CARL QUINTANILLA, co-host:
Will Prince William
soon end the marathon wedding wait with longtime girlfriend
Kate Middleton
?
London
's
News of the World
this morning is reporting that a
2012
wedding is in the works.
Robert Jobson
is the royal editor for
News of the World
and he broke this morning's story.
Robert
, good morning to you.
Mr. ROBERT JOBSON (Royal Editor, "News of the World"):
Good morning.
QUINTANILLA:
Sounds like
2012
is going to be a pretty interesting year for the city of
London
. It's the year of the
Olympics
, it's the year of the queen's
diamond jubilee
,
Prince William
turns 30. How much do we believe this date, and how much do you think those outside factors influenced this decision?
Mr. JOBSON:
Well, I totally believe it. I spoke to a source of mine that gave me the story the right correct date of
Charles
and
Camilla
's wedding, which won me the scoop of the year over here. So yes, I believe it, and I think that there's good thinking behind it. Obviously at the moment
William
and
Kate
are very happy living a
private life
, living together, effectively, in
north Wales
, and that gives them a degree of privacy. But what this will do, obviously the queen and
the powers that be
over here, realizing the whole world will be watching in
2012
and it's a perfect opportunity to bring all the attention on
London
and the
UK
.
QUINTANILLA:
Obviously a lot of rumors swirling among the -- about
the two of them
for months. They've been together for eight years, as you said, they've already split up twice. Is there any feeling -- the approval apparently, goes
straight to the top
, right? We think the queen has signed off on this.
Mr. JOBSON:
Well, my source is close to the queen, and the reality is the queen understands that there's a difference between being your
personal life
and your private -- and your
public life
, and
Prince William
one day will be king. And so things have to be dovetailed, and this is a perfect opportunity for everyone to be looking at the
UK
. A
royal wedding
will get the whole world watching us, and also it will focus on the -- not only the
Olympics
, but the
diamond jubilee
, the 60 years of the queen on the throne, as well.
QUINTANILLA:
I guess the approval for this -- we mentioned it goes
straight to the top
. Are we -- is there a sense that this wedding will be a big bash, the way
Princess Diana
,
William
's mother had, or is this going to be a more intimate, private affair?
Mr. JOBSON:
My understanding is that neither the queen nor
Prince William
want a big event. There's been talk of
Westminster Abbey
, where, of course,
Princess Diana
had her funeral, but the truth of it is, I think that they want to do a similar wedding to that of
Charles
and
Camilla
at
St. James
' -- in
St. George's chapel
at
Windsor
. That way they can control it, it's within the confines of
Windsor Castle
, yet you still get all the global television watching that event.
QUINTANILLA:
He graduates as a member of the
Royal Air Force
search and rescue. He's a pilot. If he does not marry by the time he's 30,
Robert
, do you think he'll be frowned upon?
Mr. JOBSON:
Actually, I don't. But I do think that what will happen here is, he's clearly found his modern princess, and they've been allowed to live together in this way because there's not the same pressures on
William
as there was, perhaps, on
Prince Charles
. I think that, clearly in
Kate
he has got, I think, the perfect princess, somebody who fits the bill, and at the moment it's best for them if they're not public property. As soon as they're married, what will happen, of course, is the whole world will be watching them. At the moment they're allowed to live effectively as man and wife at the moment without having all the publicity. So it's a question of timing.
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