Great Britain’s Prince William gets married today to Catherine Middleton in a ceremony which is expected to be watched on TV by one quarter of the world’s population – one and a half billion viewers.  Staggering numbers.  Very few countries come anywhere near to challenging the Brits in the level of pomp and circumstance that they bring to their formal occasions, and we’re sure this will be no exception – even in a recession!

The ceremony takes place in Westminster Abbey in London today, a venue which can hold 1,900.  Over 600,000 are expected to line the streets waving flags and hoping for a glimpse of the couple.  Buckingham Palace has announced that Prince William has been made the Duke of Cambridge and his wife will become Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cambridge, after their wedding.  The prince will also take the titles Earl of Strathearn and Baron Carrickfergus.

In September 2010, it was announced that the future king of Britain would join C Flight of 22 Squadron, based at RAF Valley, as a fully qualified, fully operational Search and Rescue pilot flying Sea King helicopters.

The role of helicopter pilot is a widely accepted role in the UK’s royal family.  William’s brother Prince Harry is a qualified Apache pilot, while their father Prince Charles has in the past been seen flying.  William’s uncle Prince Andrew flew Sea Kings for 820 Squadron in the Falklands War in the early 1980s.

HeliHub.com would like to take this opportunity to offer congratulations to William and Catherine and wish them a long and happy marriage.

Jeremy Parkin, HeliHub.com