- Royal weddings are huge, public affairs. Prince William and Kate Middleton's 2011 nuptials were an official state event, which made planning personal touches into the big day difficult for the couple.
- According to Express Will and Kate were presented with a huge lift of people who had to be invited to the fully formal event.
- Will's grandma, Queen Elizabeth, told him to "tear up the list" and for him and Kate to invite their own friends first and then go from there.
Queen Elizabeth is usually known for being the stickler for royal protocol and etiquette, but she actually encouraged Prince William and Kate Middleton to ignore that protocol when it came to planning their wedding in 2011.
In her 2013 book Kate: A Biography, royal author Marcia Moody, explains how the Queen gave Will and Kate permission to be loose with the rules on their special day. According to Express, Moody wrote:
"William was presented with a list of hundreds of people who he should invite and felt his heart sink. The occasion would 100 percent formal, with no room for their personal guest list or special touches. He spoke to the Queen and she told him to tear up the list, invite his friends and start from there."
That might not have been the best public figurehead move, but it was definitely the best loving grandma move.
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