The day is fast approaching and Britain is giddy with excitement. Here in Britain we've seen ample evidence of Royal Wedding fever: tea bags (“they met over a cup of tea”!) and bottles of beer served in the pub in Kate Middleton's home town of Bucklebury. Tourism officials have told us about all kinds of unusual requests (like hat vouchers for the special day). More than one million spectators are expected to descend on London for the event, some expected to camp out in the parks for days beforehand. This could provide a royal stimulus to the local economy, declares Bloomberg.
It's not too late to secure accommodations for clients who are keen to jet to London for the Royal Wedding, the first to take place in Westminster Abbey since Prince Andrew's wedding in 1986. Because Prince William is a direct heir to the throne, this special occasion will be marked with a bank holiday. Luxury hotels are rolling out indulgent accommodations packages with special perks and commemorative gifts-- from the Ritz London to Grosvenor House, where guests can also indulge in Royal Afternoon Tea while watching large screens live streaming the event. (The tea at Grosvenor House will include a specially commissioned Twinings Royal Wedding Blend- sourced from Kate Middleton's home county of Berkshire.) We hear that hotels are not yet sold out.
For clients who will be in town for the event, here's the skinny on the Royal wedding route from Visit London, the city's official tourism agency:
Breaking with tradition, Kate will make her way to the abbey from Buckingham Palace in a car rather than a horse-drawn carriage. The bridesmaids, the Queen and the royal family will leave the palace in plenty of time, while Princes William and Harry will depart from St. James's Palace. The service is at 11 am, leave plenty of time to get to this part of London...The best spots will be The Mall with its wide pavements, the big square at Horseguards Parade, the iconic stretch of Whitehall, and, of course, outside the palace. ...There will be huge TV screens in Trafalgar Square, Hyde Park and St James's Park, so if you can't get close enough to the action, you can at least watch it live and enjoy the atmosphere. After the service, Prince William and the newly-created Princess Catherine will return to Buckingham Palace in horse-drawn state coaches with an incredible procession of thousands of soldiers, military bands and mounted regiments. The royal family will appear on the balcony at Buckingham Palace before the official state lunch.
Pictured: The Goring Hotel, the rumored host hotel for the wedding party.