<Tr> <Th> Participants </Th> <Td> Prince William, Duke of Cambridge Catherine Middleton </Td> </Tr> <P> The wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton took place on 29 April 2011 at Westminster Abbey in London, United Kingdom . The groom, Prince William, is second in the line of succession to the British throne . The bride, Catherine Middleton, had been his girlfriend since 2004 . </P> <P> The Dean of Westminster, John Hall, presided at the service; the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, conducted the marriage; Richard Chartres, the Bishop of London, preached the sermon; and a reading was given by the bride's brother, James . William's best man was his brother, Prince Harry, while the bride's sister, Pippa, was maid of honour . The ceremony was attended by the bride's and groom's families, as well as members of foreign royal dynasties, diplomats, and the couple's chosen personal guests . After the ceremony, the couple made the traditional appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace . As Prince William was not the heir apparent to the throne, the wedding was not a full state occasion and many details were left to the couple to decide, such as much of the guest list of about 1,900 . </P> <P> Prince William and Kate Middleton met in 2001 . Their engagement on 20 October 2010 was announced on 16 November 2010 . The build - up to the wedding and the occasion itself attracted much media attention, being compared in many ways with the 1981 marriage of William's parents . The occasion was a public holiday in the United Kingdom and featured many ceremonial aspects, including use of the state carriages and roles for the Foot Guards and Household Cavalry . Events were held around the Commonwealth to mark the wedding; organisations and hotels held events across Canada, over 5,000 street parties were held throughout the United Kingdom, and one million people lined the route between Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace . The ceremony was viewed live by tens of millions more around the world, including 72 million live streams on YouTube . In the United Kingdom, television audiences peaked at 26.3 million viewers, with a total of 36.7 million watching part of the coverage . </P>

Who performed the service at the royal wedding