It’s a time of celebration for Prince William, who celebrated his 31st birthday on Friday, June 21, and attended a friend’s wedding ceremony on Saturday, June 22 in the town of Alnwick in Northumberland, England.
While pregnant wife Kate Middleton stayed home, resting, the Duke of Cambridge and brother Harry served as ushers at the wedding of their old friend Thomas van Straubenzee to Lady Melissa Percy, daughter of the Duke of Northumberland, Ralph Percy.
Before the nuptials, a source tells Us Weekly that William and Harry and other members of the wedding party had lunch at a local restaurant, the Treehouse, before arriving at the ceremony at St. Mary’s Church.
The beautiful bride arrived in 200-year old horse-drawn carriage, wearing a Bruce Oldfield dress. Harry’s ex-girlfriend, Chelsy Davy, served as chief bridesmaid, looking stunning in a floor-length camel colored dress. At one point before the ceremony, Davy struggled to keep the bride’s veil under control when a strong gust of wind blew by.
There seemed to be no tension between Harry, 28, and Davy, 27, who dated for five years and have not been photographed since December 2011, as an eyewitness tells Us that the Zimbabwe-native lawyer and William were seen laughing and joking around together before the wedding.
Harry’s current girlfriend, Cressida Bonas, 24, was also in attendance, joined by cousins Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice.
With Kate at home, sister Pippa, 29, stole the show, looking chic in a black and white Tabitha Webb dress. Pippa knows the bride through her brother, George Percy.
The ceremony will be followed by a reception at the 1,000-year old Alnwick Castle, and then dinner and dancing at the estate’s marquee, followed by fireworks. (The jaw-dropping Alnwick estate has doubled as Hogwarts School in the Harry Potter movies).
On Wednesday, June 19, Us revealed how Kate and William’s royal baby will make its way into the world — with a Kensington Palace spokesman explaining that a framed announcement will be placed on a wood and gold easel just behind the gates of Buckingham Palace shortly after the baby arrives.
The Duchess, 31, whose due date July 11, is excited to share the baby’s arrival with adoring fans.
“While it is a deeply personal and private event, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge realize this is a time of national celebration and that there will be vast interest in the baby,” the spokesman tells Us. “They realize many people will want to share in their happiness.”
