A critically-ill Angus woman whose dream wedding has been postponed twice hopes to tie the knot on the same day as Prince William and Kate Middleton.
Former nurse Caroline James, from Brechin, spent her 50th birthday in November trying to travel to Gretna Green to wed John James (52) but was forced to turn back when severe weather saw the A9 closed between Perth and Dunblane.
The devoted Elvis fans had already been devastated after they were told Caroline who suffers from an extremely rare condition called monogenic neo-natal diabetes was too ill to travel to Memphis in the USA for the spectacular ceremony they had originally planned.
The couple have chartered a yacht for the April 29 nuptials and plan to wed on Loch Lomond, in a celebration Caroline hopes will be just as special as the royal wedding.
“I just hope it’s third time lucky,” she said. “I didn’t know it was the royal wedding when I booked it but we’re OK with that. I suppose that will make things a wee bit more memorable.”
Caroline plans to wear a floor-length ivory gown on the big day but admits she is not sure if she will rival the future princess in the style stakes.
“I don’t know if I will be just as glamorous as Kate Middleton but we’ll see,” she said, laughing. “We won’t be able to watch the royal wedding on television but we’ll maybe catch it afterwards.”
Despite the change of plan, Caroline hopes guest of honour Dr Ewan Pearson will still be able to attend.
Dr Pearson diagnosed Caroline during a research project and informed her she was one of only 400 sufferers worldwide.
“He’s really hoping to make it,” she said. “He told me that things might change between now and then but I really hope he can be there.”