Royals asked to keep April 29 free

London: The engagement was announced on Twitter and Facebook.

So perhaps it was fitting that Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding guests should receive a save-the-date letter from the Queen by fax.

Although more traditional gold-embossed, handwritten invitations will be sent to 1,800 guests by the Lord Chamberlain's Office next month, protocol dictates that sovereigns are given earlier warning than foreign heads of state and non-VIP guests.

And to keep Europe's major royal families informed, Buckingham Palace faxed them, asking them to keep April 29 free, according to senior aides.

Efficient way

Courtiers said this was the most efficient way of passing on information about large-scale events. Yesterday, some of the guests had already confirmed they'd be at the Westminster Abbey ceremony.