i'm carol williams. i'm a respiratory therapist. the bulk of that time was at stanford university where i actually helped build that hospital as well. i was part of opening the doors so currently i'm a respiratory supervisor at st. luke's. my children were born at the cal campus and lived three blocks awhy from the cal campus but now time at st. luke's. that was actually my very first clinic cal experience was at st. luke's. we took care of a juvenile diabetic mother who was 17 and was 27 weeks pregnant and she was coding off and on. so anyway my daughter now is a nurse at the cal campus in the pediatric so we're all pretty much want to support this hospital and make sure that it becomes -- that it is rebuilt so that we have a state of the art hospital. we also have a success story with the ventilators and the first hnhn case was at lukes and the mom and baby were able to go home. thank you very much. >> they said please read this. this is from the dad. i'm very tired. my wife is exhausted. our child was health departmenty. it was a

that's where he met kate's mom carol, a flight attendant. william'suddies called her doors to manmanual. >> i think people have been unappealingly snobby about it. >> reporter: kate's parents are regular folks. they live in a village outside london. occasionally pop down to the pub for a pint and a pie. >> they're a normal family like the rest of the people that come in here. down to effort. lovely, lovely family. very polite, very nice. >> reporter: now kate's parents are very rich. they run a successful internet mail order company. >> they're self-made millionaires. they should all be celebrating that. >> reporter: remember, britain, well, old britain, isn't a country that applauds new money. you're respected if you inherit money. not so much if you earn it. weird but true. >> a generation ago, someone like her would never have the chance to marry a prince. >> no, she would have been called a commoner. he would have to look for some nice princess of denmark. >> it's a great moment. a real breakthrough. kate comes from ordinary common family. not lad

up several years into this relationship, william and kate did, and it is my understanding that the mother played a big role in getting them back together. >> carolas very much behind william and kate getting back together. she sat them down and talk them through where they wanted to be in the future. i think kate has been through a hell of a time in the media. it was the support from carroll and bringing women into the middleton family. -- and bringing william into the middleton family. >> also with us is christopher anderson, author of "william and kate, a real love story." what are your observations as we watch this preparation as this family now becomes part of the royal story line of the smart the? >> i am thinking of diana. if diana had not lived and died the way she did, would we care as much profit i don't think so. her presence and spirit hovers over all the proceedings. this is a victory for the dynamic and kate middleton. diana wants to be the people's princess. -- this is a 34 diana and kate middleton. they came from working-class stock and descended from coal miners. i think if she had not laid the to go to ther a decadkate right sch

. >> apparently, william is very fond of carole and michael middleton. >> they're a strong couple.ry close family. >> mr. middleton would not be in the abbey yet. he would be arriving with kate. it would be mrs. middleton. she'll be leaving the goring hotel in minutes, along with her son, james. the last arrivals would be kate and her father, michael. >> that's the goring hotel. >> the hallway or sheathe has been erected so we get little in terms of the glimpse of the wedding gown until she steps out in front of westminster abbey. some of the others expected to be in attendance, members of royal families from abroad. the former king of greece, king c constantine. >> was that james getting in the car? >> that was carole middleton and james getting in the car. james will deliver the only reading today. >> he will. it's from the epistle of the romans. >> carole is wearing katherine walker. >> she passed away last year. at the memorial service, her name was being wantied around with her name being associated with the royal bridal affair. it was rumors. she was linked in some way to the

kate and william have over 1,000 of their friends in the abbey today. >> we look at carole middleton'sme of william's pedigree friends used to joke when he first started dating kate middleton. when she would walk in the room, they would say doors to manual. carole middleton was a flight attendant. this is a story in america we would celebrate. in two generations of women, they have turned this family out of poverty, into an extraordinarily successful family. we call kate the commoner, by any measure. she's had a university education. has been raised by parents who have a successful business. as we know, barbara, you pointed this out. one of the things they sell is a little princess kit. how ironic. >> it's going to be more popular than ever. >> and in our sherlock holmes, of the many buses, we believe that at least one member of the royal family is there. peter phillips, the son of princess anne, maybe in one of those minibuses. tina? robin? >> one of the best investments that carole middleton ever made was the boarding school she sent kate to, where she met so many of the friends that

william's circle. and going to the university like he did. >> reporter: all according to plan. carolehe prince. >> it is a family on the make, it is said. >> reporter: so much so, the middleton girls are known as the wisteria sisters, being fragrant enwith the ability to climb. kate landon on prince william's radar. ordinarily, it would be extraordinary for someone of kate's background to meet the prince. >> reporter: kate was on the road to the palace, all-being a long, winding one that would take two breakups and eight years. she got to know the ways of william's world. >> i got to know the ropes. but now, i'm willing to learn quickly. and work hard. >> reporter: and though she's the first commoner to marry into the royal family since the 17th century, she's proving that it doesn't take blue blood to be a princess. maybe just a killer, blue dress. >> got a nice, blue dress on underneath there. >> a little bit of royal blue. >> much is being made about her being a commoner. is she really. >> you know what, robin? the oxford english dictionary of that word, is not an aristocrat and no

