By Patrick LowmanA WEDDING being billed as the society event of the decade is to take place at an East Anglian church.Ben Goldsmith, son of the late Sir James Goldsmith, and Kate Rothschild, the heiress of Europe's most powerful banking family, will tie the knot at St Mary's Church in Bury St Edmunds on September 20.

By Patrick Lowman

A WEDDING being billed as the society event of the decade is to take place at an East Anglian church.

Ben Goldsmith, son of the late Sir James Goldsmith, and Kate Rothschild, the heiress of Europe's most powerful banking family, will tie the knot at St Mary's Church in Bury St Edmunds on September 20.

High-profile guests at the service could include Prince William, a friend of Mr Goldsmith's, Camilla Parker Bowles and her son Tom, and Pakistan cricketer Imran Khan, who is married to Mr Goldsmith's sister, Jemima.

It will be the second society wedding in Suffolk in the past two years after supermodel Claudia Schiffer and film producer Matthew Vaughn were married last year in Shimpling.

It is believed Mr Goldsmith and Miss Rothschild chose St Mary's Church, which sits in the shadow of St Edmundsbury Cathedral, because of the Rothschild family's links with the area.

The Rothschilds own property in Rushbrooke, just outside Bury St Edmunds, and it is believed the wedding reception will be held in the village at the home of the bride's mother, heiress Anita Guinness.

Ms Guinness, is also related to Lord Iveagh, who owns the Elveden Estate, near Thetford, and is one of the heirs to the Guinness fortunes.

The couple were at St Mary's Church yesterday to meet the man who will marry them, Canon John Hayden, and spent about an hour discussing the wedding arrangements.

Mr Hayden said: “I can confirm the wedding is taking place here on September 20.

“The couple are qualified to get married here and, like many other couples, chose St Mary's because of its many special features, including having the longest parish church aisle in the country, its excellent acoustics, renowned choir and floral displays.

“I am glad they have chosen the church and they have indicated they will be having around 600 to 700 guests.

“There will be some high-profile guests, but I think some reports are exaggerated. The couple have made arrangements with the local police about security and parking on the day.”

Mr Goldsmith, 23, and Miss Rothschild, 20, met three years ago at a dinner party and were living together within a year in a flat in Pimlico.

She has been described as a “feminine English rose”, while he was voted the world's most eligible bachelor in a survey among Tatler readers, pushing Prince William into second place.

Mr Goldsmith, 23, is a multi-millionaire entrepreneur in his own right, but was also left a fortune by his late father.

When Sir James died, he left £1.2billion and his children Ben, Zac and Jemima, are reported to have received £10million each.

Miss Rothschild's father, Amschel, died in 1996 at the age of 41. He left an £18m fortune to his wife and three children.

patrick.lowman@eadt.co.uk