Prince William and new wife Kate Middleton, who now goes by Catherine, have adopted an endangered baby penguin named Acorn.

The bird will continue to live at England's Chester Zoo, which had given Acorn to the newlyweds, known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridg, as a wedding gift. William married his bride in London on April 29 in a ceremony watched by millions of people around the world, including more than 22 million viewers in the United States.

"It's a real honour to be able to boast Prince William and Kate as penguin adopters," a zoo spokersperson said in a statement posted online. "And hopefully the happy couple will come and see little Acorn playing in his pool very soon."

The zoo houses 50 Humbolt penguins, an endangered South American species. Acorn is one of 10 babies who were born in late April and was the first among his siblings to hatch. The names of the chicks are based on a British tree theme. The last penguin to hatch was dubbed Oak.

Fans of the zoo had voted on which animal the royal couple should sponsor and a penguin won with more than 20 percent of the votes.

"Rothschild giraffes and African painted dogs were a distant second and third, with other notable suggestions including royal starlings Billy and Nate, a grey crowned crane and a black rhinoceros," the spokesperson said.
Source

Victoria and David Beckham and Sir Elton John have turned out for the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.Footballer David and his Spice Girl-turned-fashion designer wife, and music legend Elton were among 1,900 guests invited to the Westminster Abbey service.

Victoria earlier spoke of her delight at the occasion, writing on Twitter: “London looks beautiful!!! We are so proud to be British!”

There were squeals of joy from the crowd when the Beckhams arrived at the abbey. David wore a Ralph Lauren morning suit with the OBE he received in 2003 pinned to the right lapel, and had his hair slicked back with a parting on the left side.

His wife, who is pregnant with their fourth child, wore a dark blue dress she designed herself, accessorised with a hat by celebrated milliner Philip Treacy.

Victoria’s arrival got an immediate response from celebrity royal watchers on Twitter, with X Factor judge Dannii Minogue tweeting: “Loving @victoriabeckam in elegant navy with pillbox hat.”

Sir Elton drew some of the biggest cheers as he arrived for the ceremony. He did not show off his usual flamboyant style as both he and his partner David Furnish were dressed in black morning coats and grey trousers.

Ben Fogle, TV presenter and friend of William, waved to the cheering crowd and did an interview with a TV crew outside the abbey.

He later tweeted after the ceremony: “Beautiful service. Very moving. On a double decker bus from the Abbey to the Palace. Had to show a bank statement to security to get on.”
Source: shropshirestar

Victoria and David Beckham and Sir Elton John have turned out for the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.

TV coverage of the wedding

Even the staid Weather Channel isn't immune from royal wedding fever.


Starting Monday, the latest forecasts and weather from London will be closely tracked. Al Roker will anchor "Wake Up With Al" from London, and The Weather Channel will take viewers on a trip to the royal couple's new home, the North Wales island of Anglesey.


The wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton takes place Friday at 11 a.m. British Standard Time, which is 6 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time.
Live coverage is as follows:

•ABC, NBC, CNN, Fox and E!, 4 a.m.

•CBS and TLC, 5 a.m.

•BBC America and Wedding Central, 3 a.m.

Virtually every network and cable channel will have coverage leading up to the wedding.

Morning news shows such as "Today," "Good Morning America" and "The Early Show," and prime-time news programs, such as "Dateline," "20/20," "Nightline" and the network evening news shows on ABC, CBS and NBC will take viewers inside the royal nuptials.

Specials such as movies, biographies, music and reruns of previous royal weddings also will air.

E! will broadcast from Buckingham Palace beginning Monday. Even the Disney Channel is showing "A Modern Fairytale: The Royal Wedding Week," a short-form series for kids, tweens and families, and prince- and princess-themed movies.

Wedding Central will air a one-hour special hosted by Perez Hilton on Friday night at 7 and at www.weddingcentral.com.

In addition, Wedding Central will stream the network's royal wedding-themed shows online Friday.

Following is a sample of what to expect; these are from cable's TLC:

•"Charles and Di: Once Upon a Time," tonight at 7. Relive the most-watched wedding of the 20th century.

•"Untold Stories of a Royal Bridesmaid," tonight at 9. India Hicks was a bridesmaid when her cousin and godfather, Prince Charles, married Lady Diana. The hour follows Hicks — model, TV host and world-renowned designer — as she recalls her bridesmaid experience.

