Royal Wedding: More than 100 000 people expected to turn up

If you thought you had trouble with gatecrashers at your wedding, just be glad you’re not a royal.

UK police said on Thursday that more than 100 000 people were expected in the Windsor region, west of London for the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on 19 May.

 

“The policing operation will be amongst the largest in Thames Valley Police’s history,” the force said in a statement.

“This national celebration is expected to attract in excess of 100,000 people from around the world to Windsor,” it said.

Thames Valley Police also announced a raft of security measures already in place, including road barriers and number-plate-recognition technology ahead of the big day.

Local businesses and visitors “can expect to see an increased police presence” ahead of the wedding including armed police, search dogs and helicopters, the police said.

“On the day, visitors may be stopped and checked,” it said, adding that police would also be patrolling stations and train carriages into Windsor.

“Once you arrive in Windsor there will be a screening and search regime. Any items that may pose a risk to the public will be removed,” the statement said.

Where will the royal wedding take place?

Prince Harry and Markle are to marry at St George’s Chapel, within the grounds of Queen Elizabeth II’s Windsor Castle residence.

The 600 invitees will attend the service in the castle’s St George’s Chapel, followed by the lunchtime reception hosted by Harry’s grandmother Queen Elizabeth II at St George’s Hall.

Later, around 200 guests are being invited to a private reception at Frogmore House given by Harry’s father Prince Charles, the heir to the throne.

The venue for the evening party, in the park outside Windsor Castle, is where Harry and Markle posed for their official engagement photos.

The details in the wedding invites

There is a lot of hype in the lead up to the wedding with everything from who is going to design the dress to who is going to walk Markle down the aisle being speculated about.

The invitations, issued in Charles’s name, were on thick white card gilded along the edge, which were die-stamped in gold and then burnished.

Invites for the do were sent out last week and some beady-eyed observes have pointed out that the invitation might give some indication that Markle has been married before. Not that it matters to us normal folk, but it’s a pretty big step forward for the royal family.

The invites indicated that the dress code is uniform, morning coat or lounge suit, or day dress with a hat.

If you’re going to try catch a glimpse of the royal couple, also watch out for all the merchandise that has already started going on sale.

With additional reporting from AFP.