Prince, 'Waity Katie' set for $40 million wedding?

AP

Prince William has been dating Kate Middleton, seen here in 2008, since they met as students at Scotland’s University of St Andrews.

LONDON -- As rumors of a royal engagement gather momentum, the only ones keeping silent, it seems, are the very subjects of the speculation: Prince William and his girlfriend Kate Middleton.

Talk of an imminent announcement resurfaced recently after journalist Tina Brown reported June 3 and 4 had been mysteriously cleared from royal calendars. Now that those dates have passed without a peep from the palace, tongues are once again beginning to wag. It has also been suggested that William would likely propose after his 28th birthday, which is on June 21.

While the date remains unclear, one thing royal watchers agree on is whenever the couple do tie the knot: it’s likely to be a party to remember.

"Star" magazine estimates the wedding could cost up to $40 million with copious quantities of champagne and caviar on the menu. Senior editor Suzanne Rozdeba says William’s future fiancée has even ordered a $200,000 dress.

Some 3 billion people could tune in to the watch the ceremony, eclipsing the 750,000 who witnessed the prince’s parents Charles and Diana exchanging their vows in 1981.

'Closer than ever'William has been dating Middleton since 2003, when the two were students at Scotland’s University of St Andrews. Following a brief separation three years ago, the pair are now said to be “closer than ever.” It has even been suggested that William is on the verge of giving Middleton his late mother’s 18-carat sapphire ring.

The U.K. tabloids started predicting Middleton was “the one” as far back as their college graduation in 2005, though William's pursuit of a military career and insistence on being “too young” made it clear he wasn’t going to be pushed down the aisle early.

“The more pressure you put on William the more he backs off,” society commentator Neil Sean said. “Boys tend to drag their heels. It doesn’t matter whether you are a royal prince or not.”

While he earned his stripes in the Royal Navy, Middleton held down just one job after her studies, earning the Berkshire beauty the nickname “Waity Katie,” as though her sole aim was to one day become William’s princess.

Charity workQueen Elizabeth II has reportedly recommended Middleton take on some charity work to polish up the public’s opinion of the potential family member.

“In England, it’s not looked on well because you don’t really want to have another member joining the royal family that seems to do nothing,” Sean says. “We have a lot of them already.”

As William is second in-line to the throne, his future wife could one day become queen.
So far it’s hard to know what kind of consort Middleton would be as they have kept their distance in public, which is a shame, because they make a picture perfect pair.

And so, as the world waits for Middleton's position to become official, “one” wonders not when William will propose but why he hasn’t done so sooner.