Weddingto rival Royalevent

When Miss Middleton walks up the aisle of Westminster Abbey on Friday morning, local girl Claire McElwee will be preparing to enter the considerably smaller but no less historic setting of Tamlaghtfinlagan Parish Church in Ballykelly.

There, in front of around 85 of her closest family and friends - unlike the estimated 1900 expected at the Abbey - Claire will say ‘I do’ to her ‘prince’ Sammy Whittaker-Williams.

Later, they will be joined by a further 150 guests at their evening do in The Drummond Hotel - which will no doubt hold its own against celebrations in Buckingham Palace!

Claire’s mum Julie told the Sentinel: “Claire and Sammy met four years ago at a Twelfth of July parade in Limavady and they got engaged that December. They wanted to get married straight away but, since Claire was still so young, her father Hugh and I talked them into waiting until she was 20, which she will be on May 12 this year.

“Sammy, who works at City of Derry Airport, turned 26 on April 21. They wanted to get married around his birthday but the initial date they chose was Good Friday so they put it back a week which turned out to be April 29. They had everything booked and paid for by the time William and Kate decided they were getting married on that date; Claire keeps saying they copied her!”

Like their London counterparts, the local couple have chosen their nearest and dearest to make up the bridal party.

Claire’s Maid of Honour is her aunt, Allison Bellingham, while her sisters Roberta and Sarah and cousin Naomi Witherow will be bridesmaids. Not to be outdone, Sammy will be attended by no less than four ‘best men’ - his uncle, Herbie Guthrie, his brother Matthew, Claire’s cousin Aaron McElwee and his sister’s fiance Karl Bond.

After the excitement of the day is over, Prince William and his new Princess are expected to jet off to a secret destination on honeymoon, but homebirds Claire and Sammy are unlikely to follow suit.

Julie said: “They have their own home which they like to have sitting right but maybe they’ll go backpacking around Scotland and England in the summer-time. They won’t be going too far, they like their home comforts!

“It will be low-key, there’s not a lot of money involved because Claire hasn’t been able to find any work since she lost her job when the KFC in Ballykelly closed, but it will be very exciting. The fact that the Royal wedding is on the same day makes it that wee bit more special.”