Even here at CA, we are not immune to the Royal Wedding fever sweeping the nation. Issue 254 opens with our nod to the most magnificent of royal occasions, covering every angle: the venue! Thefamilies! The dress! And most importantly ‚ the dirt. Joking aside, what can archaeology tell us about royal weddings? We highlight several excavations, and examine the shift in monarchical matrimony from private political mergers to publicly inclusive love-matches.

For our non-Royalist subscribers, we have included a story from the other end ofthe spectrum, with a look at two different projects examining conflict landscapes in the long-suffering Scottish Highlands. Finally, we have a dispatch from the Portable Antiquities Scheme, which has turned up evidence for a new cult celebrating the Roman soldier’s god, Toutatis.

And, it is that time of year: the sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and archaeologists everywhere are dusting off their trowels ahead of the summer season. Our annual Digs Guide has all the dates, details, and dos-and-don’ts you need to go digging this summer.