but william is very protective of his future in-laws. why is the press being so mean to carol middleton? >> well, you're absolutely right that william's being protective. and it's important that he is. when william and kate got engaged, kate was immediately given police protection. but her family was not. and william is very conscious of what being chased by the paparazzi can do. we have only to look to his mother. the fact that they're taking pictures is one thing. but it's the reports that are coming out that are so cruel. and there's this sentiment in england that you're not supposed to jump your class. carol is from a very working-class background and somehow she's being punished for trying to do well by her family. so it definitely is time to back off in more ways than one. >> you talk about jumping your class there and that being an issue. the middleton family has become very successful for selling party goods online. why do you think that's the major criticism being leveled here? >> well, i think it's because everybody appears to be cashing in on the royal wedding. but

carolling for a change. how far these bay area singers went to get ear of president obama. >>> and a high-tech tool for william and kate watch. the new app putting all things royal in the palm of your hand. ,, ♪ one taste, and you'll understand. delicious dunkin' donuts coffee. pick some up where you buy groceries. mm! america runs on dunkin'. he's set to leave los angeles later this morning. he rallied supporters yesterday at >>> president obama wraps up his three-day swing to the west coast. he will leave los angeles later this morning. he rallied supporters yesterday at sony pictures in culver city. his message, things are starting to pick up. >>> 2 1/2 years later we are creating jobs again. 2.5 years later the financial system works again. 2.5 years later small businesses are opening their doors again. >> president obama also held a fundraising dinner at nearly $36,000 a plate. he is hoping to raise $1 billion for his 2012 re- election campaign. [ singing ] >> ♪ takes a lot of benjamin to run a campaign, we paid our dues, where's our change ♪ >> singers interrupted president obama before he left san franc

william. >> reporter: this picture of kate's mother carol at the queen's estate drew a warning last december been mostly positive and respectful. but with the royal wedding frenzy growing, the media honeymoon may be over. of course, it's a delicate balance. the media needs its pictures, and the royal family appears to be very aware of this. and that might be why we're seeing so much of kate and william lately. in fact, the royal couple has yet another appearance scheduled for monday. and cameras are welcome. chris? >> kelly, you talk about some of these rules and regulations. how tough is it going to be to enforce any type of regulations when you've got so many thousands of media members, that are going tody skend upon london in the next couple of weeks, including a lot of paparazzi? >> not only that but you have everyone with their own camera on their cell phone. the bottom line is it's very difficult to enforce. it's one thing to try to hold the media in london, and in the uk to these standards. but foreign media is a different matter altogether. and that may be, again, why we're seeing so

carol burnett who today turns 78. >>> all day long, you can stay on top of the very latest developments in those stories and others as they break on msnbc. and tonight be sure to watch brian williams with nbc "nightly news." >>> and, finally, here's a look at what's coming up later this morning on the "today" show. find out where mother nature will strike next as deadly weather lashes the nation's mid section. >>> and "today" takes you live to london where fears are setting in about the weather at england's royal wedding, now just three days away. >>> now keep it on this channel for continuing local news, weather, sports and more. i'm lynn berry. thanks for watching "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station. have a good one.

carol middleton, who started a party supply company in the family's backyard shed. the business was a hit and helped pay for kate's private education, which led her to st. andrew's university, the same college prince williamended. >> common adjectives used to describe kate -- friendly, sporty, down to earth. >> reporter: megan tevrizian, a reporter for knsd tv in san diego, was in kate and william's graduating class. >> she immediately became friends with some of prince william's friends. >> reporter: you'd go around the corner and there he is. >> yes. >> reporter: because he's in the same dorm. >> yes, a lot of my friends would talk about how they would go around the corner and there prince william would be. he was just a normal guy, especially considering who he was. very friendly to everybody. didn't have an air about him. it was actually kind of refreshing to see how normal he was and how he just fit into regular student life. >> reporter: a regular guy and his girl next door who will this friday walk down the aisle and into the pages of history. dennis murphy, nbc news, county durham, england. >> and dennis murphy's report on the journey of kate middleton from commoner to her royal highness continues

william and prince harry. >> the princes arriving. >> look at these two standing together. >> looks like this might be the car carrying carole middleton now at her majesty the queen. they used to call her waity katie. she is waiting no more. >> the sun has just come out. let's take in this moment. ♪ >>> i william take thee to my wedded wife. >> to love and to cherish. >> i take thee william as my husband until death us do part. >> with this ring i thee wed. >> with this ring i thee wed. >> i pronounce they be man and wife together. bless preserve and keep you. ♪ >> the new princess kate. >> the crowd thrilled. >> as we watch them enter bu buckingham palace, thoughts that this could be their home some day? >> oh, absolutely. >> you are looking at the masses making their way now to buckingham palace. >> here you see the crowd just starting to make their way in. >> it is a sensational sight. >> now we are counting down to the kiss on the balcony behind us. >> here we go! oh! >> that was short. >> would that be unprecedented -- a second kiss? >> yes. >> oh! yeah, that's it. >> that is more like it. >>> good morning, once again, it's 8:26.

