Royal wedding fever
It’s the final countdown to the wedding of the year!
Excited Pippa is all set
to marry her prince
With just a week to go before Pippa Middleton marries her billionaire beau, the bride-to-be and her fiancé James Matthews showed just how in love they are as they left a Sunday church service last weekend.
The smitten pair, who are set to marry on May 20 in a lavish country wedding, could barely keep their eyes off each other, holding hands and stealing a kiss behind a bush. And pals say that with the wedding just days away, Pippa, 33, and James, 41, can hardly wait to say “I do”.
“They have a very special relationship,” a friend of the Duchess of Cambridge’s sister tells us. “They are very affectionate and hate to be apart. Neither of them have any doubts at all that they’ll be together forever.”
With her perfect pins, Pippa was showing off the results of her wedding slimdown. The already-trim star has been working out daily at an exclusive women’s gym near her $40 million London townhouse to hone her figure, as well as taking her and James’ two dogs out
for regular walks. She has also relied on Pilates sessions to keep her calm in the lead-up to her big day and said recently, “Whether it’s 7am in the morning or 7pm at night, I always leave feeling calm, refreshed and invigorated.”
“Pippa is in incredible shape,” her friend explains. “She knows her wedding photos will be seen all around the world, so she’s determined to shine. She says she wants to look even better than she did in her bridesmaid dress at Kate and Wills’ wedding!”
As Woman’s Day went to press late last week, final preparations were in full swing for the ceremony, which is being billed as the society event of the year. The couple will marry at the charming St Mark’s church in the village of Englefield, before a reception at Pippa’s parents Carole and Michael Middleton’s family home in Bucklebury.
Excitement amongst the 350 guests is at fever pitch, with rumours circulating that singing superstar Adele will perform her hit “Make You Feel My Love” for the couple’s first dance, before joining the wedding as a guest with her husband Simon Konecki.
“James approached Adele because she’s Pippa’s favourite artist and he knew what it would mean to her,” the friend reveals. “Ellie Goulding is also set to make an appearance and there’s even talk of her doing a duet with Adele, which would be an amazing surprise for Pippa.”
Kate speaks up
In an unconventional move, Kate, 35, is said to be making a speech to her sister and new husband, which will follow James’ brother Spencer’s best man speech.
“Traditionally, women rarely speak at upper-class British weddings, but Kate offered to do this a long time ago and Pippa was touched because she knows public speaking makes her sister nervous,” reveals the pal.
“But Kate was adamant that she wants to publicly show her appreciation for her sister’s support over the years. She knows it hasn’t been easy living in her shadow as she joined the royal family.”
Famous guests at the wedding will include Prince Harry, who’s tipped to be taking his actress girlfriend Meghan Markle as his date, as well as tennis champion Roger Federer and a smattering of UK television stars.
No expense has been spared, says Pippa’s pal, with guests expected to take home $5000 worth of favours.
We’re told, “All the guests will receive handmade solid silver trinkets with Pippa and James’ initials and the wedding date etched on them, as well as bottles of personalised fragrances from Pippa’s local perfumery in Chelsea, which she created especially for her wedding day.
“Each guest will also receive a Chinese lantern to release into the sky, which will look incredible when all the guests release them after dinner into the night sky.”
And at midnight, a $200,000 fireworks display promises to put a spectacular end to the much-anticipated nuptials.
“There’s absolutely no doubt that this will be a wedding to remember,” tells the friend. “Pippa and James have been to enough lavish events in their time to know how to throw a good party.
“There are hundreds of people working behind the scenes to make it happen – celebrity chefs, top waiters, VIP wedding planners, a huge team of security guards ... Not to mention florists, designers, hair and make-up artists, and photographers. It’s going to be incredible.”