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Britain's satirical cartoonists are sharpening their pencils for the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton on April 29, but are likely to keep their cruelest portrayals in check.

Partly reflecting the British obsession with class and status, the butt of most cartoonists' jokes are usually those occupying high office and the monarchy, so a royal wedding is fertile hunting ground for mischievous illustrators.

Prince William's cartoon depiction is usually defined by a thinning hairline, rosy cheeks and lantern jaw, but the young royal's unremarkable ears and nose mean he escapes much of the ridicule heaped on his father, Prince Charles.

Newspaper illustrators have mostly shunned characterizations of Kate Middleton, but the 29-year-old will come into range after she joins the country's most famous family.

Peter Brookes, cartoonist for The Times, said the wedding and surrounding hysteria provided an unmissable opportunity, despite the generally positive feeling toward the event.

"On the day there will be nothing else you can do," Brookes said. "Quite often the goodwill transfers itself into mawkishness and total sentimentality and everyone's going to be over the top."

The illustrator, who was last week named cartoonist of the year at the British Press Awards, admitted he had no concerns over offending royal enthusiasts.

"No, no no, absolutely not," he said. "First of all you don't have to worry about it, there's no such thing as doing a cartoon in praise of somebody, you're always knocking them down.

"The only thing I would say in balance is that it's hardly their fault the country goes mad - and it's two people for whom it's the happiest day of their lives so you're not going to do anything that's personal."

Any cartoon must instead focus on the "over the top nature of this whole wedding", he said.

The couple has avoided most unwanted attention due to their "down-to-earth" image, but the fact there have been more obvious targets during a chaotic economic and political period in Britain has also helped.

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（中國日報網英語點津 Helen 編輯）

About the broadcaster:

Lee Hannon is Chief Editor at China Daily with 15-years experience in print and broadcast journalism. Born in England, Lee has traveled extensively around the world as a journalist including four years as a senior editor in Los Angeles. He now lives in Beijing and is happy to move to China and join the China Daily team.