IT WAS A DAY the world will remember. Not since 1981 when HRH Prince Charles married Lady Diana Spencer has the world celebrated the British monarchy with such warmth and affection.

Beginning on the overcast morning on 29th April, with bright sunshine later developing to bless the couple's marriage, even the British climate couldn't spoil such a magical day.

Westminster Abbey, home to 16 Royal weddings, including that of The Queen & Prince Philip and Princess Anne and Prince Andrew, was built between 1042 and 1065. It was packed to capacity with 2,000 guests and half of those were watching on video screens. V-VIPs in front of the Quire stalls in the lantern.

With the arrival of Princes William and Harry at 10.15, The Queen at 10.45 and the bride at 10.55, a global audience of 2,000,000,000 and over 1,500,000 lining the streets of London celebrated the couple's marriage. After the event, the couple travelled to Buckingham Palace in the 1902 State Laundau for official photographs to share two kisses and witness the flypast of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, based at RAF Coningsby, of which William is a Patron.

Leading the flight, Flt Lt Antony Parkinson said: "Prince William flew in one of the Typhoons on my squadron which he seemed to really enjoy. He was a really nice guy to have around and he was very easy to talk to."

Over 650 attended the couple's reception, held in Buckingham Palace's picture gallery. Prince Charles delivered his off-the-cuff speech joking about his son's hairline, whilst William presented his rebuttal by joking that it was inherited. Still, there was real warmth between father and son as Charles declared William had found his 'soul mate.'

Charles loaned William his prized 1969 Aston Martin - a 21st birthday present from The Queen. An earlier lunchtime reception for dignitaries toasted the couple with Pol Roger champagne and 10,000 canapés, accompanied by Charles's official harpist Claire Jones and the couple's eight tier cake comprising 17 individual fruit cakes was then cut.

Back in Lincolnshire, however, celebrations were also underway, with 33 street parties taking place, plus celebrations at venues like Woodhall Spa's Petwood Hotel, and Gainsborough's Marshall's Yard.

An Officer and a Gentleman

Last month the world witnessed the marriage of one of its most eligible bachelors in a fairytale ceremony. The future King married his long-term girlfriend in a ceremony celebrated by a worldwide audience of 2,000,000,000.

This month the newly titled Duke of Cambridge celebrates his 29th birthday, but is also concentrating on his career, working as a helicopter pilot with the Search and Rescue detachment of the RAF, currently serving in Anglesea.

It was in 2004 after a visit to the Duke of Gloucester Barracks in Grantham that William decided to follow in his father’s footsteps and join the RAF, who completed his flight training in 1971. After graduating from Sandhurst in December 2006 William joined the Blues and Royals as a Second Lieutenant.

William’s career saw him working at RAF Cranwell, a four-month attachment with the RAF to help him get to grips with the service’s ethos, traditions and military role.

The course made the Prince a competent, but not operational, pilot — an RAF pilot spends four years under flight instruction. William graduated in April 2008 and was presented with his wings at Cranwell by HRH Prince Charles in a ceremony attended by Kate Middleton.

Prince WIlliam has always been keen to continue his mother’s charity work legacy and returned to the county last year having been invited to Lincolnshire by his aunt,

Lady Sarah McCorquodale, the elder sister of Diana, Princess of Wales, who lives near Grantham and remains a Master of the Belvoir Hunt, serving as High Sheriff of Lincolnshire in 2009.

The Prince visited St Barnabas Hospice in Lincoln and spoke to 10 year old Kelly McKelvy and her 14 year old brother Bradley. The youngsters, whose mother Jackie died in 2009 after being supported in the hospice, presented the Prince with a teddy bear called Barnabas.

“It was a great honour to meet Prince William.” said Kelly. “Not many people can say they have met him. He asked us why we came to St Barnabas and whether the people were nice to us.”

The Prince then toured Coningsby and sat in the cockpit of a Typhoon, enjoying a guided tour of the aircraft’s latest features. During his visit the Prince also visited the Eresby School, a day school for children with learning difficulties. Remaining relaxed and engaging with pupils and students from two to 19, the Prince was happy to let youngsters clamber over him, demonstrating how keen he is to continue his mother’s sense of approachability and compassion.

The Prince returned to Anglesea after the wedding and to his role at RAF Valley, a post which will last another two years and which his grandmother the Queen witnessed for herself during a visit in April.

Although still a Lieutenant in the Household Cavalry — which comprises the Blues & Royals and the Life guards — William is a fully operational Search & Rescue Pilot, and continues his Royal duties which include patron of Centrepoint, The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and The Royal Society.

The Prolific Princess

HRH Princess Anne, the Princess Royal, is Lincolnshire’s most prolific member of the monarchy in Lincolnshire, visiting the county each year, sometimes twice a year.

The title of Princess Royal is usually — though not always — conferred upon the British monarch’s eldest daughter and Anne is only the seventh incumbent of the style.

Patron of over 200 organisations, Anne is best-known in Lincolnshire for her role as namesake of the Princess Royal Sports Arena, opened in 2007. She is also patron of The Boston Stump’s Development and Restoration Appeal.

Her most recent appearances in Lincoln itself saw the Princess Royal open the EPIC Centre on the county’s Showground, and visit Lincoln Cathedral to see a gargoyle sculpture by Lincoln stonemason Michael Thacker.

A keen rider and great lover of the countryside Anne also is a Burghley Horse Trials regular. In addition to her work as a member of the Royal family, the Princess is a former competitor and, riding in only her second

three-day event, she became European Champion at Burghley in 1971. She now has the pleasure of watching daughter Zara compete in the event too.

The Princess Royal undertakes more than 500 engagements each year, making her one of the most hard-working members of the Royal family, and one of the most prolific in Lincolnshire.

God Save the Queen

With 59 years as head of state and at the age of 85, HM The Queen is, nationally, the hardest working member of our monarchy.

With the exception of HRH the Princess Royal, who contributes the most attention to Lincolnshire, The Queen is the most important Royal to the county, and has already given her patronage to the University of Lincoln in 1996 when she opened its new Brayford Pool Campus.

The Queen also revisited the county in 2002 whereupon she became the first British monarch to visit a UK mosque in Scunthorpe. Most recently, The Queen attended a 2009 graduation ceremony for more than 140 new officers at RAF College Cranwell.

Youngster Katie Flaherty was 11 at the time and was chosen to present The Queen with a posey. “My friends are really impressed and they’ve all said how cool it is I’ve got to speak to The Queen!” she said.

The monarch will celebrate her diamond jubilee in 2012 and will be the longest reigning Queen if she remains head of state until September 2015.