Och aye the noolyweds! Pippa goes Scottish on her big day
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SHE prefers the privacy of the palace to eating out in public. But the Queen made an exception last night as she visited a celebrity haunt to celebrate a friend’s birthday.
The 91-year-old was pictured arriving at The Ivy in Covent Garden looking animated and relaxed as she was Royal Correspondent
A £100,000 glass marquee, the best temporary loos money can buy and a Spitfire flypast… we’re getting to know a lot about Pippa Middleton’s wedding.
But today the Mail can reveal one of the most fascinating aspects yet – the big day tomorrow is going to have a Scottish theme.
Pippa’s links to God’s Country are a little unclear – although she did go to Edinburgh University.
Groom James Matthews, however, is better connected and it would seem this has driven the plan for the nuptials. James’s father, David, a former mechanic who made a fortune through the car trade, owns a castle and 10,000-acre estate 15 miles from Loch Ness in the Highlands.
His acquisition of the property in 2008 also bought him the courtesy title of the Laird of Glen Affric, which will be inherited by his eldest son, hedge fund boss James.
That would make Pippa Lady Glen Affric one day.
Friends say Pippa and her fiance have a deep love of Scotland and often spend time at the Matthews family estate, where they hold annual shooting parties at the Glen Affric Lodge.
As a result the 300-plus guests at the wedding are set to enjoy a wealth of food sourced from the region around Glen Affric, including haggis canapés and lamb, all washed down with local whisky. The couple have even brought in a bagpiper.
‘Everything will be Scottish in nature – bagpipes, the lot,’ said a source. The Matthews family’s title even comes with its own red and green tartan, which James could opt to wear at his wedding.
The Mail’s sources could not confirm whether he will wear a kilt, but said they believe the tartan will be incorporated in his outfit.
Some 17lb of beluga caviar worth £40,000 has been donated by an anonymous Russian. The delicacy will also be incorporated into the canapés, our sources say.
Pippa has, by all accounts, been intimately involved in every aspect of the menu and has chosen all the food herself, with some inspiration from her book of tips about entertaining, Celebration.
The event is being overseen by Fait Accomplit, an international event company beloved by celebrities, with all the catering provided by society favourite Table Talk.
Pippa, 33, used to work for Table greeted by owner Richard Caring. Instead of her usual formal coat and gloves, she opted for a smart silver dress and block heels, wrapping up in a grey paisley shawl.
She was joined by her cousin, Prince Michael of Kent, and his wife Princess Michael, for the occasion. David Walli- Big spenders: Pippa Middleton and James Matthews Talk when her sister was just plain Kate Middleton.
The firm is catering for not only the wedding breakfast but also the dinner and after-party events. Table Talk has also supplied the 30-strong staff working on the night, say family friends. Pippa is understood to have personally vetted all the waiters and waitresses. All staff have been forced to sign confidentiality agreements and will have to give up their phones before entering the site.
The bride has also been planning a host of surprises for her guests, including table tennis tables in the glass marquee because it is her favourite sport. A huge sound system with ‘mega speakers’ was yester- ams was also pictured arriving at the venue, but it is not thought he was dining with the royals.
The menu features British classics, including shepherd’s pie at £19.50; haddock, chips and mushy peas at £19; and a starter of dressed Cornish crab at £17.50. day being installed for a ‘surprise act’ who will perform at an after party.
Not everything, however, comes with an eye-watering price tag.
The Middleton family have been given a fleet of up to 50 top-of-the-range cars by Jaguar Land Rover to ferry around their guests, it is understood. In return for the publicity the event is expected to generate, the car giant has loaned them dozens of Range Rovers to transport guests from the village hall in Bucklebury, Berkshire, to the family house.
Guests arriving for the evening do are being told to congregate at the village hall, where they will be security checked before being taken up to the main house in a luxury car, one source revealed.
Asked for details about the fleet of cars being supplied to the wedding, Jaguar Land Rover declined to comment.
Yesterday, several dozen vans and lorries arrived at the Middleton family home, as well as the nearby village of Englefield, where the ceremony will take place. Among them was a van from Jones Hire, a premier catering rental company, providing tableware, furniture and kitchen equipment for ‘prestigious’ events.
It is understood that a firm which has worked with Prince Harry, Boultbee Flight Academy, will be organising Pippa’s vintage aircraft flypast, which will feature two Spitfires, and is estimated to be costing around £20,000.
‘17lb of beluga caviar’