BRITAIN - Royal wedding plans have country on edge

LONDON (AP):

Prince William and Kate Middleton sat down yesterday with advisers and began planning the royal wedding that some Britons have waited years to see, as the media settled in for months of juicy speculation.

The second in line to the throne and his long-term girlfriend will marry next spring or summer, but they haven't announced a date, some say May is likely, others August.

Westminster Abbey or St Paul's Cathedral, where William's parents Prince Charles and Princess Diana married in 1981, are considered the front-runners for the venue.

A royal spokesman said the couple would be closely involved in organising all the details.

"It's very much their day like any other couple, and they will make the decisions all the way through, they want the day to be enjoyable for everybody," he said, speaking anonymously, in line with palace policy.

Palace officials said only that the wedding would be held in London. It was too early to estimate its cost or how much the taxpayer will have to stump up, a touchy issue at a time of widespread budget cuts and austerity measures across Britain.