Prince William chooses queen's cousin to plan wedding

Prince William and Kate Middleton have chosen Queen Elizabeth's cousin to organise their wedding reception.

The couple will tie the knot at London's Westminster Abbey on April 29 and have asked Lady Elizabeth Anson - the founder of Party Planners, a London-based events company - to oversee the party at Buckingham Palace, which will be hosted by the queen.

Over 600 guests have been invited to the royal residence - including more than 50 members of the Royal Family, 40 members of foreign royal families and 60 international heads of state - and while money is no concern for the queen, Elizabeth is proud of being able to plan on a budget.

The company's website says: "Most importantly, we know that the art of hosting a truly memorable event does not necessarily mean extravagance, but careful planning, originality and attention to detail."

After the Buckingham Palace lunch, Prince Charles will host an "intimate" dinner for 300 of the couple's closest family and friends.

Meanwhile, it has been claimed Sarah Burton, creative director of Alexander McQueen, has been asked to design's Kate's wedding dress, although the fashion house has denied this.

A spokeswoman for Alexander McQueen said: "Sarah is busy working on her new collection for the Tuesday show and she was as surprised as the rest of us to hear about this. She is not designing the dress."

Sarah took over at the label following the suicide of Alexander McQueen last February.