Love and honour but no promise to obey in Kate’s modern vows

Instead, modern-thinking Miss Middleton will pledge to “love, comfort, honour and keep” him, the Order of Service revealed.

The soon-to-be Royal is following in the footsteps of Diana, Princess of Wales, who also opted not to “obey” the Prince of Wales during their wedding ceremony in 1981.

The Queen, Princess Margaret and the Princess Royal all said they would obey their husbands.

William and his fiancee have selected the Series One (1966) Book of Common Prayer ceremony which allows the bride to drop “obey him” and “serve him” from the religious proceedings.

With William choosing not to wear a wedding ring, only the prince will say “With this ring I thee wed” as he places the golden band on Kate’s finger.

The Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams will conduct the vows, before pronouncing them “man and wife”.

Miss Middleton’s wedding dress is likely to be a classic, simple and elegant gown – according to the designer of the famous outfit which first caught Prince William’s eye at a university fashion show.

Instead of the strapless, figure-hugging garment, she is likely to opt for a V-necked gown with either floaty sleeves or a jacket or bolero to cover her arms, designer Charlotte Todd predicted.

The dress itself will be simple in structure with perhaps a delicate layer of lace, she said.

“She has clearly got quite a strong opinion about what she wears, I think she usually wears what she wants and so I think she will have her own stamp on her wedding dress.

“I hope tomorrow we see something which shows a little bit of Kate’s style, hopefully something a little bit modern to reflect the fact that she will be a modern Royal.

“It’ll have to be in keeping with the times.

“The photograph will be out there for ever and obviously she will have thought about that.

“Rather than going for something flouncy like Diana’s dress, I think Kate will be a bit more careful and wear something that can stand the test of time.”

She said Miss Middleton was likely to have opted for a British designer; her young bridesmaids would probably wear “layered flouncy dresses” and her younger sister Pippa would be seen in something “traditional and elegant”, in keeping with Miss Middleton’s own gown.

Her predictions follow months of feverish speculation prompted by Miss Middleton’s decision to keep her gown a closely guarded secret.

Prince William, meanwhile, will be married in red – wearing the famous tunic of an officer in the Irish Guards rather than his RAF uniform.

He holds the honorary rank of Colonel of the Irish Guards and will honour the regiment by walking down the aisle with his bride in the dashing scarlet uniform.

He will also be wearing his Garter sash and star, Royal Air Force “wings”, and Golden Jubilee medal.

Miss Middleton’s wedding ring – a plain, slim gold band – was made by Royal warrant holders Wartski, it was announced yesterday.

As is the tradition for Royal brides, it was fashioned from a nugget of Welsh gold.

Prince William’s grandmother the Queen gave her grandson the precious metal as a gift to mark his wedding.

The all-important ring will be entrusted to Prince Harry, who will be responsible for keeping the band safe and carrying it to Westminster Abbey.

William has chosen not to wear a ring following his marriage.

The long established family jewellery business also made the wedding rings of the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall in 2005.

Welsh gold has been used for Royal brides since the custom was started by the Queen Mother in 1923. The Queen Mother’s wedding ring, the Queen’s in 1947, Princess Margaret’s in 1960, the Princess Royal’s in 1973 and that of Diana, Princess of Wales in 1981 were all made from the same nugget.