Burton's best bet in dress sweepstakes

As the wedding day grows closer, the buzz over the wedding dress grows ever louder. It appears the smart money is still on Sarah Burton of Alexander McQueen.

Bookmaker Paddy Power has Burton (one of McQueen creations is pictured) at 1-25 odds, an overwhelming favourite ahead of early best-bet Bruce Oldfield, who is at 4-1. Of course, both have denied being the designer, as they should even if they are.

As Women’s Wear Daily points out, there likely won’t be a lot of losers among the dress designer set since there will are plenty of dresses on display, including the bridesmaids and whatever maid of honour Pippa, Kate’s sister, will be wearing. Not to mention the changes in outfits Kate is likely to go through for the parties, or what she’ll be wearing as the couple heads off for the honeymoon.

Somewhere along the line, there’s a good chance you’ll see an Oldfield, an Issa, a Teperley and probably even a Victoria Beckham hanging on Kate’s frame. Montreal-born Erdem Moralioglu was once considered a candidate for designing the wedding dress, but it’s a safe bet Kate will stick with a Brit for this job. Don’t be surprised to something by Erdem when she visits Canada in the summer, though.

The Audi connection

British horses and carriages will be the main mode of royal transportation on wedding day -- the exception being Kate’s ride to the Abbey in a 1977 Rolls-Royce Phanton VI – but when the fesitivities are over, it’s back to the German-built Audi.

The Daily Mail has done a quick count of the royal family fleet and it is dominated by Audis. The paper guesses that the royals probably get a discount of up to 60 per cent on the cars that have inhabited their garages for more than a decade.

According to the paper, Prince Charles has several models, including an Audi limo worth about $145,000. Prince William drives a S4 saloon, Kate has an A3, as does Prince Harry. And guess who got an invititation to the royal wedding – none other than Jon Zammett, the head of Audi public relations.

Of course, Audi is no stranger to flogging their brand to VIPs, with many Hollywood stars driving Audis and Justin Timberlake being an ambassador for the company. Plus, the company is known to contribute generously to the royal charities.

You won’t see Prince Charles in an ad for Audi, but it’s quite enough for the company to have him photographed riding around in one. When asked about his Audi fleet, a Clarence House spokesman said ‘of course’ the prince pays for his cars.

Holiday? What holiday?

While April 29 has been deemed a Bank Holiday, it doesn’t necessarily mean that those who have to work in Britain are entitled to holiday pay. And that’s not sitting well for some folks, especially in the national health services industry.

In Derbyshire, the union is upset that hospital staff will not be paid extra for working the royal wedding, though some will get a day in lieu.

Of the 186 NHS facilities, 115 will not pay staff extra.

“NHS trust chief executives on six-figure salaries are refusing to recognise the spirit of the occasion,” says union head Rachael Maskell.