UK royal wedding to generate 6,765 tonnes of carbon

Wedding of Prince William and his girlfriend Kate Middleton is likely to generate more than 10 times as much greenhouse gases the Buckingham Palace emits in a whole year, a carbon footprint analysis has predicted.


The mega event, which will be held on Friday and joined by hundreds of hi-profile celebrities and guests, is expected to generate 6,765 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e) -- 12 times the annual emissions from the London palace or 1,230 times the annual emissions of the average UK household.


further 3,957 tonnes of CO2e will be generated by the 400,000 people travelling on the tube and a further 200,000 arriving on rail to watch the event in central London.


The analysts at Achilles Information Limited, who are licensed to use CEMARS in the UK, did not calculate the carbon footprint of the ceremony itself and said it was just a "fun exercise" to highlight how carbon can be cut down.


Already the couple have done a few small things to limit their footprint. Kate's ring is reported to be made from Welsh gold rather than minerals from an exploitative mine. Her dress could also be ethical if she chooses vegan silk and organic Fairtrade cotton, although the most low carbon option of wearing a second hand dress or reworking something vintage is unlikely.


However, Prince William chose to take her abroad to Jordan rather than to have a stay at home honeymoon and he did propose in a long haul destination in Kenya. The Prince's household, Clarence House and St James's Palace, offset their carbon footprint every year and a spokesman suggested the royal wedding would also be offset.


"Clarence House and St James Palace always strive to minimise their carbon emissions and make any event as environmentally friendly as possible," said a spokesman. "The royal wedding is no exception,

Royal Wedding Update

Royal Wedding details are drawing to a close sooner rather than later as Prince William and Catherine "Kate" Middleton prepare to marry in less than a week.

The couple's final public appearance occurred on April 11 when enthused locals braced the rain to wish the Prince and his fiancée well on their upcoming ceremony on April 29.

What Middleton will be wearing upon her exit from her car, not coach, around 12:30 p.m. is still unknown. Rumors have been flying that not only will Middleton go with the untraditional route via her arrival, but also with her choice of headwear. A ring of roses, a symbol of happiness, may be sitting atop Middleton's hair, instead of a jewel encrusted tiara.
Kate Middleton arrives westminster abbey

Middleton isn't the only one making her own tradition. Prince William will not be wearing a wedding band after the ceremony, while Middleton will have a band made of gold from the Welsh Mountains — a piece that has been in the possession of Queen Elizabeth for years.

place for the honeymoon has yet to be announced. Possible sites include Jordan, where Middleton lived for three years as a child, Greece and places around the United Kingdom. Representatives deny commenting, so the couple can have a media-free vacation.

With all the commotion surrounding the wedding, it's no wonder Prince William said he's a bit nervous for the event. Luckily for him, everything has been taken care of.

If you want to see Prince William and Kate Middleton tie the knot, make sure you tune in to the biggest event of the year on the morning of Friday, April 29.

Mr Key has meetings in France and Britain this week and will attend the royal wedding on Friday.

Mr Key says the meeting with the Queen will be an opportunity to update her on the situation in Christchurch after the earthquake, which he says she is very concerned about.

He says she will also want an update on the families affected by the Pike River mine disaster.

Royal wedding broadcast

Planning every last aspect of Will and Kate’s wedding to the minutest detail in the run up to this Friday’s ceremony. And with over 2 billion people worldwide expected to tune in to the momentous event live, their choice of production team couldn’t be more important.

Tiny cameras hidden in altar flowers for fly-on-the-wall effect

Two billion set to watch worldwide

No guest safe from world's gaze as every emotion will be recorded

World's media barter for best vantage point in commercial buildings

But rain could put a dampener on big day

So the palace has turned to one of the most respected stage managers in television, Diccon Ramsay. The 27-year-old will take a break from his day job on ITV1 talent show The X Factor to take command of the 60 special cameras located around Westminster Abbey to capture every emotion of the king-to-be and his blushing bride.

Buckingham Palace has asked Diccon Ramsay, the 27-year-old stage manager of the U.K. version of Simon Cowell’s X-Factor, to take time off from his day job and bring some showbiz drama to coordinating coverage inside the Abbey, where a network of cameras that have been installed to deliver every aspect of the ceremony to an audience predicted to be 2 billion viewers worldwide.