>Royal couple to share balcony kiss on wedding day

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IT IS the “will they, won’t they?” question hanging over the royal wedding. Prince William and Kate Middleton have seldom appeared intimate in public, leading many to query whether they would forgo the tradition of a post-wedding kiss in front of expectant crowds.

But the couple will not disappoint on April 29, with royal sources indicating that they will share a kiss from the balcony of Buckingham Palace after their wedding in Westminster Abbey.

The “balcony kiss” is among the most memorable images from the wedding of the Prince’s parents, the Prince of Wales and Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1981, and began a tradition.

The Duke and Duchess of York also kissed for the crowds at their wedding in 1986.

A royal aide said: “Prince William and Catherine know the form and have seen the photographs. I doubt well-wishers will be disappointed.”

The couple’s appearance on the balcony will be the highlight of the wedding, with hundreds of thousands of people expected to line the Mall to greet the newly-weds and a fly-past scheduled to salute the couple.

The couple have been preparing for their wedding by receiving advice on the challenges of married life from the Bishop of London, the Rt Rev Richard Chartres, who will give the address at their wedding.

In a series of meetings, Bishop Chartres has been counselling them on how to cope with the pressure of building a family in the glare of public scrutiny. The couple are also believed to have discussed the impact their upbringings have had on them and how their roles would change as parents.

“I understand the time together has been going very well,” said a Church insider. “The Prince trusts Richard as he knows him well and knows how discreet he is.”

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, who will perform the marriage ceremony, is understood to have been explaining to the couple the implications of the marriage vows they choose. Most couples having Church of England weddings are offered marriage preparation by their vicar.

The couple are determined not to have a “celebrity” wedding, even though guests will include Sir Elton John and David and Victoria Beckham. Guests at the Abbey and reception in Buckingham Palace will be allowed to keep their mobile phones but, in an attempt to prevent photographs of the celebrations reaching Twitter, will be asked to switch them off.

A royal source said: “There will be no gimmicks and no celebrities tinkling away on pianos at any stage. It will be a very traditional Anglican service.”

The Prince, 28, and Miss Middleton, 29, will move out of Clarence House, which they share with the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Harry, and will make either Buckingham Palace or Kensington Palace, the former residence of the Princess of Wales, their London home. The couple mainly live in Anglesey, north Wales, where the Prince is a search and rescue helicopter pilot.

An aide said: “They are keen to establish their own base away from Prince William’s family home. Catherine will move permanently to Anglesey, and they plan to live as a very low-profile couple.

“They will not be fully working royals, and as such, they will not be undertaking a raft of engagements or taking up a host of new patronages straight away. They want to keep things very low-key for the foreseeable future.”

>Royal Wedding: Prince William and Kate Middleton’s Kensington Palace quandary

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Prince William receives some cautionary words from Scotland Yard about making Kensington Palace his marital home with Kate Middleton.

Although Kensington Palace, as his late mother’s home, will always have a special place in the heart of Prince William, I am told that Scotland Yard has reservations about him making his marital home there with Kate Middleton.

The grounds and interiors of the palace are currently being upgraded, and Historic Royal Palaces (HRP), the organisation which is responsible for the public parts of the property, expects visitor numbers to increase from 250,000 a year to 350,000 after the work is completed in 2012.

“Obviously the private areas and the public areas are separate, but we would have to factor in the proximity of the prince and his wife to such large numbers of people,” says my man at the Yard. “My understanding is that the Prince has not yet made a final decision, but we would have to raise this point with him if it is true that he is thinking about making his marital home there.”

Princess Michael of Kent, one of the palace’s residents, assures me, however, that the building can cope with the numbers. “It’s a big place – it’s as big as Harrods, actually,” she says.

Of the accommodation that she shares with her husband, she adds: “We are on a separate corner — we’ve just got a little corner — so we never see the public.”

A spokesman for HRP tells me: “While there will be more visitors in the public areas of the palace, this will not require any additional security arrangements with the private side of the palace, which is under the jurisdiction of the Royal Household, and will remain inaccessible to the general public.”

A spokesman for Prince William tells me that Miss Middleton will live with him in north Wales after their wedding and they will remain there until he completes his RAF service in the area.

“We are not, however, commenting on what their plans may or may not be after that,” he adds.