Royal wedding: Prince William will not wear a ring

Image caption, Prince William showed the Queen around RAF Valley in Anglesey

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Prince William has chosen not wear a wedding ring, St James's Palace says.

But his bride Kate Middleton, 29, will wear a band made from gold from the Clogau St David's mine at Bontddu, in north Wales.

The announcement about the rings came as the Queen visited Prince William, 28, at the RAF base in Anglesey where he works as a search and rescue pilot.

More details have also been revealed about the involvement of the armed forces in the wedding on 29 April.

Gold from the Clogau St David's mine has been used for a number of royal wedding bands, including those for the Queen, the Queen Mother and Diana, Princess of Wales.

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The Queen was presented with a fresh supply of gold by the mine in 1986 and it is from this that Miss Middleton's ring will be made.

A St James's Palace spokeswoman said: "After the engagement Her Majesty the Queen gave Prince William some gold to make a wedding ring.

"In accordance with the couple's wishes Miss Middleton will wear a ring. The ring will be from Prince William."

William's father, the Prince of Wales, does wear a wedding band, but his grandfather, the Duke of Edinburgh, does not.

Trumpeters and Tornados

With just four weeks to go until the wedding at Westminster Abbey, the Ministry of Defence has revealed how military personnel will play a role:

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  • more than 1,000 members of the Army, Navy and RAF will line the route from Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace
  • they will be joined by a series of military bands, including those from the Royal Marines, the Grenadier Guards and the Scots Guards
  • inside Westminster Abbey, eight Household Cavalry state trumpeters and eight RAF fanfare trumpeters will play
  • after the service, a select few personnel - chosen because of their personal relationship with Prince William or their outstanding contributions to their service - will line the path along which the newlyweds will walk as they leave the abbey
  • a guard of honour, made up of members of the Welsh Guards, will await them outside Buckingham Palace
  • at 1330 BST, a fly-past involving the Battle of Britain memorial flight will take place over Buckingham Palace. Two Typhoons and two Tornados will also be involved

Gen Sir David Richards, Chief of the Defence Staff, said: "It is a huge honour for those servicemen and women taking part and one that they and their families will remember with great pride.

"They reflect the sentiments of the whole of the armed forces who share their pride in supporting this national celebration.

Image caption, The Queen had to hold on to her hat in high winds at RAF Valley

"For those in the path-lining party it will be a particular and poignant honour as many will have served alongside Prince William, and I am sure they will take great delight in being among the first to see His Royal Highness alongside his new bride."

The details emerged as the Queen and the duke were taken on a personal tour of RAF Valley by their grandson.

He showed them the equipment used by the helicopter crews to winch people to safety and told them about some of the rescues he had taken part in.

They also visited the Moran Building, a new training facility for Hawk pilots.

The Queen had been due to officially open the building in December, but was forced to cancel because of snow.

This time she was faced with winds of up to 50mph, prompting William to joke to her: "I was worried your hat would blow off."