With only a few days left until the big day, royal wedding excitement is reaching a fever pitch. New this week: William and Kate honour the war heroes, Kate shops for her honeymoon London's King's Road, and the couple scores a little wedding night privacy.

Special invitations

The Mirror reports that William and Kate are paying tribute to fallen soldiers and their families with special invitations to their wedding. Prince William has included fellow serviceman and friend Lance Corporal Martyn Compton, 27, who was injured in Afghanistan in 2006. Also invited to the Westminster Abbey ceremony is Holly Dyer, 30, the sister of 2nd Lt. Joanna Dyer who was killed by a bomb in Iraq in 2007. Joanna was a close friend of William's at the Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst. Susie Roberts, widow of William's platoon commander at Sandhurst Major Alexis Roberts, will also be there. Roberts, known as Lex, was killed in a bomb attack in Afghanistan in 2007. William considered him a mentor and friend.

Bridal bouquet

Although William and Kate are carving out some new traditions in their approach to their wedding, there's one that they are choosing to uphold. According to The Telegraph, Kate will lay her wedding bouquet on the marble slab that marks the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior, located in the west end of Westminster Abbey. The late Queen Mother first did this after her 1923 wedding, to pay tribute to her brother Fergus, killed in the First World War. As she walks up the aisle, like many royal brides before her, Kate will step around the soldier's plaque, which is one of the most visited graves in the world.

The Queen has left the building

Queen and Elizabeth and Prince Philip will depart Buckingham Palace for Windsor Castle directly following the afternoon reception. This is so the newlyweds can entertain their friends and family without restriction or supervision, as well as to give them some wedding night privacy. After the party winds down, William and Kate will stay the night in the palace's Belgian Suite, one of 52 royal and guest bedrooms. The Daily Record quotes a palace source saying, the Queen had no worries about leaving her home in the hands of the younger royals. That bodes well for the future, doesn't it?

Thumbs up for the Royals

Speaking of the future of the monarchy, a recent British poll shows that the Royal family is still very popular, with 49 per cent of respondents saying they'll be watching Prince William marry Kate Middleton on April 29. In fact, Prince William strikes such a chord with the population that 47 per cent would like to see the crown skip his father and go directly to him. The survey, conducted by ICM for the Guardian newspaper, polled more than 1,000 people, also showed a 60 per cent overall feeling that the monarchy serves to unite the country, and 75 per cent believe the royal wedding will cheer up the country after the dismal years of economic crisis.

Kate's trousseau shopping spree

Shoppers and retailers on London's King's Road got a treat last week when Kate hit the stores for her bridal trousseau outfits. The Daily Mail reports she visited Warehouse clothing store, continued on to Whistles, one of her favourite shops, popped in at Nicole Farhi, then to the Ralph Lauren section at Peter Jones and finished up at Ted Baker. See if you can hazard a guess at the honeymoon locale, based on her purchased items:

• Navy ‘Minnie' wide-leg trousers with white polka dots, 125 pounds; lemon yellow short-sleeved ‘Frieda' T-shirt, 95 pounds, and cream ‘Kate' blouse, 125 pounds, all from Whistles

• Orange and white silk-cotton blend ‘Anders' dress with black belt tie, 160 pounds,

• Nicole Farhi in raspberry pink silk jersey strapless dress, 485 pounds, from her favourite label, Issa

• A straight jersey maxi skirt, 89 pounds, from Ted Baker

• A selection of summer clothing from Warehouse, including a lace blouse, 55 pounds, a poppy dress, 60 pounds, and a one-shoulder feather design dress, 45 pounds

Cupcakes go regal

Royal wedding fever has hit London's popular cupcakes shops where retailers are capitalizing on the nuptials with elaborate decorations. These include fondant gold crowns, royal initials and images of William and Kate and even "Keep Calm and Marry On" adorning the tops of the popular small cakes. Crumbs and Dollies, Candy Cakes, Lola's and Clare's Cakes are a few of the shops that have special orders available for various celebrations around London.