Haggis and whisky rumoured to be on the menu for Pippa's wedding
Organisers and villagers are remaining tight-lipped about the details of the society wedding of the year as preparations enter the final hours.
Organisers and villagers are remaining tight-lipped about the details of the society wedding of the year as preparations enter the final hours.
The nuptials of Pippa Middleton, sister of the Duchess of Cambridge, and financier James Matthews will take place in a quiet village in Berkshire on Saturday and the finer points of the event have been a closely-guarded secret.
Reports suggest it will be a lavish affair with a nod to the groom's Scottish connections included in his outfit, entertainment and the food.
According to the Daily Mail, the menu will include haggis canapes, Scottish lamb and whisky while there will also be a piper and a Spitfire flypast.
A spokeswoman for event organisers Fait Accompli said: "There is no comment on the wedding detail, it is a private event."
And a spokeswoman for Table Talk, who are reportedly catering for the event, said: "I'm afraid we are not allowed to comment."
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will be among the guests as their children Prince George and Princess Charlotte play starring roles as a page boy and bridesmaid.
Prince Harry will also be sitting among the congregation, but royal-watchers will be waiting to see if he brings his American actress girlfriend Meghan Markle.
Kate's controversial uncle, Gary Goldsmith, who was a guest at the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's 2011 wedding, is also said to be attending.
James' brother Spencer Matthews, a reality TV star who was a regular in the show Made In Chelsea, is likely to be best man.
A spokeswoman for the couple said: "There is no comment on the guest list."
Security is expected to be tight with several senior royals attending, guarded as usual by Scotland Yard royalty protection officers.
A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: "We are not prepared to discuss matters of security."
After making an unforgettable appearance in a figure-hugging dress at the royal wedding of big sister Kate, Pippa will take centre stage on Saturday at the picturesque 12th century church of St Mark's in the Berkshire village of Englefield.
The details of Miss Middleton's wedding gown have also been a tightly-held secret, with the names of a number of designers being put forward by royal-watchers from Amanda Wakeley and Jenny Packham to Oscar De La Renta, Giles Deacon and Alexander McQueen.
Reverend Nick Wynne-Jones, who is the church's resident priest, is expected to officiate at the wedding.
A woman who answered his phone on Friday said he would not be able to talk about it because he had "signed a no comment contract".
As an Anglican church, St Mark's must open its doors to parishioners as weddings are deemed to be public events under Church of England guidelines.
The legal advisory commission of the General Synod published its guidance on celebrity marriages in April this year, when it said: "A marriage is a public ceremony which at the least all parishioners (including those whose names are on the electoral roll) are entitled to attend."
This was regardless of whether those who lived in the parish were Anglican or not, it added.
Ian Southall, manager of the Englefield Social Club on the Englefield Estate, said the village had been busy with people making arrangements for the big day, many of whom included the world's media.
He said: "The feedback I'm getting is just, it's happening.
"Apart from all the extra traffic it's not going to affect me personally.
"I think a few people will go up (to the service).
"I saw lots of people around the church, I presume a lot of people were press."
He added he did not think the wedding party would be dropping in for a dram of whisky from the club's stock of single malts.
"They are not coming into the club, the club is getting used for something but I cannot really comment," he said.
"We've been asked not to speak to the press, I don't know why because we don't know anything."
With the Middleton family home just a few miles away in the village of Bucklebury, the couple and their guests will not have far to travel for the reception, which is reportedly being staged in the grounds of the property.
Deliveries of equipment and goods have also been seen going into the substantial house, with reports claiming the family have spent tens of thousands of pounds on a glass marquee and upmarket portable toilets for guests.
Kate has already confessed to a Buckingham Palace garden party guest that she is a little apprehensive about how her children will behave.
After chatting to the Duchess on Tuesday, Andrew Bates said: ''She said that they were all really looking forward to her sister's wedding at the weekend, but she was a bit worried about how her children might behave.
''She said she was hopeful that they would be good, but you never know at that age.''
A spokesman for Spitfire training school Boultbee Flight Academy, which is reportedly performing the flypast, said it would not comment on future flights.
One person who will not be attending is Spencer Matthews' girlfriend, model Vogue Williams.
A spokeswoman for the reality TV star said: "Vogue has a prior engagement in her diary on the date of the wedding, but wishes Pippa and James all the best on their special day."
John Haley, owner of The Old Boot Inn, near Bucklebury, said he heard there was a rehearsal at the church on Friday.
"Apparently they're doing rehearsals, someone just told me," he said.
"We are a couple of miles from the church here but one of the locals had seen the family all going up there."