Prince William and his bride-to-be, Kate Middleton, are to sit down with royal advisers to begin planning their wedding day.

The couple ended months of speculation on Tuesday by announcing their engagement and William revealed he used his mother Diana, Princess of Wales's engagement ring to propose to his fiancee as a way of honouring her memory.

A St James's Palace spokesman stressed that the couple would be very hands-on and involved in organising the details of the event.

He said: "It's very much their day like any other couple, and they will make the decisions all the way through - they want the day to be enjoyable for everybody."

With the country barely out of recession and stringent cuts announced by the Government last month, the spokesman added that they would also be "mindful of the economic situation".

A date for the wedding has yet to set but it will take place in either spring or summer next year.

A whole host of decisions will need to be taken, from the date and location of the ceremony down to the stationery used for the guests' invitations.

The creation of the bride's dress and which designer will be given the commission will be something for Miss Middleton alone and will generate much media speculation.

During an interview on Tuesday night with his fiancee, William explained why he had used his mother's priceless ring.

He said: "It's my mother's engagement ring so I thought it was quite nice because obviously she's not going to be around to share any of the fun and excitement of it all - this was my way of keeping her close to it all."

The wedding is expected to take place in London with prospective venues including St Paul's - where William's parents married - or Westminster Abbey, where Diana's funeral was held.

The Prince, who visited Afghanistan at the weekend to mark Remembrance Sunday with serving British troops, is currently based at RAF Valley on the island of Anglesey in North Wales and will resume his shifts on the base on Thursday after a short break.

For the past six months Miss Middleton has spent part of the week living with William in a rented cottage on Anglesey. The couple are expected to set up home there following their marriage.