Royal wedding: Prince invites brothers and sisters in arms to the abbey

Prince William has paid a deeply personal tribute to colleagues in the Armed Forces who were killed or wounded in battle through the invitations to his wedding.

The guest list includes close relatives of two of the Prince's friends from his training at Sandhurst and a Household Cavalry comrade who suffered terrible burns after he was ambushed in Afghanistan.

L/Cpl Martyn Compton, 27, was so badly injured in the Taliban attack in 2006 that his heart stopped three times and he lost his ears and nose.

He suffered burns to 75 per cent of his body, and was in a coma for three months before he regained consciousness.

Prince William, who served alongside L/Cpl Compton in the Household Cavalry and knows him by his nickname of Compo, paid tribute to him in 2008, joking that he was "more famous" than the Prince.

He will attend the royal wedding with his wife of three years, Michelle, who nursed him back to health as he underwent more than 60 hours of operations.

Also among the 1,900 guests at Westminster Abbey will be Holly Dyer, 30, the sister of 2nd Lt Joanna Dyer, who was killed by a bomb in Iraq in 2007.

Lt Dyer, 24, was a close friend of the Prince during his training at Sandhurst, and he was said to be "absolutely devastated" when he heard of her death.

She and three colleagues were killed when an explosion tore through the armoured vehicle in which she was travelling in Basra. Her family's ordeal was worsened by the fact that Holly, an officer in the Army Intelligence Corps, had to return to Iraq to complete her own tour of duty after the funeral.

2nd Lt Dyer, an Oxford graduate, passed out in the same company as Prince William in December 2006.

After her death, the Prince described her as a "close friend" and said he was "deeply saddened to hear the tragic news".

The guests will also include Susie Roberts, the widow of the Prince's platoon commander at Sandhurst, Major Alexis Roberts. Major Roberts, 32, a father of two and known as Lex, was killed by a bomb in Afghanistan in 2007.

After his death, the Prince, who regarded him as "a good friend" as well as a mentor, said he remembered him with "great fondness and respect".

Major Roberts's mother-in-law, Carol Deans, said: "Susie feels so proud to be going to the wedding. She knows that Lex would be very proud, too, as he had a real bond with Prince William."

The Prince attended Major Roberts's funeral and has stayed in touch with Mrs Roberts.

At the time of his death, Major Roberts was the most senior Army officer to die in Afghanistan.

Other guests will include Bryn Parry, the former soldier who founded the charity Help for Heroes with his wife, Emma.

Both Princes William and Harry are supporters of the charity.

Prince William has also invited all 27 members of his RAF Search and Rescue flight to the wedding, all of whom have been given three days leave to travel to London from their base at RAF Valley on Anglesey.

Brig Ed Smyth-Osbourne, who was Prince William and Prince Harry's commanding officer in the Household Cavalry and acted as a military mentor, will also be at the wedding.

He was also Prince Harry's commanding officer when he completed a 10-week tour of duty in Afghanistan.

Royal couple to share balcony kiss on wedding day

IT IS the “will they, won’t they?” question hanging over the royal wedding. Prince William and Kate Middleton have seldom appeared intimate in public, leading many to query whether they would forgo the tradition of a post-wedding kiss in front of expectant crowds.

But the couple will not disappoint on April 29, with royal sources indicating that they will share a kiss from the balcony of Buckingham Palace after their wedding in Westminster Abbey.

The “balcony kiss” is among the most memorable images from the wedding of the Prince’s parents, the Prince of Wales and Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1981, and began a tradition.

The Duke and Duchess of York also kissed for the crowds at their wedding in 1986.

A royal aide said: “Prince William and Catherine know the form and have seen the photographs. I doubt well-wishers will be disappointed.”

The couple’s appearance on the balcony will be the highlight of the wedding, with hundreds of thousands of people expected to line the Mall to greet the newly-weds and a fly-past scheduled to salute the couple.

The couple have been preparing for their wedding by receiving advice on the challenges of married life from the Bishop of London, the Rt Rev Richard Chartres, who will give the address at their wedding.

In a series of meetings, Bishop Chartres has been counselling them on how to cope with the pressure of building a family in the glare of public scrutiny. The couple are also believed to have discussed the impact their upbringings have had on them and how their roles would change as parents.

“I understand the time together has been going very well,” said a Church insider. “The Prince trusts Richard as he knows him well and knows how discreet he is.”

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, who will perform the marriage ceremony, is understood to have been explaining to the couple the implications of the marriage vows they choose. Most couples having Church of England weddings are offered marriage preparation by their vicar.

The couple are determined not to have a “celebrity” wedding, even though guests will include Sir Elton John and David and Victoria Beckham. Guests at the Abbey and reception in Buckingham Palace will be allowed to keep their mobile phones but, in an attempt to prevent photographs of the celebrations reaching Twitter, will be asked to switch them off.

A royal source said: “There will be no gimmicks and no celebrities tinkling away on pianos at any stage. It will be a very traditional Anglican service.”

The Prince, 28, and Miss Middleton, 29, will move out of Clarence House, which they share with the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Harry, and will make either Buckingham Palace or Kensington Palace, the former residence of the Princess of Wales, their London home. The couple mainly live in Anglesey, north Wales, where the Prince is a search and rescue helicopter pilot.

An aide said: “They are keen to establish their own base away from Prince William’s family home. Catherine will move permanently to Anglesey, and they plan to live as a very low-profile couple.

“They will not be fully working royals, and as such, they will not be undertaking a raft of engagements or taking up a host of new patronages straight away. They want to keep things very low-key for the foreseeable future.”