Bulgaria's former Tsar and Prime Minister, Simeon Saxe-Coburg, congratulated Prince William and Kate Middleton on the eve of their wedding.

In an interview for CNN, Saxe-Coburg wished the Royal couple a long and happy marriage.

He and Queen Margarita of the Bulgarians were among the foreign Royal families who attended the glamorous wedding. The former Bulgarian monarch is a distant relative to the British Royal family.

Simeon Saxe-Coburg is an important political and royal figure in Bulgaria. During his reign as the Tsar of Bulgaria from 1943 to 1946 he was a minor, the monarchical authority being exercised over the kingdom on his behalf by a regency.

In 1946 the monarchy was overthrown as a consequence of a greatly manipulated referendum won by the communist republicans. Simeon went into exile. Fifty-five years later, on 6 April 2001, Simeon resumed the role of leader of the nation upon taking office as Prime Minister of the Republic of Bulgaria from July 2001 until August 2005.

Prince William and Kate Middleton got married on Friday. From now on, Kate will be Catherine, Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cambridge.

The wedding was watched by 1,900 guests in the Westminster Abbey and over 2 billion people worldwide. Crowds of at least 600,000 lined the streets to watch the event, which is a national holiday.