Prince William of Wales, Kate Middleton, and Kate Middleton's 18 CARAT SAPPHIRE ENGAGEMENT RING (Photo via BBCAmerica)

Glamour. Wealth. Scandal. Those are just some of the words that come to mind when one thinks about the royal house of Windsor. From the 1936 abdication crisis to Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation to the tragedy of Princess Diana, the house of Windsor has provided its fair share of memorable moments over the last hundred years. Depending on how you look at it, their family history is either a juicy soap opera, romantic fairy tale, embarrassment of riches, or source of inspiration. In any case, with the success of recent films like The King’s Speech and The Queen, it looks like the public won’t tire of examining the personal lives of this very public family anytime soon.

An average family BBQ. (Photo via BBCAmerica)

The next chapter in this saga is, of course, tomorrow’s royal wedding between Prince William of Wales and Kate Middleton. (They're rehearsing right now!!) For “royal watchers” around the world this is basically like 30 Super Bowls rolled into one. Except with more gowns and less touchdowns. BBC America will have 5 and a half hours of live coverage of the event starting tomorrow at 3am. You’ll probably want to have this channel on during your RW theme party, because, let’s face it, Katie Couric doesn’t have an English accent.

You can also read up on some interesting and bizarre tidbits like royal wedding jelly, invite drama, and the FOUR TONS of foliage that is currently being delivered to Westminster Abbey on their “Royal Wedding Insider” blog. Here’s a short look at the current state of the Monarchy:

Prince William is, of course, the second in line to succession for the throne after his father. He was educated at four schools in the UK and went to the University of St. Andrews. This is where he first met Kate. When William enrolled, there was a surge in applications from young girls. That’s how you know you’re hot. He started out as an art history major (swoon) but eventually transferred to geography. (still sexy)

Prince William pursued a minor in "face." (Photo via BBCAmerica)

William decide to serve in the military following school. After starting out in the Blues and Royals regiment of the Household Cavalry he went on to join the Royal Air Force. Since then, he’s been more involved with royal duties and charitable causes. One of his main charities is the Tusk Trust, an organization that works to conserve wildlife and provide education in Africa.

More royal wedding pre-gaming after the break...

Prince William’s last name is officially “Mountbatten-Windsor” which was decided by his grandparents (you know, the Queen of England) in 1960. The royal family changed their name from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to Windsor in 1917 because of anti-German sentiment after WWI. However, William generally just goes by the last name “Wales.” This is amazing because it would be like you calling yourself “Joe America.”

Kate Middleton grew up in Berkshire. It’s funny how everyone talks about how common she is, because her parent are millionaires but whatever. She attended the University of St. Andrews after graduating from Marlborough College, and began to date Prince William in 2003. She’s generally thought to be thoughtful and conservative, but one time she wore this:

Media attention began to build as the couple’s relationship continued, and Kate made her first public appearance with the royal family at Prince William’s graduation from Sandhurst Military Academy.

In April 2007 it was reported that Kate and William had broken up. No one really knows why, but some think it had to do with William’s burgeoning military career while others believe it was the aggressive media attention. Kate filed a complaint against the Daily Mirror for media harassment that same year.

After a few months, however, the couple reconciled. Then, on November 16th of last year they announced that they were engaged. William proposed to Kate while the two were vacationing in Kenya in October. He gave her the 18 carat sapphire engagement ring that had once belonged to the late Princess Diana. You can, of course, buy a replica.

As they royal wedding has drawn closer, many in the UK have expressed a desire for the crown to skip a generation and have Prince William rise to the throne after Queen Elizabeth II passes. However, this will never happen because Prince Charles has waited for this harder than we’re waiting for the new Beyonce album. Also, he really wants to see Camilla drinking her gin and tonics at Buckingham.

In any case, when Prince William does become the King of England you can TwitterSquareBook that YOU remember when he married Kate Middleton and that YOU used it as an excuse to drink gin before noon. See you at Westminster!