TORSTEN BLACKWOOD / AFP - Getty Images

Britain's Prince William waves to wellwishers as he arrives in the cyclone-hit town of Cardwell on March 19, 2011.

He's only following tradition, so you can't blame him.

Prince William might be saying cheerio to his bachelorhood, but that doesn't mean you'll spot a wedding ring on his hand. According to the AP, a palace official confirmed that the royal couple will only have one ring in use at the Westminster Abbey nuptials — a  ring made of rare Welsh gold, a tradition dating back nearly 90 years. This prized accessory, however, will be worn by Kate Middleton only.

"It's quite common for there to just be the one ring in society or royal weddings," a Clarence House spokesperson told UsMagazine.com. "It's been the same in other royal weddings, so it's not a rare occurrence."

As for Prince Charles, the elder royal didn't wear a wedding ring during his marriage to Princess Diana. He now wears his ring under his larger signet ring, so many believe he does not wear a wedding band.

With reporting from The Associated Press

Claire Jones — Prince Charles' official harpist — will play for the royal couple on their big day. NBC News recently sat down with the 25-year-old Welsh musician and asked her about the most high-profile performance of her career.

Prince Harry might be trekking the Arctic, but that doesn't mean he can escape Will and Kate's upcoming wedding. During an interview with TODAY, Harry admitted that he'll likely be too busy on his charity expedition to the North Pole to properly tend to his best man duties or ponder the royal wedding.

"If there's time, then I might give it some thought," said Prince Harry. "But I think pens and papers might be saved for something back home." Watch the video:

gardeningexpress.co.uk

The royal wedding mania continues with... potatoes?

If commemorative tea towels aren't your thing, you can now opt to infuse your cuisine with Will and Kate wedding fever. In Britain, you can purchase a special edition of seeds for colorful spuds — in patriotic red, white and blue — to celebrate the couple's April 29  nuptials.

The mix includes history-packed varieties: Highland Burgundy Red (dating back to 1936, when it was used to spice up meals for the Duke of Burgundy), Salad Blue (first grown in Scotland in the 1900s) and, of course, British Queen (more than 100 years old and highly prized for its yield, shape and floury texture).

“Get planting, and celebrate this special occasion and take some national pride at meal times,” seller gardeningexpress.co.uk urges on its website. “Can you imagine serving up a plate of colorful mash? or Red, White & Blue Chips?”

Getty Images

It's good to be the queen.

The staff at Buckingham Palace revealed preparations for Prince William's wedding next month, giving an insight into what guests can expect and the amount of work they have put in to make the event a success.

Getty Images

By royal expert Camilla Tominey

Since she barely touches a drop of alcohol  you can rest assured Kate Middleton’s bachelorette party was a rather “dry” affair – for the bride-to-be at least!

Kate’s gregarious younger sister Pippa, ever the hostess with the mostest, is believed to have organized the bash, which was held at the house of a close friend. It had been rumored the bachelorette would take place at the Middleton family home in Bucklebury, Berkshire, but Kate was wary about photographers hanging around outside.

Believed to have been present were Olivia Bleasdale, who shared a flat with Kate and the prince at St Andrews University, and Astrid Harbord, who was once romantically linked to Prince Harry.

Alicia Fox-Pitt, a school friend from Marlborough and a fellow member of the Sisterhood dragon boat crew; Rose Astor, the wife of Prince William's close friend Hugh van Cutsem; and Alice Hadden-Paton, who is married to Mr. van Cutsem's younger brother, Nicholas, were also thought to have received an invitation. Oh, to have been a fly on the wall!

Kate’s not expected to be a teetotal as such, but suffice to say it would be frowned upon in royal circles if she ever appeared to be worse for wear. It’s rather sexist and old-fashioned, especially when you consider the number of times Prince William (and indeed his younger brother Harry) have emerged from nightclubs looking like they’ve had one too many.

While it was never known whether Diana celebrated her last night as a singleton with a “hen” night, as it is known in the U.K., she hit the headlines when she dressed up as a policewoman for Fergie’s, which took place at the exclusive London nightclub Annabel's in 1986.

With press interest in William and Kate at an all-time high with just a month to go until their wedding on April 29, it’s a miracle they managed to keep the bucks and bachelorette parties secret.

