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WITH two days to go before Prince William and Kate Middleton marry, excitement about Britain's biggest royal wedding for 30 years is building, although the dress remains a state secret.
The second-in-line to the throne marries his university sweetheart on April 29 at Westminster Abbey, in an event that has become a global media sensation ever since they announced their engagement last November.
The invitations have long gone out, the cake has been chosen, the carriage booked and the music for the church service settled.
William has already held his stag night, royal officials said, although they refused to divulge what Kate had planned to mark the end of her days as an unmarried woman.
Around them, public excitement is building both in Britain and abroad, where many see William and Kate as a breath of fresh air for the monarchy.
In Bahrain the British Club is planning a 'street party'-style celebration, as revealed exclusively in last week's GulfWeekly.
"This is something that a lot of people are really looking forward to," said Max Clifford, a leading public relations consultant.
The excitement is particularly frenzied in the United States and with its Fifth Fleet based in Bahrain the area around Juffair is said to be 'buzzing with excitement'.
"In America, it's crazy," said Robert Jobson, royal commentator and author of William and Kate: The Love Story, saying one US TV network had been interviewing him three times a week about the royal nuptials.
Although back in Blighty, the British appear to have been a little cooler on the event although enthusiasm appears to have started to mount as more details have emerged of the wedding.
"We always like, in Britain, to not get overly excited and try to make out we're not having fun, and then when it actually happens the whole place will be mobbed and everyone will be merry and having fun," he added.
An extra 600,000 tourists are expected to flock to London for the event, according to Visit London, the capital's tourism body.
In case of a last minute rush, a makeshift campsite has been set up on Clapham Common in south London.
The couple are to marry in London's historic Westminster Abbey, in Britain's biggest royal wedding since William's parents Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana married in 1981.
Kate, 29, will arrive in a Rolls-Royce limousine and it is only when she steps into the Abbey that her dress will be revealed to a predicted global television audience of one billion.
Palace officials are treating all details of the gown as a state secret, although reports suggest the successor to the late fashion designer Alexander McQueen, Sarah Burton, has been given the coveted commission.
Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams will preside over the ceremony in front of 1,900 guests, including foreign royals, family and friends, although only 300 will be invited to a reception at Buckingham Palace afterwards.
British servicemen wounded in Afghanistan, football star David Beckham and his wife Victoria, and musician Elton John are among those on the guest list.
His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander, will not be attending the ceremony because he decided to remain with His Majesty King Hamad due to the situation currently prevailing in Bahrain and to be at his disposal to answer all Royal orders.
After the ceremony, the newlyweds will travel back to Buckingham Palace through the streets of the capital, lined with what is expected to be huge crowds taking advantage of a public holiday to wish the couple well.
As Britain struggles with the aftermath of the recession, the royal family and the Middletons will share the wedding costs, with the government meeting security and transport costs.
Many hope the wedding will provide an economic boost - according to consultants Verdict, the wedding is set to inject an extra $995 million into the British economy.
* The wedding can be watched in real time on VisitBritain's new TV channel, VisitBritain TV, which can be found at https://www.visitbritain.tv