william will arrive on a white horse. finally, does this answer the big question? sister pippa, mother carol, designer alice temperly.irst post-engagement appearance. is she making the wedding dress? now, just quickly back to the stag party. they played a drinking game called the post-it note game. you write the name of a famous person on a post-it note. you stick to it your friend's head, he has to guess who it is. i can't believe i just demonstrated the process. they stuck the queen to prince william's head and it took him absolutely ages to figure it out. >> his own grandmother? all right, nick, thank you so much. i have post-its here, george? >> i bet he's played it a few times before. a very good move there. >> he knew where to put that. >>> let's check in now with juju chang. good morning. >> good morning, everyone. southwest airlines is canceling another 100 flights today as it investigates more cracks. like the one that forced an emergency landing in arizona on friday. a five-foot section of the boeing 737 opened up wide enough for passengers to see the sky. inspectors have now found small cracks in three oth

carole. and they call them the muddy walks. by now, the father-in-law. >> they do. and actually, william has known to refer to michael as dad.. and when prince william got back from kenya, when he proposed to kate middleton, he made sure he asked michael middleton for his blessing, for catherine's hand. a traditionalist, through and through. >> and you said she was a good cook. >> she is a good cook. british fare. and there is something that you might like. it's called pigs in a hole. >> is it egg? >> it's the batter with the sausages in it. >> bangers and mash, that's the potatoes. >> and yorkshire pudding. it's very nighty. and kate can make his favorite dish. >> and we did sample the cake, with chocolate and cookies and nuts. >> it's fantastic. and kate might want to have a couple of slices. she dropped a few pounds. that is william's favorite, chocolate biscuit cake. >> how much normalcy will they have? how many years before he has to do royal duties. >> he has another year and a half. he has only served six months as a fully fledged search and rescue pilot. he's loving every month of it. and he would like to continue mu

carol, mother of the bride was there. the only person absent was prince william. >> reporter: it would be good to know your dress fits in thebbey. princess diana practiced with a dust cloth. the real thing almost didn't fit in the carriage. she popped out looking almost like she slept in it. and there is a bit of a dust-up between kate's mom and the woman creating her gown who created sarah ferguson's gown. supposedly mrs. middleton abruptly changed her mind. nothing like drama before a spectacle. ♪ >> reporter: at least the choir boys know what they're wearing. prince william's air force squadron mates say their wives are fretting about what to wear. they are calling late at night asking about hats and that sort of thing. it is said william and kate relaxed the dress code for the men. so many men are from military and charities and they want them to be comfortable. they say the decorations are nothing short of spectacular. natalie? >> can't wait to see it. celia walden is here from the daily telegraph. good morning. >> good morning. sophie cranston is not a name we are familiar with in the u.s. but the trendy london set ar

william and princess catherine making their way from the abbey. the queen about to do the same thing headed back to where we are here at buckingham palace. >> carole and camilla. one of those is a royal body guard. >> and one of the cavalry is nick van cutsman who is a good friend. >> he's in charge of the queen's bodyguard, cavalry section. he's a major. >> it will take them a couple of minutes to make their way back to buckingham palace. >> they look happy in that carriage, very relaxed. >> camilla was saying how relaxed catherine looks. more relaxed than william does. there is the salute. >> you know, i have a sneaking suspicion he's saluting the cenotaph to remember those who died on behalf of the united kingdom. i was interested when i interviewed princess diana. she talked about wanting to be the queen in people's hearts. i have a sneaking suspicion we are watching the princess of people's hearts right now. >> well, i think you have to be very cold-hearted not to have your heart leap when she gave her vows. she sounded so sweet. her tiny voice. e new married couple in any is way. >> they will be followed by charles and kacamilla and mr. a mr

carole and her sister pippa were spotted. a royal caravan brought watermelon and kate into the abbie for the rehearsal. kate reportedly went through her vows. after the rehearsal, crowds cheered after prince williamo-be and her family, all looking relaxed and happy hours before the big event. kate middleton is now staying at the goring hotel getting ready for the big day. they were bringing in bags of her clothing spulg speculation of what kate will be wearing for her trip down the aisle. for the queen, business as usual. she spent the day with the duke of edinburgh. there's rain in the forecast but royal watchers don't mind. >> it's going to be beautiful and exciting and magical. >> camilla is an nbc royal contributor and andrew roberts is a british historian. good morning to the both of you. we've seen how kate on the phone obviously organizing the last-minute details of her wedding while her future husband, prince william is out playing soccer? >> can you believe it? there was a lot of jokes that were made, why was he doing this, he doesn't want to appear at westminster abbey with a black eye or injury. like a normal couple they want to go about they're day by business. they want to say their