Diana dominates royal wedding

UK: From the engagement ring to the wedding venue, Princess Diana will be present in every aspect of Prince William's marriage to Kate Middleton today, just as her son wanted her to be.

But although Diana's failed marriage to Prince Charles and her tragic death provide a haunting precedent for Kate, commentators say the 29-year-old has far more chance of happiness than Diana ever did. Amid the inevitable comparisons between the two women, William has insisted that "no one is trying to fill my mother's shoes".

Yet his actions have ensured Diana is remembered everywhere Kate turns. He proposed with his mother's diamond and sapphire ring, explaining afterwards that "this was my way of keeping her close to it all". Kate said it was "very, very special" and promised to treasure it. Although the couple decided not to follow his parents and marry in St Paul's Cathedral, their choice of Westminster Abbey is heavy with symbolism.

It was at the abbey that the 15-year-old William and his younger brother Harry walked up the aisle behind their mother's coffin following her death in a Paris car crash in 1997, their heads bowed in silent misery. London, Thursday, AFP