After departing from the Palace, William and Kate hopped into Prince Charles’ 1969 Aston Martin for that famous ride. William overlooked just one tiny thing, however.

The handbrake was on.

Thanks to the Sun’s Edwards – who revealed the prince’s forgetfulness on “Desert Island Discs” – William’s “oops” has been discussed the world over.

Including here. Sorry, Wills. We still love you, though!

** Click here to **

True to its rich heritage, the luxury Maison Montblanc prides itself on being associated with crowning emotional moments in the life of remarkable personalities around the world. The intricate writing instrument crafted for this special occasion is inspired by the architectural elements of the Palais Princier and the Principality Flag, embellished with precious stones and the monogram of the Princely Couple.

This gem of European craftsmanship embodies an unforgettable moment, full of romance and emotion. The unique fountain pen is made of solid white gold. The cap and barrel of this masterpiece is engraved with a rhomb-shaped pattern and is set with 161 rubies and 128 diamonds, reflecting this royal occasion and the colours of the Monegasque State. The largest stone to adorn the writing instrument is a ruby in rhomb cut set on the clip. The 18K gold nib is engraved with a dove, rings and crown – all meaningful symbols of this state union. As with all its creations, the Montblanc emblem adorns the top of the cap, for this occasion it is in mother-of-pearl reflecting the rarity of this piece and representing the future prosperity of the Princely Couple.

Following the wedding day, this unique writing instrument will endure in all its splendor as a memento of a special occasion in European history, and a personal treasure for the newlyweds.

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

For a live broadcast of the wedding, the Prince’s Palace has provided live streaming at their special wedding website: Mariage Princier.

The Prince’s Palace website itself is showing live streaming at Palais.mc.

For the rest of the wedding schedule, see this post. Cheers!

Monaco-Ville: Image via Wikipedia

The program:

THURSDAY June 30th

7.00pm : Journalists accredited by the Press Centre are invited to attend a special press event on the Hotel Méridien beach in Monaco.

10.00pm : The couple will offer a special concert by the Eagles for Monegasque citizens, residents, persons working in the Principality and people from neighbouring communities. This concert will take place in the Louis II Stadium, before an audience of 15,000 people expected to attend.

FRIDAY July 1st

5.00pm : The civil wedding will take place in the Throne Room of the Prince’s Palace.

The Monegasques will be able to follow the ceremony on giant screens located on Palace Square. The Square will be accessible to Monegasques and their families from 4pm onwards.

5.50pm : After the ceremony, the newly-wedded couple will appear on the balcony of the Salon des Glaces in order to salute the Monegasques.

6.00pm : The couple will then join them on Palace Square for a buffet prepared by the Fairmont Monte-Carlo, with Mediterranean and South African dishes by Chefs from South Africa and Monaco. The Mayor of Monaco will present the gift of the Monegasques to the couple.

8.00pm : The residents of the Principality will be invited to a reception on the Port.

10.00pm : A large concert will be offered by the newly-wedded couple on the Port. Jean Michel Jarre will present a unique show.

A very large audience is expected.

SATURDAY July 2nd

5.00pm : The religious wedding will take place in the Main Courtyard of the Prince’s Palace.
The gates of the Palace will remain open in order to allow around 3500 seated persons to follow the ceremony, which will be broadcast on giant screens on the Palace Square.

6.30pm : The couple will leave the Palace for the Sainte Dévote church in order for the Princess to leave her bouquet.

The public will be able to gather all along the procession route in order to congratulate the couple.

9.00pm : The official dinner will be served on the Opéra terraces, followed by fireworks and the opening of the Ball in the Opéra.

Related articles

• Monaco’s royal wedding to be 3-day extravagant affair (cbsnews.com)
• Charlene Wittstock: Meet the woman marrying Prince Albert II of Monaco (cbsnews.com)
• Charlene Wittstock: The Vogue Interview, July 2011 (Yup, it’s the Entire Interview) (royalcorrespondent.com)

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

I’ve been remiss in posting about this great article. Written by Guy Somerset for Taki’s Magazine, he puts paid to the critics who dismiss the wedding as fluff and nonsense.

Whenever I listen to someone denigrate New Year’s Eve, Births, Birthdays, Anniversaries, Graduations, or singular events such as the Royal Wedding I am quite tempted to rejoin, “And what pray tell are you saving your life for?”

I urge you to read it in full here.

This DVD contains over two hours of official BBC coverage of the April 29th wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. It is also on sale – as of May 24th – through the BBC’s online shop.

To enter, submit your name and email address via the contact form or here in the comments section. I will have a raffle drawing to determine the winner (US residents only). Drawing on 6-10-2011.