A Royal Tour of London
The much-anticipated marriage between Prince William and Kate Middleton – soon to be Princess Catherine – is almost upon us and the atmosphere is building up as Friday 29 April approaches. While on the day the closest that viewers not invited to the ceremony will get to the royal route is as part of the general public’s line-out, the royal landmarks to be found in London are accessible to visitors at other times of the year, and between them represent some of the most important historical buildings in Britain.
One of these is St Paul’s Cathedral, which survived bombing during the Blitz and is among the greatest symbols of London. The beautiful domed masterpiece of architect Sir Christopher Wren contains memorials to national heroes such as Nelson, Wellington and Lawrence of Arabia, and is open to the public year-round. And it was here, of course, where Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer were married in 1981.
William and Kate’s wedding marks the biggest royal celebration since then. Dignitaries and celebrities from Britain and abroad will be among the congregation for the 11am service at Westminster Abbey, the thousand-year-old ceremonial church where the couple will exchange wedding vows. It’s a suitably grand setting for this grand occasion – the Abbey is the resting place of 17 monarchs and has hosted every coronation (38 of them) since that of William the Conqueror in 1066. William’s grandparents, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, were married at the Abbey and this will be the sixteenth royal wedding held there.
From there, the newlyweds will proceed to a reception hosted by the Queen at Buckingham Palace. Built in 1703, the 775-room palace has been the London home of British sovereigns since 1837 and is the venue for royal ceremonies, state visits and the daily Changing of the Guard. The State Rooms and the Queen’s Gallery – an exhibition of art and treasures from the Royal Collection – are open from the end of July to October. On the wedding day crowds outside the palace gates will hope to see the happy couple share a kiss on the balcony.
The palace also contains the Royal Mews, open for visitors virtually year-round. These working stables provide a fascinating look behind the scenes of the Royal Household, providing the Royal Family’s cars and horse-drawn carriages for official engagements, as well as the royal horses. The ornate carriages on display include the magnificent Gold State Coach last used during the Queen’s Golden Jubilee. On 29 April the bridal couple will travel in the exquisite 1902 State Landau carriage, drawn by four horses and adorned with gold leaf and upholstered in crimson satin, along a processional route that will take in many of central London’s most famous landmarks, including the Houses of Parliament, Downing Street and Horse Guards Parade – where the Trooping the Colour takes place each June.
The Mall, which stretches like a red carpet to the palace gates, marks the edge of St James’s Park, the oldest of London’s Royal Parks, where large numbers of spectators are likely to congregate. This former royal deer park has a picturesque central lake that is home to ducks, geese, swans and pelicans, making it a good spot for a picnic in the summer months.
Nearby is another place with royal connections. Spencer House, a grand eighteenth-century private palace in the heart of St James’s is a fine example of Palladian architecture and was the ancestral London home of Lady Diana’s family, the Spencers, before they moved to Althorp, an hour-and-a-half from London, near Northampton.
Another residence to look out for is Clarence House, the official home of Prince Charles and Princes William and Harry, and the place from which William and Kate announced their engagement – before they posed for photos next door at St James’s Palace, originally built for Henry VIII. It was here that Kate first got to show off her engagement ring – Princess Diana’s 18-carat white gold ring, with an oval blue sapphire surrounded by a cluster of 14 small diamonds made by Garrard, the world’s oldest jewellers. The Albemarle Street company has undertaken commissions for royalty and aristocracy since the eighteenth century and is well worth a visit in its own right. They are perhaps best known for their work in connection with the Tower of London, another of London’s major landmarks. Many of the country’s most exquisite treasures are on display in the Jewel House at the Tower, including the 1937 coronation crown of the Queen Mother, which was set by Garrard with the famous Koh-i-Noor diamond.
Another Royal Park, Hyde Park, will also be a popular viewpoint on the day. Although it is not on the procession route, up to half a million people are anticipated to watch the wedding live on giant screens in the park. Fun fair rides and a 60-metre Ferris wheel, affording superb views across the park and the London skyline, will add to the patriotic holiday mood. At the western end of Hyde Park is Kensington Gardens, amid which stands Kensington Palace, where Princess Diana lived for sixteen years and where William spent much of his childhood. Public celebrations will also be enjoyed in Trafalgar Square, the symbolic heart of London, with big screens installed among the fountains and beneath Nelson’s Column. Wherever you watch, it promises to be a truly splendid occasion.
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Westminster Abbey Choir photo Copyright: Dean and Chapter of Westminster
15-04-2011
