LONDON, April 11, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- A souvenir edition "bookazine", The Illustrated Royal Weddings, has been jointly published by Illustrated London News and Haymarket Media Group and hit news-stands on 6 April. The publication draws on rare archive material from The Illustrated London News, as well as sister titles in its archive, including The Tatler, The Sketch, The Bystander, The Sphere and The Graphic, setting the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton in the context of its heritage.

With a print run of 46,000, The Illustrated Royal Weddings will be sold through WHSmith, Waitrose, Sainsbury's, Tesco, Fortnum & Mason, The Royal Collection shops, including Buckingham Palace, Holyrood Palace and Clarence House, and at selected news-stands in key overseas markets including United States. It will also be distributed in British Airways First Class and Club Class cabins and lounges worldwide.

The publishers anticipate this special edition will appeal to an audience that is appreciative of the heritage and tradition of royal weddings in this country. Some of the material has not appeared since it was published, and covers items such as the 9-foot "bride cake" for Queen Victoria's nuptials in 1840, wedding gowns through the decades, style icon brides, the dogs invited on royal honeymoons, and the spectacular wedding presents from a Kenyan hunting lodge to an ostrich shawl. The Illustrated Royal Weddings includes countless gems - such the photograph of Earl Spencer, resplendent in Guards uniform, attending the wedding of Prince Albert, Duke of York, and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon at Westminster Abbey in 1923. Little did the Earl and Countess know that 88 years later their great-grandson would be heir to the throne with his own wedding held at the abbey.

Pictorially led, The Illustrated Royal Weddings recounts the drama and style of royal weddings from Queen Victoria's era to the present day. Since its inception in 1842 as the world's first pictorial newspaper, The Illustrated London News and its sister titles took pride in reporting on Court events, and a royal wedding prompted each magazine to publish lavish commemorative editions filled with photographs and sketches, all with dazzling front covers. Researchers have trawled the bound volumes to find hundreds of images of past royal weddings, many of which have not been seen since their first publication.

Through Haymarket, the content will be available to third-party publishers for licensing and syndication. A gallery of pictures is also available to the public to buy as framed prints and merchandise at http://www.prints-online.com.  

The Illustrated Royal Weddings: Victoria and Albert to William and Catherine

From 7 April. RRP 5.99 pounds Sterling

Contact information and more pictures available for publication:
Lisa Barnard
Chief Executive, Illustrated London News Limited
lisa.barnard@iln.co.uk   020 7426 1011   http://www.iln.co.uk
 

Tim Bulley
Director of Licensing, Haymarket
tim.bulley@haymarket.com     020 8267 5078  http://www.haymarket.com
 

SOURCE Illustrated London News