Set to marry? William and Kate have dated for seven yearsShe has waited patiently for more than seven years for Prince William to pop the question. But could Kate Middleton's long apprenticeship as a royal bride be finally coming to an end?
According to well-placed sources, royal aides have made 'discreet overtures' to senior personnel at Westminster Abbey to hold a wedding there on the second weekend in August next year.
William and Kate, who have been dating since meeting as students at St Andrews University, have been plagued by speculation about when they will finally tie the knot.
Talk reached fever pitch when William turned 28 in June - the age he once rashly predicted was the 'earliest' he would get married.
Last week German aristocrat Prince Julius Eduard von Anhalt - a distant cousin of Prince Charles - claimed the pair will formally announce their engagement this autumn and marry next July.
Sources have now told the Daily Mail that secret discussions have indeed taken place about the possibility of a royal wedding next summer.
Although nothing has been set in stone, talks are sufficiently advanced for the issue to have been raised when the Queen and Prince Philip visited the Abbey on an official engagement in May, insiders say.
Although many commentators have predicted William and Kate will wed at St George's Chapel, Windsor, Westminster Abbey would have particular resonance for the monarch, who held her own wedding there in November 1947. William also has an emotional attachment to the building as it was the venue for his mother Princess Diana's funeral service 13 years ago.
Venue? Westminster Abbey was where the Queen married in 1947, and where the funeral of Princess Diana was held The prince is said to have rejected suggestions that he choose St Paul's Cathedral, where his own parents married, because he wants a more 'low key' celebration.
A senior source at the Abbey said: 'A date has been earmarked for a royal wedding next year. It is very tentative at the moment but currently the second weekend in August has been mooted.
'Only the most senior personnel here have been privy to the discussions but my understanding is that the issue was raised when the Queen visited here back in May.
'Many commentators have ruled out Westminster Abbey because of the link with the prince's late mother, but he has attended several official functions here in recent years and it would not put him off in the slightest.'
Sources close to William were unable to rule out the suggestion.
The prince is in the final stages of his training to become a search and rescue pilot at RAF Valley on Anglesey. He is due to start working as a fully operational pilot at the same base late next month.
Friends say it is extremely unlikely he would have time to get married during the first six months of his posting but say it is 'entirely possible' he could fit in a wedding in the latter half of next year.
The timing would also allow Miss Middleton to ease into her new role as a princess before playing a leading part in the Queen's diamond jubilee celebrations in 2012.
One friend said: 'To be honest, next summer would be perfect. It's pretty much impossible for them to marry in 2012 due to the Jubilee and the London Olympics, which means that unless they take the plunge next year Kate would have to wait until 2013 to walk down the aisle. She has been very patient so far, but I think that is asking rather too much - even of her.
'William will be settled in his RAF role by then and Kate would be allowed to spend the first few years of married life as an officer's wife rather than a full-time royal.
Duty: Kate accompanies William as he receives his RAF wings in 2008'This would allow her time to get used to her new role before being thrust onto the world stage, unlike Princess Diana who was thrown to the wolves without any backup almost straight away.'
Miss Middleton, 28, has been nicknamed Waity Katie because of her boyfriend's reluctance to name a date.
She is working for her parents' party goods firm and is dividing her time between the family home in Berkshire and William's rented farmhouse in north Wales.
The couple are enjoying the opportunity to 'test drive' living together as a couple away from the spotlight that will come when they announce their engagement.
The fact that Palace officials are interested in planning for a wedding well before the date has been announced or even decided is typical of their meticulous all-scenarios preparations.
Even state funerals are carefully considered decades in advance.
A St James's Palace spokesman said last night: 'The only people with knowledge about any future plans they may or may not have are Prince William and Kate Middleton. We are not aware of any enquiries being made.'
source :dailymail
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