Everyone loves a Royal Wedding.  Especially one like this, between a Prince and a commoner. It’s literally the stuff fairytales are made of. The big day will have everything Walt Disney could have asked for, from the trumpeters to the eighteen-horse carriage procession to the evening of dancing in the great ballroom of Buckingham Palace.

I’m sure this will all be very nice but, more importantly, there will be tea. Around 660 people will be sitting down to tea, champagne and canapés at a reception hosted by the Queen. There will be the classic designer wedding cake, of course, but, in an endearing move, William has requested that there also be one of his childhood favourites, a chocolate biscuit cake. It isn’t really a cake but a gooey mixture of melted chocolate, dried fruit and crushed biscuits and, while it may not perfectly complement a glass of champagne, there is no better accompaniment to a cup of tea.

As always, wedding souvenirs are being produced in impressive volumes with crockery and tea sets being the most popular designs. Collectible royal wedding memorabilia is an old tradition in Britain and, with the huge array of mugs cups and saucers available, it is a neat way to combine two quintessentially English things: tea and the monarchy. The Royal family will be drinking their tea on the day from a tea set specifically designed for the happy couple by Zhu Xiaoju. The unique set is named Dian Xi and is decorated with a blue and white floral design.

The select few with royal invitations won’t be celebrating, or enjoying their tea, alone. Tea parties and street parties are planned throughout the country in celebration of the wedding and also of the free day off from work that a lot of us are getting. British troops in Afghanistan will be celebrating along with the rest of the country and people all over the world will be watching live. There are few couples who can claim to have been the cause of so many boiling kettles!

So let’s raise a cup of tea to William and Kate and wish them well on their wedding day.

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