The wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton.

Prince William, first met Catherine Middleton in 2001 at the University of St Andrews. Their engagement on 20 October 2010 was announced on 16 November 2010. The wedding attracted much media attention.

Queen Elizabeth II said she was "absolutely delighted" for the couple, giving her formal consent to the marriage.

William gave Middleton the same engagement ring that his father had given to William's mother, Diana, Princess of Wales.

The wedding of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and Catherine Middleton took place on Friday, 29 April 2011 at Westminster Abbey in London.

Two choirs, one orchestra and a fanfare ensemble played the music for the service.

An estimated two billion people watched the wedding across the world and 24 million watched the event live in the UK. . It was attended by most of the Royal Family, as well as many foreign royals, diplomats, and the couple's chosen personal guests. Upon her marriage, Middleton became Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge, but is not styled as 'Princess Catherine'.

Middleton wore a white dress with a 270-centimetre train, by British designer Sarah Burton, as well as a tiara lent to her by the Queen.

Prince William wore the uniform of his honorary rank of Colonel of the Irish Guards.

In a break with royal tradition, the groom had a best man—his brother, Prince Harry—rather than a supporter, while the bride chose her sister, Pippa, as maid of honour.

The Queen hosted a lunchtime reception at Buckingham Palace, starting after the arrival of the carriage with the married couple. It was a private gathering for guests drawn from the congregation who represent the couple's official and private lives.

During the reception, the couple made an appearance on the Buckingham Palace balcony, with the other members of the wedding party. The East front of the palace contains this well-known balcony on which the Royal Family traditionally congregate to greet crowds outside. The reception finished mid-afternoon.

After the reception, at 3.30pm William drove his new bride out of the palace back up the Mall for the short distance to Clarence House, his official London residence.

In the evening, the Prince of Wales gave a private dinner, followed by dancing, at Buckingham Palace for the couple and their close friends and family.

It was announced that the costs of the wedding were met by the Royal Family and the Middletons themselves, while the costs of security and transport were covered by the British treasury. The cost of the wedding was reportedly £20 million.

Following the wedding, the couple intend to continue living on the Isle of Anglesey in North Wales, where Prince William is based as an RAF Search and Rescue pilot.

In the United States, the Empire State Building in New York City was lit in red, white, and blue, the colors of the Union Flag, which are also the colors of the United States, at sunset on 29 April, to mark the wedding.