,” he added.

Miss Middleton’s younger sister, Philippa, 27, has been given the role of maid of honour.

Known as Pippa to her family, she is no surprise appointment as she is often seen by Kate’s side and they are understood to have a close relationship.

She has received substantial media attention since her sister began her relationship with the Prince and is often photographed out with Kate.

After graduating in English from Edinburgh University, Pippa worked as a party planner and is rumoured to be a “gatekeeper” for her sister.

She recently raised eyebrows over an interview conducted shortly after the engagement announcement, with some accusing her of using her sister’s wedding as an opportunity to promote the family’s mail-order company, Party Pieces. It has been rumoured that Kate’s parents, Michael and Carole Middleton, would like their younger daughter to play a more prominent role in their business in the future.

Wtih details of Miss Middleton’s wedding gown still a closely guarded secret, St James’s Palace spokesman said details of the bridesmaids’ dresses and the page boys’ uniforms would only be made available on the wedding day. The bridesmaids at the wedding of the Prince of Wales and Lady Diana wore ivory satin dresses with gold sashes and lemon slippers, while the page boys wore 1863 naval uniforms.

There are also no details yet of who will be on the guest list for the wedding, which is not an official state occasion since William is not yet heir to the throne. Still also being kept under wraps are details of the cake and flowers, with suggestions Miss Middleton could follow in the footsteps of Diana and the Queen and include in her bridal bouquet a sprig of myrtle from the bush grown from the original myrtle in Queen Victoria’s wedding bouquet. After both wed, their bouquets were later sent to Westminster Abbey and laid on the tomb of the unknown warrior.

The couple will be paying a visit later this month to the university where they met. Prince William is to be patron of St Andrews University’s anniversary appeal.