Britain gets a holiday as Wills and Kate set a wedding date

Royal watchers, romantics and well-wishers finally have a date: the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton will take place at Westminster Abbey on April 29, next year, St James's Palace has announced.

Two thousand guests will witness the couple exchanging vows inside the 13th-century church, while tens of millions will watch the event live on television. The global audience is tipped to top the billion who saw Prince Charles wed Lady Diana in 1981, making the event one of the biggest in television history.

People in most of Britain will get a day off. The Cabinet has made the day a holiday in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, giving those uninterested in the spectacle a reason to be thankful - and some small firms a staffing headache, according to one group.

After news of their engagement last week, speculation had been mounting about the wedding date and location. St James's Palace said the couple chose Westminster Abbey for its "staggering beauty", 1000-year royal history and intimacy, despite its size.

The royal family - as well as the Middletons - will pay for the wedding, including the costs of the service, decorations, reception and honeymoon.

The public will pay for policing and security, which could reach £5 million ($10.3 million).

Prince William's private secretary Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton said the couple were "completely over the moon".

"I've never seen two happier people, which is absolutely fabulous to work in that sort of environment," he said. "They're now getting stuck into organising their wedding. They're giving us and the Household office very firm direction indeed."

In a nod towards global economic turmoil, he added: "All parties involved in the wedding, not least Prince William and Miss Middleton, want to ensure that a balance is struck between an enjoyable day and the current economic situation."

Tourists are expected to flood into London in April, providing extra business for airlines, taxis and hotels. Verdict Research predicts the total generated could be £620 million.

But the wedding could result in a net loss to Britain, experts said yesterday, given the CBI has calculated each public holiday costs £6 billion. But the employer's organisation put aside the concerns, saying: "The royal wedding is a day for national celebration, and under these unique circumstances a one-off bank holiday is appropriate."

The Federation of Small Businesses complained the event would be awkward for small firms, particularly if workers asked for the week off as the wedding falls between the Easter weekend and the May public holiday Monday.

- INDEPENDENT