UNITED KINGDOM: Royal fans from all over the world braved plummeting night temperatures to huddle in tents outside Westminster Abbey
Record ID:
345709
UNITED KINGDOM: Royal fans from all over the world braved plummeting night temperatures to huddle in tents outside Westminster Abbey
- Title: UNITED KINGDOM: Royal fans from all over the world braved plummeting night temperatures to huddle in tents outside Westminster Abbey
- Date: 29th April 2011
- Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (APRIL 28, 2011) (REUTERS) (NIGHT SHOTS) WESTMINSTER ABBEY/WEDDING FANS CAMPING CAMPERS AND MEDIA TENTS VARIOUS OF CAMPERS WITH BLANKETS TENTS CAMPERS ON CHAIRS WOMAN WRAPPED UP IN BLANKET FLAG WITH WILL AND KATE CAMPER ANGELA FROM BRAZIL AND BRITISH CAMPER ZAMIR WRAPPED UP IN BLANKETS (MORNING SHOTS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) BRITISH CAMPER ZAMIR, SAYING "Sleepless. Cold. It was quite rough sleeping on the floor for the first time. Kind of have a new found appreciation for homeless people I think." (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) ANGELA FROM BRAZIL, SAYING "It was interesting. It's something I probably won't ever do again because it's cold and harsh, but as I am in London for only one year, I thought it would be interesting to see the royal family who are such an important part of the lives of all British people." UNION JACK BALLOON FLYING VARIOUS OF CAMPER ON PHONE (SOUNDBITE) (English) BRITISH CAMPER, KATHLEEN TRIGG, SAYING "I'm questioning it at the moment, but then I haven't had a coffee yet. I'm sure I'll be fine once I've got, you know, got up and had a coffee and stuff. I've probably had about three hours sleep." (SOUNDBITE) (English) BRITISH CAMPER, DIANE, SAYING "Not a very good one, we didn't sleep much, there's a lot of noise going on, a lot of traffics and sirens and what have you, you know, but anyway, never mind, what about it?" CAMPERS STANDING AMONGST TENTS (SOUNDBITE) (English) ZIMBABWEAN CAMPERS, CHELSEA AND JESSICA SPENCE, SAYING: CHELSEA: "I think for us, it was just a big thing of just being part of the atmosphere, a big world event that everyone's watching and being a part of. So we just thought, well, we're in London, well, we're in London, we can either watch it on tv or go all out and camp and be part of it." JESSICA: "It's a really exciting thing that will never happen again in your lifetime, and especially in this magnitude. I mean Prince Will, you know, getting married - bigger than Harry, bigger than anyone else, so,why not, go all out." CAMPER SLEEPING VARIOUS OF WOMAN EMERGING FROM TENT (SOUNDBITE) (English) BRITISH CAMPER,THERESA,SAYING: "Sleepless night. It's been really, really cold, a lot colder than I thought, but it's been really nice because we've had, you know, lots of fun." CAMPERS ACROSS THE ROAD FROM WESTMINSTER ABBEY WESTMINSTER ABBEY
- Embargoed: 14th May 2011 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Country: United Kingdom
- Topics: Royalty,Royalty
- Reuters ID: LVABISTP85DHFPOY6IDNPZPNUJ33
- Story Text: A few dozen tents line the street opposite Westminster Abbey as their inhabitants from all over the world tried to keep warm in plummeting London temperatures just one day before the royal wedding.
As dawn broke the royal enthusiasts crawled out of their tents groggily greeting a new day to be spent staking out their top spot ahead of Friday's ceremony between Prince William and Kate Middleton.
"Sleepless. Cold. It was quite rough sleeping on the floor for the first time. Kind of have a new found appreciation for homeless people I think," said British camper Zamir.
Angela travelled all the way from Brazil to make sure she got a good view, but she said it was tough-going overnight.
"It's something I probably won't ever do again because it's cold and harsh, but as I am in London for only one year, I thought it would be interesting to see the royal family who are such an important part of the lives of all British people," said Angela.
After recent days and weeks of unseasonably warm weather, forecasters are warning that Thursday and Friday will see a return to more normal April weather. Top temperatures are not expected to exceed 19 degrees (66 F) and thunder storms and rain showers are predicted for the big day itself.
The cold and threat of rain hasn't put Zimbabwean cousins Chelsea and Jessica Spence.
"I think for us, it was just a big thing of just being part of the atmosphere, a big world event that everyone's watching and being a part of," said Chelsea.
"It's a really exciting thing that will never happen again in your lifetime, and especially in this magnitude. I mean Prince Will, you know, getting married - bigger than Harry, bigger than anyone else, so,why not, go all out," said Jessica.
The crowds are expected to swell overnight and reach capacity along the route between the Abbey and Buckingham Palace by early morning.
The marriage ceremony will begin at 11am local time (1000gmt) on Friday.
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