William and Kate have a wedding planner!

London: Rumours are doing the rounds that Prince William and his longtime girlfriend Kate Middleton may soon tie the knot, after a wedding planner has been appointed by the British Royal Family.

William and Kate, both 27, have been dating each other since 2001. A news report recently claimed that the couple are unlikely to get married before his grandmother, British Queen, marks 60 years on the throne in 2012. But, Sarah Sienesi, a "wedding and event consultant" has quietly been appointed by the Royal Family and she`s now a "lady-in-waiting" to the Countess of Wessex, leading British newspaper `The Daily Telegraph` reported. She is an old Fulham flatmate of the Earl of Wessex`s wife from the days when the countess was a PR executive known as Sophie Rhys-Jones. "It`s no longer seen as lazy or extravagant to hire someone to help you organise your wedding. People get their groceries delivered at home and employ cleaners, so why not have someone with insider knowledge do your groundwork on the big day?" Sienesi was quoted as saying. According to Sienesi, she is "now concentrating more on sports events". Perhaps if Zara Phillips, the former Sports Personality of the Year, beats her cousin William to altar, her marriage to Mike Tindall, the England rugby star, could be the perfect dress rehearsal. Sophie Rhys-Jones married Prince Edward at St George`s Chapel, Windsor, in 1999. The Earl and Countess of Wessex, as they became, have two children, Lady Louise Windsor and Viscount Severn. PTI