Prince William Arrives at Royal Wedding! Here Comes the Groom!

The man of the hour pulls into Westminster Abbey; the best man of the hour, Prince Harry, does, too!

By Joal Ryan Apr 29, 2011 9:32 AMTags

The eagle has landed. Repeat, the eagle has landed.

Yes, Prince William is at Westminster Abbey, having pulled in with brother and best man Prince Harry, and you know what that means: The royal wedding is not on.

Um, what?

According to royal expert Angela Rippon, a correspondent for E!'s William and Kate Middleton coverage, today's ceremony should be thought of as a "family wedding which just happens to be royal." 

Unlike Prince Charles and Princess Diana's wedding, the William and Kate affair is not a state occasion, an event requiring even more pomp, more royals and more dignitaries than you'll see today.

"So, think family wedding, not royal wedding, and that will give you a clue as to why certain things are being done, and why this wedding is, in many respects, far less formal than many that have gone before," Rippon tells us.

As an FYI, Charles' wedding was a state occasion because he was and is the next King of England. William is "merely" the second-next King of England, so he gets to do things more loosey-goosey.

Well, for a royal, that is.