This stunning book is Westminster Abbey's official publication on this Royal Wedding and is a unique and unrivalled souvenir to the momentous occasion, taking place on the 29th April 2011 in one of the most famous buildings in the world. It showcases photographs of the wedding exclusive to the Abbey, plus a selection of the best press photography; gives an authoritative account of William and Catherine's friendship and subsequent engagement; and includes an overview of other Royal Weddings held at the Abbey The occasion of HRH Prince William's marriage to Catherine Middleton is a Royal Wedding steeped in history. The couple chose Westminster Abbey because of its "staggering beauty, its 1000 years of royal history and its relative intimacy despite its size". In the last 100 years, Westminster Abbey has played host to ten royal weddings, including those of The Duke of York to Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (who became George VI and Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother) and The Queen, then Princess Elizabeth, to Lieutenant Phillip Mountbatten. The coronation of every crowned monarch has taken place in the Abbey since it was built by Edward the Confessor on the site of a former monastery in the 11th century - the first that of William the Conqueror in 1066 and the most recent that of William's grandmother Elizabeth II in 1953. AUTHOR: James Wilkinson has been associated with the Abbey since he was a chorister there in the early 1950s; in 1953 he sang at the Queen's coronation. During a career in journalism he was the BBC s science correspondent for twenty-five years. He is now one of the Abbey's Honorary Stewards and the author of many publications about the Abbey. SELLING POINTS: *Westminster Abbey's official book on the Royal Wedding *Over 20 stunning pictures of this momentous occasion *Authoritative account of their seven year friendship and subsequent engagement *Includes a fascinating presentation of other Royal Weddings at the Abbey 38 colour & 4 b/w illustrations

Westminster Abbey contains a unique and important group of effigies, some familiar, many little-known, including kings, queens, statesmen and national heroes, ranging in time from the middle ages to the early nineteenth century. They derive from a time when an effigy of the dead monarch, statesman or national hero played an important part in funeral ritual, offering a visible likeness as a focus to the ceremonial of the funeral. This richly illustrated book, which is the first substantial publication on the effigies since 1936, is both a history of the collection and of the origins and development of the funeral effigy, and a full descriptive catalogue of the twenty-one examples in the Abbey. Copyright © Libri GmbH. All rights reserved.