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Royal wedding: Five traditions of royal nuptials

After years of speculation about when they would wed, Prince William and Kate Middleton announced their engagement on Tuesday. The announcement seems to have thrilled Britons, both the public and the press. The wedding and the buzz leading up to it are likely to provide a bit of cheer for a nation – though some people are sure to grouse about the cost of what is sure to be a lavish affair at a time of sobering austerity cuts. Below are some of the royal wedding and marriage traditions that we will surely hear more about in coming months.

The ring

Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP

  • By Ariel Zirulnick Correspondent

If Kate Middleton and Prince William follow royal tradition, her wedding ring will include a bit of Welsh gold. The practice began in 1923 with the late Queen Mother (current Queen Elizabeth II’s mother), the Telegraph reports.
The wedding rings of the Queen Mother, Queen Elizabeth, Princess Margaret, the Princess Royal, and Diana, Princess of Wales, were all made with a piece of gold from the same nugget. Only a tiny piece of that nugget remains, but the Queen was presented with another large nugget years ago to use in future royal wedding rings. Part of it has already been used in the ring for Sarah, Duchess of York.

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