Kate and William have invited be a selection of characters from Miss Middleton’s home village in Berkshire - a friendly postman, a trusted shopkeeper and his wife, the landlord of the Bucklebury village pub and their butcher to share their special day.
The names of the locals on the Royal wedding guest list were leaked this week as villagers started to receive the gold-embossed invitations. Shopkeeper Chan Shingadia and his wife Hash – who has checked with Kate’s father, Michael, whether she can wear a sari to the wedding – said they were delighted to receive theirs.
Mr Shingadia, who lives above their Peaches Stores shop, said: ‘We’re over the moon, absolutely thrilled. I have known Kate six years. She comes in regularly. She has brought William in on about three or four occasions. The very first time it was mind-blowing to have a Prince in my store. He likes Viennetta ice cream – he buys that a lot. I’ve got to know him better each time. What’s lovely about him is despite the fact that he meets a lot of people, he still remembers my daughter’s name. Meera is only 11 but he also asks how she is getting on at school. It is incredible of him to do that and it shows he really cares and thinks about the people he meets.’
Another guest is postman Ryan Naylor, whose bag has been getting heavier by the day because of Kate’s burgeoning fan mail. When The Mail on Sunday approached Mr Naylor on his round in the village, he declined to comment, saying only: ‘I deliver to the Middleton family. Kate’s a friendly, natural, lovely girl.’
But pub landlord John Haley, of the Old Boot Inn in Stanford Dingley, spoke of his astonishment at receiving an invitation, even though he has known the Middleton family for more than 14 years. The 55-year-old said: ‘I was surprised to be invited. They have hundreds of guests and they included me. That’s wonderful. I am thrilled. William and Kate have been to my pub about ten times in the past year. They come in, sit quietly at the table, drink wine and are a lovely couple. They’ve been in to dine and are very natural, talking to the regulars.’
And the Royal couple have invited a ‘metric martyr’ to their wedding in the form of butcher Martin Fidler, who supplies the Middleton family. Mr Fidler, who runs Bladebone Butchers in nearby Chapel Row, has served the village for 30 years and came to national attention in 2004 when he defied demands by local trading standards officials to use metric measures. He was not available for a comment.
The invited locals have even hired a publicist, theatrical agent Laurie Mansfield, to handle Press inquiries.
The names of the locals on the Royal wedding guest list were leaked this week as villagers started to receive the gold-embossed invitations. Shopkeeper Chan Shingadia and his wife Hash – who has checked with Kate’s father, Michael, whether she can wear a sari to the wedding – said they were delighted to receive theirs.
Mr Shingadia, who lives above their Peaches Stores shop, said: ‘We’re over the moon, absolutely thrilled. I have known Kate six years. She comes in regularly. She has brought William in on about three or four occasions. The very first time it was mind-blowing to have a Prince in my store. He likes Viennetta ice cream – he buys that a lot. I’ve got to know him better each time. What’s lovely about him is despite the fact that he meets a lot of people, he still remembers my daughter’s name. Meera is only 11 but he also asks how she is getting on at school. It is incredible of him to do that and it shows he really cares and thinks about the people he meets.’
Another guest is postman Ryan Naylor, whose bag has been getting heavier by the day because of Kate’s burgeoning fan mail. When The Mail on Sunday approached Mr Naylor on his round in the village, he declined to comment, saying only: ‘I deliver to the Middleton family. Kate’s a friendly, natural, lovely girl.’
But pub landlord John Haley, of the Old Boot Inn in Stanford Dingley, spoke of his astonishment at receiving an invitation, even though he has known the Middleton family for more than 14 years. The 55-year-old said: ‘I was surprised to be invited. They have hundreds of guests and they included me. That’s wonderful. I am thrilled. William and Kate have been to my pub about ten times in the past year. They come in, sit quietly at the table, drink wine and are a lovely couple. They’ve been in to dine and are very natural, talking to the regulars.’
And the Royal couple have invited a ‘metric martyr’ to their wedding in the form of butcher Martin Fidler, who supplies the Middleton family. Mr Fidler, who runs Bladebone Butchers in nearby Chapel Row, has served the village for 30 years and came to national attention in 2004 when he defied demands by local trading standards officials to use metric measures. He was not available for a comment.
The invited locals have even hired a publicist, theatrical agent Laurie Mansfield, to handle Press inquiries.