•"Royally Astounding: 30 Defining Days of the Monarchy," tonight at 10. This documentary holds up a magnifying glass to 30 days in the life of the royal family during the past 30 years.

•"Wild About Prince Harry," Monday at 10 p.m. With his brother William about to tie the knot, Prince Harry takes the top spot on the list of the world's most eligible bachelors — and the last available British prince.

•"What the Sell?! Royal Episodes," Tuesday at 10 p.m. Features items from the United Kingdom, including Princess Diana memorabilia and an unexpected bit of royal lingerie from the era of Queen Victoria.

•"Extreme Royal Collections," Wednesday at 10 p.m. Meet the most avid royal collectors in the world.

•"The Making of a Royal Wedding," Thursday at 8 p.m. Logistics and details that go into preparing for a wedding of the century.

•"Countdown to the Royal Wedding," Thursday at 9 p.m. Royal experts and TLC hosts Clinton Kelly and Randy Fenoli conduct a round table to bring viewers up to speed on everything they need to know about the big day.

•Rebroadcast of the wedding will air 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

British palace officials have confirmed that Prince William has rejected one of the most hallowed traditions in marriage: the wedding ring. "There is only going to be one ring, in accordance with the couple's wishes," a royal spokesperson tells People. That ring is a Welsh gold band bequeathed by the queen as a family heirloom to Kate. Meanwhile, William has decided to go jewelry free. "It was something the couple discussed but Prince William isn't one for jewelry," a St. James Palace aid tells the Daily Mail. "It really is just down to personal preference."

It’s a bold decision for any groom to make, royal or no. Even Will’s father, Charles, wears a wedding band beneath his signet ring. But according to insiders, he has Kate's blessing. And after 10 years together, some decisions are best made by the couple, not the public.


Ever since their engagement, Will and Kate have held tight reins on their wedding planning. “They are very much in charge and giving us in the Household Office firm direction on all aspects,” Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, William’s private secretary reveals to Vanity Fair. Unlike Charles' and Diana's royally micro-managed ceremony, Kate and Will are making sure their personal thumbprints are on their big day. Already, their plans for a finger food buffet, charitable donations in lieu of gifts, and emailed save the dates are departures from old-school formalities. Even the bride’s traditional chariot ride to the church has been eschewed in favor of a more private limo ride. The message respectful but firm: It’s their wedding and they want to have fun.

In that way, Will and Kate aren't so different from the average American bride and groom. “People are just less bound by tradition now,” says Jessica Grose, managing editor of Slate’s women’s site Double XX. “They can pick and choose what parts of marriage's trappings they want to observe or not observe.”


Like the royals, more couples are getting married at an older age, so they’re not as reliant on their family for funding or etiquette guidelines. A higher percentage of couples are also co-habitating before their wedding day, so they’re used to making major decisions together that cater to their personal tastes.

That flexibility doesn’t just come down to wedding choices, but marital decisions as well. "Some people are choosing if they should take their husband's name, or if they even want to have a wedding," says Grose, whose Home Economics column tracks the changing face of marital finance plans. When she married last year, after living with her partner for four years, Grose realized her parent's approach to joint bank accounts just didn’t seem to apply to her more modern lifestyle, so she and her husband developed a modified version of the traditional joint account.

"People just have more flexibility to make their own choices as they get older," she says. "You're not going to have this princess fantasy when you're thirty and living together for four years—even if you're Kate Middleton."


As the princess fantasy fades with age, so does the Bridezilla nightmare. Cupcakes, finger food and DIY wedding favors may have all become trends during the recession, but they've stayed strong as couples look to put more whimsical and personalized touches to their big day.

Grooms are also getting more say in the wedding planning process. One of this year’s biggest trends is "wedding man caves." “Blackjack tables, brandy bars, PlayStations and stogies,” writes The Knot’s Carla Roney. “The man cave has officially moved from the home to the wedding.”

But don’t expect Will's no-wedding-band trend to catch on. "One of the main reasons people even wear rings is to signal that they're taken," writes The Stir's Marissa Brown. "Besides being a signal to others, I really think it serves as a warm-and-fuzzy and important visual reminder to the couple themselves."

“William doesn't need to wear a ring because everyone in the world knows he’s taken,” says Grose, “but I can’t imagine too many women being okay with their husbands trying the same thing.”