UNITED KINGDOM: With less than 24 hours to go before the royal wedding, courtiers carry out last-minute preparations and excited wellwishers gather on the streets

Record ID: 345984

  • Title: UNITED KINGDOM: With less than 24 hours to go before the royal wedding, courtiers carry out last-minute preparations and excited wellwishers gather on the streets
  • Date: 29th April 2011
  • Summary: PULL OUT TO ROYAL FANS CAMPED ALONG THE MALL THREE AUSTRALIAN ROYAL FANS WEARING AUSTRALIAN FLAGS AND HATS PEOPLE CAMPING ON THE MALL (SOUNDBITE) (English) SISTERS, SILVIE, SHEILA AND STEPHANIE FROM SUSSEX, ENGLAND, SAYING "Because we want to see the kiss on the balcony and that will happen tomorrow after the last coaches go through and then we can pass through and we can see the kiss." TENT ON "THE MALL" WITH SIGN (SOUNDBITE) (English) JULIE FROM SAN DIEGO, USA, SAYING "I think, you know, we were saying this morning, it's the only thing we have close to this is Disneyland with princesses, you know, and it's not real, so this is great to be here, to be part of history and it is real. You know, that that can really happen so we're hoping to make a connection with Prince Harry before we leave." CLOSE OF PHOTO OF DIANA, LATE PRINCESS OF WALES STUCK ON TENT / ZOOM OUT TO JULIE, HER DAUGHTER EMILY (17) AND FRIEND, JANE. (SOUNDBITE) (English) JANE FROM SAN DIEGO, SAYING "It's such a mess." (SOUNDBITE) (English) JULIE FROM SAN DIEGO, USA, SAYING "We have all our blankets, food and water, makeup of course. (SOUNDBITE) (English) JANE FROM SAN DIEGO, SAYING "We have insulated blankets, we have a tarp on the bottom, plenty of blankets, blow-up pillows, snacks, cosmetics." (SOUNDBITE) (English) JULIE FROM SAN DIEGO, USA, SAYING "And Jane packed all of it in one suitcase and brought it over from the States. Everything here was brought over." TILT UP FROM LEGS TO MAN IN ARMOUR HOLDING A ROSE, FLANKED BY TWO OTHER MEN IN RED TOPS, STANDING IN FRONT OF BUCKINGHAM PALACE (SOUNDBITE) (English) DAMIEN CARPENTER FROM LEEDS, NORTHERN ENGLAND, SAYING "It's showing the world what we do best. We are the only country that can do this properly and it's fantastic. And here we are in the middle of a recession, etc,etc,etc, everybody comes out, has a good time, it's brilliant. It's what we are." MAN LYING ON GROUND WEARING UNION JACK REGALIA, WAVING UNION JACKS FLAGS (SOUNDBITE) (English) EVERETT FROM WASHINGTON D.C., USA, SAYING: "This is my first royal event live, I've watched so many of them on television and you always see those screaming people in the crowds, and you say who are those crazy people, well, today, I am one of those crazy people." CLOSE OF MAN IN QUEEN ELIZABETH MASK, WAVING, PANNING TO TWO OTHERS, ONE WEARING KATE MASK AND THE OTHER WEARING A PRINCE WILLIAM MASK DUCHESS OF CORNWALL, CAMILLA MOUNTBATTEN-WINDSOR SURROUNDED BY PRESS AND BODYGUARDS DUCHESS OF CORNWALL, BODYGUARDS AND MEDIA SCRUM WALKING TOWARD GATES OF CLARENCE HOUSE DUCHESS OF CORNWALL WALKING THROUGH CLARENCE HOUSE GATES WESTMINISTER ABBEY AND CROWDS UNION JACK FLAG FLYING POLICE SNIFFER DOGS AND HANDLERS ENTERING SIDE ENTRANCE TO WESTMINSTER ABBEY SNIFFER DOGS AND HANDLERS LEAVING WESTMINSTER ABBEY CLOSE OF SNIFFER DOG POLICEMAN STOOD OUTSIDE WESTMINSTER ABBEY CROWD OF POLICE OFFICERS STOOD ON STREET WIDE OF TRAFALGAR SQUARE PUBLIC VIEWING ZONE CREW PREPARING STAGE AT TRAFALGAR SQUARE VARIOUS OF CREW BUILDING STAGE BANNER HUNG FROM TRAFLAGAR SQUARE WALL READING: "London Will and Kate. The Royal Wedding. Trafalgar Square" FOUNTAIN AT TRAFALGAR SQUARE CLOSE OF WATER GUSHING THROUGH FOUNTAIN DOLPHIN'S MOUTH WIDE OF TRAFALGAR SQUARE
  • Embargoed: 14th May 2011 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: United Kingdom, United Kingdom
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Topics: Royalty,Royalty,Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
  • Reuters ID: LVA4583LWA298F6NZ8CSDMHNJ980
  • Story Text: Royal wedding fever was beginning to grip London on Thursday (April 28), on the eve of the widely anticipated marriage of Britain's Prince William to Kate Middleton.
    At the entrance to the Goring Hotel, close to Queen Elizabeth's Buckingham Palace residence, workmen were erecting awnings to screen the movements of Middleton and her entourage. The bride-to-be will stay at the upmarket Belgravia hotel on Thursday night, before making the short journey on Friday morning (April 29) to the wedding venue, Westminster Abbey, with her father, Michael.
    Thousands of royal fans were camping out in central London, eager to grab a good position to view Friday's pageantry.
    "We want to see the kiss on the balcony and that will happen tomorrow after the last coaches go through and then we can pass through and we can see the kiss," said Sylvie, a middle-aged woman from Essex, southeast England, who was camped out with her two sisters, Sheila and Stephanie.
    For Damien Carpenter from Leeds, northern England, the wedding is all about national pride.
    "It's showing the world what we do best. We are the only country that can do this properly and it's fantastic. And here we are in the middle of a recession, etc,etc,etc, everybody comes out, has a good time, it's brilliant. It's what we are," he said.
    Tourism chiefs are predicting an extra 600,000 visitors in the capital on Friday, taking the total to about 1.1 million and bringing in up to 50 million pounds (80 million U.S. dollars).
    Security will be tight on the day, with Britain on its second highest threat level, meaning an attack by militants is considered "highly likely", and police have been carrying out thorough searches along the route.
    Militant Islamists and Irish republicans, anarchists, and stalkers are all seen by security experts as possible risks.
    Londoners who cannot find a spot near Westminster Abbey or Buckingham Palace will gather in Trafalgar Square to watch proceedings on a giant screen.
    Outside Britain, the world's fascination with the British royal family is undiminished. An estimated 8,000 journalists are in London to cover the ceremony, and hundreds of millions across the world will watch on television.
    At temporary studios erected opposite Buckingham Palace, media personnel were busy setting up and rehearsing as a marching band passed by, offering a hint of the pomp and ceremony in prospect on Friday.
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