The Royal Wedding is nearly upon us, and the internet and media have been awash with articles and programmes analysing every aspect of it in great detail. Here are a few stories you may have missed.
A researcher has discovered that Prince William is related to a 17th Century member of the Middleton family - a "hard-drinking" Scot who rose through the ranks of the army to become Commander of the Covenanting Forces in Scotland, later switching sides to become Charles II's commissioner to the Scottish Parliament and the governor of Tangier. He was titled the Earl of Middleton for this, but unfortunately his drinking led to his downfall - one night in 1674 he fell downstairs "befuddled with drink" and died from his injuries. He was an ancestor of Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, who would later become the Queen mother.
Kate will eventually become the Sixth Queen Catherine of England. Here is a guide to the other ones, by Philippa Gregory. Everyone knows about Henry VIII's wives, but the others are also interesting. The first Queen Catherine was Catherine of Valois, wife of Henry V. They were only married a year before his untimely death in 1420 but she had time to conceive a son and heir, Henry VI. She then went on to have 5 children with Owen Tudor, including Edmund and Jasper Tudor. Edmund was the father of Henry Tudor and Jasper was his loyal uncle. Catherine died in 1437 but her coffin was accidentally opened 100 years later and became a strange tourist attraction until she was reburied in Victorian times.
The BBC have provided an impressive site where you can get all the latest wedding news, and there is also an official site you can now download your own programme from Will and Kate.
Enjoy the day, and please let us know if there is anything else worth mentioning on the blog.
PS: If you are bored, you can always try this Wills and Kate wedding game.
