The day before the wedding my team took a strole at lunch down through Green Park and up to the front of Buckingham Palace and the press enclosure. There was just something about the whole area that was much like a tractor beam that simply drew you towards it. The flags, the buzz, the crowds that had been gathering for some days. Many visitors, from all over the world, had started to camp out and had lined the edges of The Mall with their Tents, flags and sleeping bags. The ever growing number of flags shooting up around London and the huge official Union Flags (Its only called Union Jack when flying at sea) that lined the flag poles down The Mall.
Just after we approached the Palace there was something of a notion going on towards the Palace gates. The Police had just closed the road and so the crowd of some thousands of people pressed forward to see what was happening. Gradually the noise of drums grew louder until the full colour Queens Marching Band came walking past. Trumpets, Drums, Symbols all dressed in the Black, Red and Gold. There was even a uniformed dogged walking with them, down the Mall towards Whitehall. They must have been practicing for the following day and we just happened to catch the dress rehearsal and from the front row.
We spend the next hour wandering around Clarance House, St. James and Pall Mall, taking in the sights, the atmosphere and admiring the ever growing ring of steal and concerete barriers that had miraculously appeared in the night. It reminded me much of working at Walt Disney World and how you could leave the park (EPCOT) at 2339PM and a bed of Tulips be beautifully blooming beside the Restaurant. Returning just Seven hours later and the magical fairies had worked their wands and the tulips would be completely replaced with Pointsettas or Pansies. Amazing you with a complete floral transformation that had happened in the middle of the night.
Passing Clarance House several cars pulled up to the back gate and were stopped by security. We couldn't see who was in the back as their dresses were blocking all the windows, but you could tell they were official Royal Guests.
Returning to the office and hour later we decked the walls with our own bunting, excited for tomorrow and the first Royal Wedding to occur in my adult life. Exciting and we get an extra bank holiday too. Plus today was my final day of work until mid May! Fabulous!