Related: Prince William has low-key bachelor party

Inspired by the British saying “Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue,” Betty Crocker revealed four tasty concoctions in honor of the royal wedding. On the company's website, fans and foodies voted for their favorite treat, and one fanciful creation stole the hearts (er, stomachs?) of the public: a majestic, colorful cake -- named "Something Blue" -- fit for a (future) king.

Betty Crocker

Betty Crocker

Betty Crocker: Let them eat (royal wedding) cake!

Camilla Tominey

By royal expert Camilla Tominey

UPDATE: News just in! St James's Palace has confirmed William's stag weekend did take place, at a friend's estate as was rumoured. Twenty-two "stags" enjoyed fun and games at a Norfolk mansion, rumoured to be that belonging to the van Cutsem family. Hugh van Cutsem is one of William's best friends and is Prince Charles' godson. Kate's brother James and the princes' "court jester" friend Guy Pelly, who owns one of their favorite London nightclubs, Makihi, were there. Harry is believed to have switched from watersports to country pursuits after the seaside plans were leaked to the press.

Related: Prince William has low-key bachelor bash

Original post: Thank you for such a warm welcome! I am delighted to be contributing to The Windsor Knot. So let's cut straight to the chase and discuss the latest gossip in palace circles. 

Royal reporters, myself included, were convinced that William was on his stag (or bucks) do this weekend. But if he was, no one found him! It had been rumored that best man Harry had booked an adventure-packed watersports extravaganza down in Exmouth on the southwest coast of Britain, but they didn't turn up there. They may have had a shooting weekend on a friend's estate in Scotland or not had the stag at all -- we'll only know if any pictures emerge. 

Wpa Pool / Getty Images

Cake designer Fiona Cairns has been commissioned by Prince William and Kate Middleton to create a multi-tiered traditional fruit cake for their wedding, and holds a tray of decorations ready for the cake.

But here's a slice of solid royal wedding news, if you'll pardon the pun: Kate has picked her wedding cake. Paul McCartney's favorite cake maker Fiona Cairns, who supplies Harrods and royal grocer Fortnum & Mason, has landed the commission and is making the couple a traditional fruit cake with white icing. The cake will have a "British floral theme" and be decorated with fresh flowers representing England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Expect some daffodils in there! Cairns said Kate took a mood board to discuss her ideas and knew exactly what she wanted, so she's clearly taking full charge of the planning -- it's not just being left to aides. 

William is also having a say. The chocoholic prince has personally requested a second cake to be made according to one of his favorite childhood recipes. The unbaked cake is made from plain biscuits and dark chocolate and will be created from a traditional royal recipe he used to enjoy as a boy. Both cakes will be served at the first reception, hosted by the queen at Buckingham Palace. A slice is likely to be highly coveted... someone recently sold a piece of Charles and Diana's wedding cake for a whopping £1,000 -- even though it was nearly three decades past its best! 

Camilla Tominey

We here at the Windsor Knot are very happy to announce that as we draw closer to Will and Kate’s big day, we’ll be featuring reports from a brand-new contributor, Camilla Tominey. As royal expert for NBC, royal editor of Britain’s Sunday Express and royal correspondent from ITV’s “This Morning,” Ms. Tominey is more than well-versed in the regal intricacies of the British monarchy. We are very excited to be welcoming her to the Windsor Knot team.  

Look for Camilla’s inaugural post here shortly.

Getty

Things are looking good for Kate and her future stepmother-in-law. Though still perceived by many as the late Diana’s nemesis, Prince Charles’ second wife, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, is continuing her campaign of good will. Speaking publicly for the first time about her relationship with Prince William’s bride-to-be at London’s Covent Garden Academy of Flowers, Camilla had nothing but praise. “Kate’s a lovely girl,” the duchess offered, reports The Express. “We’re very lucky. I’m very much looking forward to the wedding.”

We at the Windsor Knot, meanwhile, are very much looking forward to checking out the duchess on the big day.

williamandkatepaperdolls.com

Now you can rip off Prince William's clothing. Well, kinda.

The new "William and Kate Paper Dolls" book showcases the royals stripped down to their skivvies, alongside a Crayola-rich wardrobe of their 14 most notable outfits. The featured clothing corresponds to the couple's relationship, including what they wore for the prince's graduation from the Royal Military Academy in 2006 and Kate Middleton's famous sapphire-blue Issa dress, worn for the televised engagement announcement.

