Feature: The experience of a Royal Wedding - Complete with photographs, video, audio, tweets and links

 

Our reporter Maria Soleil was in London on April 29th and here is her blog post about the amazing events that took place that day:


It all started with a 5.25am train departing from Canterbury West. The difficulty of waking up at 4am was soon forgotten as I saw a group of men dressed up as nuns boarding the same train as me to St Pancras. Unsurprisingly, the train was far from empty and jovial strangers carrying beer, champagne and wine bottles were all seen on my journey into central London.


By the time I arrived at The Mall, thousands of people had already gained a spot from which to watch the festivities. Even before 7 o'clock, people were descending upon that 2-mile area of the capital. Faces stretched as far as the eye could see.



I met up with a fellow journalist from MSN, and we started chatting to tourists and Brits. People had come from as far as Australia and Russia just for this special day. A pair of elderly ladies who got a train at half four that morning from Newcastle should be admired. They were still full of energy when everyone else was flagging after the balcony kiss.


Read A Royal Wedding Blog's article about the people that had travelled thousands of miles to come and see the wedding.


We saw pensioners and teenagers draped in the Union Jack and kids with their faces painted. There were ladies wearing wedding hats, men in shorts with nothing else (on a fairly cold day) and babies in prams that would grow up and watch this all back on television in years to come.


Three scantily-clad lads weren't shy to have their picture taken



See more pictures of the revellers on the streets of London on the Evening Standard's website


At around 10am I went around the side of Clarence House, to see if I could spot any dignitaries or royalty leaving to be taken to Westminster Abbey for the wedding service. A steward told me she spotted David Cameron a few minutes earlier. Luckily I managed to spot Carole Middleton in her gorgeous light blue outfit.

The crowd was buzzing with energy and anticipation. In typical British fashion, there were cheers as roadsweepers and transit vans drove down The Mall. The biggest cheer however was saved for when the bride-to-be, Catherine Middleton, went past on her way to Westminster Abbey.

The wedding service was played out on speakers stretching along The Mall. When William and Kate were finally pronounced man and wife by Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams, cheers erupted from the assembled crowds. Corks from champagne bottles were popping all over the place. At that moment I felt goosebumps, and actually felt quite emotional for the first time that day.

Listen to the cheer of the crowds and sounds from the Household Cavalry band: Crowd cheering and Household Cavalry band by mariasoleil


The Household Cavalry band marched down The Mall, soon followed by William and Kate in their 1902 State Landau carriage, which was built for King Edward VII's Coronation. At this point it was impossible to get a clear view of the royal couple, although I did manage to catch a glimpse of their heads as their carriage took them past the vast media centre.

The structure that held the world's media

After a long wait, the thousands of fans lining The Mall were allowed to fill the space surrounding the Victoria Memorial. I was among the crowd surrounding the media centre, that were restricted from moving by barriers. The crowd soon became frustrated with being unable to move forward into the road, and after encouragement from a very vocal Australian journalist (shouting "Osborne took your jobs, so jump the barrier!") people began to climb over. Fitting in with the spirit of the day, young people helped the lesser-able among the crowd to climb over, and there was no rushing and very little pushing. I followed and ended up securing a good spot to view the balcony kiss. 

The crowd wait to see William and Kate appear on the famous Buckingham Palace balcony

Were you among the thousands outside the Palace on Friday? Spot yourself in the BBC's HD 1.15 gigapixel picture.


After a brief kiss that most of the crowd seemed to miss, at 1.29pm and lasting for 1.25 seconds, The Sun says, the newly-titled Duke and Duchess of Cambridge kissed on the famous Buckingham Palace balcony. The crowd was awash with red, white and blue and at that point, I don't think I've ever felt more proud to be British.

The crowd went wild when the Royal Family appeared on the balcony of Buckingham Palace

After the kiss, the crowd awaited a fly past from the Royal Air Force and a Battle of Britain Memorial Flight. This was a fantastic end to an historical day, and one milions of people will never forget.


Watch the fly past from the crowd's perspective:





After the royal appearances had come to an end, the crowds began to disperse and make their way home. But as I walked past the front of Buckingham Palace and the specially constructed press photographer stand, I encountered fancy dressed strangers taking pictures with one another, and friendly policemen chatting to tourists. There was dancing, singing and it was undoubtedly the biggest party atmosphere London had seen in the past 30 years. 

People were keen to have their picture taken with dressed-up revellers

Press photographers with cameras worth thousands in the stand specially constructed for the wedding

On my journey home, I had a chance to reflect on the day's events, and I doubt I'll ever experience a day like it again. The public's spirit made it into an unforgettable day. Strangers were interacting, exchanging stories and a real buzz filled the air. The atmosphere was incredible.

Click to see photos on Flickr from the Royal Wedding


Also on A Royal Wedding Blog:


The wedding online
The public's opinion: audio feature
Photosynth: Buckingham Palace 3 weeks before the wedding