1,900 invited to British royal wedding

LONDON, Feb. 19 (UPI) -- Invitations to Britain's royal wedding -- about 1,900 of them -- have started reaching the royal couple's guests, officials say.

St. James's Palace is not releasing the names of those receiving the invites, printed on white card gilded with gold in a pale brown envelope, the BBC reported Saturday. More than half the guests are family and friends of Prince William and his bride Kate Middleton.

The network said the invitations bear the queen's initials die-stamped in gold below a crown and state:

"The Lord Chamberlain is commanded by the Queen to invite [name] to the marriage of his Royal Highness Prince William of Wales KG with Miss Catherine Middleton at Westminster Abbey on Friday 29 April 2011 at 11.00am."

The service will be conducted by the dean of Westminster with the archbishop of Canterbury marrying William and Kate.

The BBC says not all those invited to the ceremony get to take in the festivities to follow at Buckingham Palace.

Besides family and friends, the guests will include more than 200 members of the government, Parliament and diplomatic corps; 60 governors-general and prime ministers from Commonwealth countries; about 80 representatives from various charities favored by the couple; 30 members of the armed forces; and representatives from the church and other faiths, the BBC said.