Selling for just $9.99, the keepsake paper doll treasury by illustrator Tom Tierney also comes with a "free download of the couple's wedding attire after their marriage."

Slideshow: Wacky royal wedding memorabilia 

Kate Middleton’s transformation

With the royal wedding just weeks away, pottery makers in Staffordshire are getting a flood of worldwide orders for official wedding china:

Chris Jackson / Getty Images

HRH Prince William arrives next to his father Prince Charles, Prince of Wales as they walk to St George's Chapel to partake in Garter Day, the 660th Aniversary Service on June 16, 2008 in Windsor, England.

Looks like the role of father-of-the groom suits Prince Charles. For the first time in six years, the public would like Prince Charles to be the next king more than his first-born son, Prince William, according to a YouGov poll conducted for Prospect magazine.

Forty-five percent of respondents said they wanted Prince Charles to take over as monarch, as opposed to the 37 percent who favored Prince William.

It’s amazing the difference a few months makes. Right after Prince William announced his engagement, two polls were released saying that Britons overwhelmingly wanted William to leapfrog his father and take over as king.

“Experts have speculated that the reason behind the change is that the public want to allow Prince William to enjoy his life as a newlywed before assuming a more responsible role,” says Britain's Telegraph newspaper.

Whatever the reason, the British public certainly seems to be giving more love to the monarchy. Only 13 percent support scrapping the institution, down from a high of about 25 percent after the death of Princess Diana. However, Queen Elizabeth does take a hit in these new figures -- 25 percent said that they would like to see her step down before her 85^th birthday next month.

Related: Polls: Brits want William to leapfrog Charles as king

facebook.com/GEappliancedistributorUK

Rejoice, brides: Now you can register for a terrifying new home appliance. 

GDHA, a distributor for GE appliances in the U.K., revealed "the ultimate" in royal wedding memorabilia – a 5’9” side-by-side fridge freezer emblazoned with one of the official engagement photographs of Prince William and Kate Middleton. The item was featured in a customizable panel design competition.

Want to prepare a meal for your loved ones? First get bombarded with images of the royal couple! Craving a midnight snack? Let Will and Kate stare you down! Need to change the Brita filter? Be reminded of how the young royals would never do such a thing! 

“As expected, the royal wedding has really captured the U.K.’s imagination and it was no surprise that a William and Kate commemorative fridge was a popular choice," said David Garden, Commercial Director for GE at GDHA. “It certainly wipes the floor with your usual commemorative tea towels and mugs and is most definitely one of the most novel royal wedding products we have seen."

Garden has big hopes for his product, going so far as to predict it'd make an appropriate wedding gift: "Who knows, it may appeal to die-hard fans or maybe even Prince Charles and Camilla will order one as a wedding gift for the couple.”

Dominic Lipinski / EPA

Carriage Restorer Dave Evans cleans the 1902 State Landau carriage at the Royal Mews in central London, UK on March 21. The coach will be used to carry Prince William and Kate Middleton on their wedding day, 29 April, as long as the weather is good.

After their wedding ceremony on April 29, Kate Middleton and Prince William will ride in an open-topped 1902 State Landau horse-drawn carriage for the procession back to Buckingham Palace, unless inclement weather leads them to use the famed "Glass Coach," which has a fixed roof to keep rain at bay.

The 1902 State Landau, housed at the Royal Mews near Buckingham Palace, was built for King Edward VII for use at his coronation. It is typically used by the queen to meet foreign heads of state on official visits to Britain. Prince Charles used it to travel to St. Paul's Cathedral for his 1981 wedding, leaving the cathedral with Princess Diana.

Read more about the wedding plans or watch Michelle Kosinski's special report for NBC's TODAY:

Foodbeast.com / Dunkin' Donuts

Jealous that only Britain has access to William and Kate-inspired treats like "Royal Pear" pie?

America finally has its revenge — in the form of frosted, heart-shaped donuts! Dunkin' Donuts revealed their newest addition, the "Royal Wedding Donut," which is filled with gooey red jelly and topped with vanilla icing with just a dash of chocolate drizzle (very much like the royals — decadent without being too flashy). For just 89 cents, you can dunk these royally caloric morsels in your morning coffee starting April 24 at participating Dunkin' Donuts.  [via Foodbeast]

Related: Take a bite of royal wedding pie
"Kiss Me Kate (Middleton)" beer
Slideshow: Wacky royal wedding memorabilia