Rating: ★★★★★/★★★★★This is another gem in a collection of books focusing on the British Royal Wedding which occurred on 29 April 2011. Penned by James Wilkinson, it features a short write-up about the backgrounds of Prince William of Wales and Miss Catherine Middleton and the wedding ceremony held at Westminster Abbey. What separates this souvenir book from the rest of the books available in the market is the insight one can gain in reading the matrimonial rites according to the traditional service of the Church of England. The beautiful hymns that were sung during the ceremony by the choirs of Westminster Abbey and the Chapel Royal to the tune of the London Chamber of Music are briefly mentioned together with orchestral and organ music that were played before the ceremony itself when the 1900 invited guests were assembled and after the ceremony where guests began to disperse.
Enclosed within this 40-page book are some of the not so well-known photos captured of the royal couple before their engagement in addition to the spectacular shots of the wedding ceremony, the carriage procession back to Buckingham Palace and the delightful appearance and kiss at the palace balcony. The Abbey has served as the coronation church since 1066 and some royal weddings in the middle ages before this practice was stopped for nearly 600 years where royal marriages took place wherever the court resides. Eight recent royal weddings that occurred at Westminster Abbey are also mentioned for history enthusiasts like me who would like to know the significance of this cathedral steeped in more than a thousand years of history. Starting with the 1923 wedding of Prince Albert George, the Duke of York and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon right up to Prince Andrew (the current Duke of York and second son of Queen Elizabeth II) and Miss Sarah Ferguson's 1986 wedding, there are six royal weddings held in between. These include the marriages of Prince George, the Duke of Kent and Princess Marina of Greece, Princess Elizabeth (the current monarch) and Prince Philip of Greece, Princess Margaret (the queen's sister) and Antony Armstrong-Jones, Princess Alexandra of Kent and the Honourable Angus Ogilvy and finally Princess Anne and Captain Mark Philips. You also get to learn nuggets of information pertaining to the weddings such as bridal gowns that were specifically designed, significant acts that became a timeless royal tradition and the broadcast history of these wedding celebrations through radios and television.
I would dearly recommend to anyone who have a great love and respect for the British royal family to purchase this book as a keepsake. You will definitely not regret it.
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