Marriage was the order of the day at NYSE Euronext's annual general meeting today, where discussions with shareholders moved seamlessly from tomorrow's royal wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton to the exchange giant's own impending tie-up with Deutsche Börse.

When introducing the board members of NYSE Euronext, who are all up for re-election, chairman Jan-Michiel Hessels came to board member Sir George Cox and quipped: "So we all want to know if you are invited to the royal wedding or is that a state secret?"