Angela Neal Grove

Photojournalist, Speaker, World Traveler | Keeping a Finger on the Pulse

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You are here: Home / England / London / London Prepares for the Royal Wedding

London Prepares for the Royal Wedding

April 21, 2011 By Angela Neal Grove

Daffodils in Green Park near Buckingham Palace - A.N. Grove
Daffodils in Green Park near Buckingham Palace – A.N. Grove

The flags are flying.  The parks are full of spring flowers and the sun is shining.  London is ready for the Royal Wedding.  By the end of March scaffolding was already in place across from Buckingham Palace.   From those front-row-center seats, newscasters from around the world will relate every detail of the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.

Scaffolding opposite Buckingham Palace for the press

Ingrid Seward, doyenne of the British Royal reporters, and editor of Majesty Magazine will be commenting for CBS with Katie Couric.  It is said the stress and pressure of this wedding has caused her to revert to smoking.

One can only imagine frenzied future bookings for the room where the future Queen of England spent her last night as a commoner.

On a more restful assignment, a reporter for the Financial Times newspaper spent a night undercover at the Goring Hotel near Victoria Station, testing the beds, room service and general ambiance.  Kate Middleton’s family have taken over the small discreet hotel for the duration of the wedding.  It is from there The Bride will leave, with her father in a Royal Rolls Royce, for Westminster Abbey.  (The reporter liked it – especially the early morning tea delivery in bone china cups.) One can only imagine frenzied future bookings for the room where the future Queen of England spent her last night as a commoner.

Tea towels are always a popular souvenir

As preparations continue, souvenirs to suit every taste are in the shops, on stalls, and available by mail order.  For the makers of fine china, a Royal Event can be a bonanza.  Executives at Royal Crown Derby,

one of England’s oldest manufacturers of bone China are said to have taken a keen interest in Prince William’s love life.   They have been making “Commemorative  Pieces” for Royal events since 1761.  Designs are drawn way in advance and when the engagement was formally announced on November 16 Royal Crown Derby went into overdrive. A glitch in their long-range plan, however, was the Bride’s name.  It was made clear by Buckingham Palace that Kate would henceforth be properly known as Catherine.   The W and K design would have to be immediately redrawn.  This was a challenge and had to be

Royal Crown Derby commemorative plate

done very carefully as the initials WC has other implications. (In England WC stands for water closet – shorthand for restroom.) Now plans at the factory include possible designs for a Royal Birth.  It is not only Ingrid Seward who should feel the pressure.  TTFN  This is one of several blogs leading up to the nuptials.  Next I will talk about proper British Wedding food and also take a  look inside Buckingham Palace.

Some souvenirs are clearly of the unauthorized genre

Filed Under: Europe, London, Royal Wedding

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Comments

  1. Mary says

    April 26, 2011 at 4:07 pm

    What a fascinating piece and getting the inside scoop is so much fun! Can’t wait for more coverage from Angela. Move over Katie Couric!

  2. Angela Neal Grove says

    May 17, 2011 at 5:18 am

    Thank you Mary! It was fun being in London just before the wedding and being part of the growing excitement

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    July 20, 2014 at 11:45 am

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