Wills and Kate Give Top Wedding Roles to Prince Harry and Pippa

LONDON -- Prince William and Kate Middleton announced their wedding party, and the top two roles will be all in the family.

Middleton, 29, has asked her stylish younger sister Philippa ("Pippa") to be her maid of honor at the April 29 wedding. William, meanwhile, has called on younger brother Prince Harry to take on the job of best man, according to St. James's Palace -- the office for Princes William and Harry, and their father, Charles.

By naming Harry, 26, as his "best man," William has broken with the royal tradition of choosing a "supporter" for his big day. The Prince of Wales, Charles, chose his brother Prince Andrew to be his supporter when he married Diana at London's St. Paul's Cathedral in 1981.

Getty Images / WireImage

Prince Harry, left, will be the best man and Kate Middleton's younger sister Pippa, right, the maid of honor at the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate, set for April 29.

That modernizing move could be a sign that William, the second in line to the throne, is keen to update some of the monarchy's fusty and archaic protocols.

Harry will still be expected to follow the tradition of organizing the groom's stag party and delivering a joke-filled speech at the wedding reception. As Harry is reported to enjoy teasing his older brother, William can expect to hear plenty of gags about his fast-receding hairline.

Pippa's duties will include making sure that the bridal gown is displayed correctly as Kate walks down the aisle at London's Westminster Abbey, and keeping the wedding party in the proper order. That could be a challenge, as many of the bridesmaids and page boys are still toddlers.

Sponsored Links

The bridesmaids include Lady Louise Windsor, 7, the daughter of Prince Edward, Count of Wessex, and Sophie, Countess of Wessex; Margarita Armstrong-Jones, 8, the daughter of David and Serena Armstrong Jones, better known as the Viscount and Viscountess Linley; Eliza Lopes, the 3-year-old granddaughter of Prince Charles' wife, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall; and Grace van Cutsem, 3, a godchild of William's.

Page boys will be William Lowther-Pinkerton, 10, the son of William's private secretary, and Tom Pettifer, 8, another one of William's godchildren.

Unfortunately, royal watchers won't get the chance to check out the bridesmaids' dresses and the page boys' outfits until the wedding day, according to the palace's statement.