Source: AP The wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton on Friday will rival anything in British history for grandeur, according to royal biographer Andrew Morton.
Mr Morton said the wedding would also be an indicator of whether the monarchy still had a relevent place in modern British life.
He is the author William & Catherine: Their Lives, Their Wedding, which will be released on May 12.
"The irony is when Queen Victoria got married she had to borrow the jewellery," Mr Morton said.
"In a way, the last few royal weddings have been as ornate as anything that has been put on in history.
"You've got the coaches. You've got the marching bands. You've got the abbey. You've got global television. You've got the crowds.
"This is a bigger event than when Queen Victoria got married. Quite frankly most royals got married in private."
However, Mr Morton said the size of the event would ultimately depend partly on the weather.
He said the crowd would give a clue as to the future of the royals in modern life.
"This will revitalise the monarchy," he said.
"I will suggest this -- just see how many young people there are in the crowd. This will be a testament to how strong the monarchy is.
"If it's just full of the blue rinse set, forget it. But if there are a lot of young people in there, then it will be a sign that the monarchy is alive in Britain."
Mr Morton said the Duchess of Cornwall, formerly Camilla Parker Bowles, was "non negotiable" as a wedding guest, despite her unpopularity with the public.
"Camilla is non-negotiable," he said. "One of the great triumphs of the palace of the last few years has been introducing Camilla into the spotlight without riots in the streets.
"She's not especially popular, but everyone I know who knows her says she's great. That she's quite an interesting character."
The former Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson, however, was "1000 percent" a royal outcast and it wasn't surprising she was snubbed for the wedding.
"I like Fergie, in a way," Mr Morton said. "I did the first story about her when she was dating Prince Andrew.
"I've always had a soft spot for her. I wrote her first ever biography, but she's made a right hash of her life and she keeps making these dreadful mistakes and bouncing back.
"She's got more lives than the average cat."
Mr Morton, who famously wrote the biography Diana: Her True Story with the late princess's secret help, will be tweeting about the royal wedding on the day from @andrewmortonUK.
He has also set up a website for wedding news: themortonreport.com.
*William & Catherine, by Andrew Morton, is published by Hachette, $45, and will be released on May 12.
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