The Royal Wedding (photos & videos)

In case you've been living under a rock for the last six months, Prince William married Kate Middleton on April 29, 2011. We were there! It took a lot of persuading on Brittany's part to convince me that it would be worth it to camp out for a good view of the procession. She was right. I was wrong. Yes, it was miserable before and after, but it was pretty cool to experience it. Plus, Brittany got an amazing photo of William and Kate in their horse-drawn carriage, basically waving right at us. If you want to see all the lead up, watch the first video in the playlist below. If you want to cut right to the Royal Family, skip to Part 2.

After our fun trip to Spain and Portugal, we arrived back at our flat a little after midnight on the eve of the wedding. After throwing down our bags and regrouping, we took the bus over to Green Park and searched for a good spot to set up headquarters for 12 hours. We found a place on The Mall, just a few hundred yards in front of Buckingham Palace. There were fences set up all along the route to help manage security, with guards and police everywhere. Tents, camping chairs, and sleeping bags were crowded into every square inch surrounding the fences. We found a spot in the second row and set up shop.

Gearing up for the wedding

It was much colder than we had expected. The ground was rock hard, and it never really got quiet enough to fall asleep--even if we miraculously found a way to get comfortable. Big Ben and the other bells in Westminster kept chiming every 15 minutes (Brittany was right again), and several groups kept stumbling through, singing "God Save the Queen" like they were shouting a rubgy chant at a pub. I just kept thinking about all of our camping equipment resting snugly in our storage unit back home, wishing it could make the grueling, sleepless wait a little more tolerable.

Camping out

So many thoughts running through my head. Not one of them is, "This is fun!"

The Mall, leading up to Buckingham Palace

As the sun started to come up, campers started to emerge from their places of hibernation. We made friends with the group in the front row so that we could keep good positioning when it was time to break out the cameras. There was a group of young Brits (about 18 years old) to provide some entertaining conversation. Eventually, marching bands started to parade through the mall, and the crowd roared as anyone strolled by--whether they were wedding guests or police officers.

This wedding had a live band. A few of them, actually!

Kind of a weird pic of us, but most of our pictures were of the procession.

Finally, the Prince and the Royal Family, followed by the bride and her family started to roll through. We were probably only about 30 feet away, so it was admittedly pretty humbling. It was tough to get a great view of them on the way in, because there was a bit of a glare on gleaming Rolls Royce windows. We didn't get to see the video of the service until after we got back, but they did play the live audio for the crowds to follow along. Lots of people joined in on the hymns and a few recited some of the passages. They had programs on sale, so we picked one up for a few quid.

Two Princes--William (groom) and Harry (best man)
Not to be confused with Two Princes

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh

Princess Kate and her father, Michael Middleton

Guards kept watch exactly seven paces apart on both sides of the road.

After the service, the fanfare was sounded. Everyone cheered. After rounds and rounds of guards trotting through on their noble steeds, finally the bride and groom. Brittany got an AMAZING shot of them. Brittany's a great photographer, but we were both a little shocked at how perfect it turned out under the circumstances. With the commotion of the crowd, and carriage going through a little quicker than I would have expected, we couldn't have asked for a better result. I will say, too, that both the bride and groom looked great. Despite William's thinning hair, they really looked like they stepped out of a fairytale. Royalty just seemed to come naturally and gracefully to Princess Kate. They were just beaming, and you could tell that they were sincerely happy together.

Unfortunately, one of these horses broke loose closer to Westminster Abbey. Oops!

The Money Shot

Prince Harry rolling with his crew

Pippa Middleton (Kate's sister and the maid of honor)

Queen Elizabeth & Prince Phillip

The parents: Michael & Carole Middleton with Charles, Prince of Wales and his wife, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall

Once Queen Elizabeth followed with Prince Phillip, the chaotic exodus began. This is where the story gets ugly. It was impossible to get anywhere. The crowds were so dense and confusing, you couldn't really decide where you wanted to go. You just had to accept what was given to you (and that wasn't much). We did try a couple alternate routes that, at first, showed promise. We soon came to realize, though, that we were just getting further and further entrenched in the endless mobs of people. I was carrying Brittany's backpack and our "survival kit" (blanket, travel pillows, snacks, etc.) so that she would have a little less stress to deal with. Fatal mistake.

Somehow we got separated by the crowds, and by the time I realized she wasn't behind me, it was too late. We tried calling each other, but Vodafone was overloaded, and we couldn't get through. Eventually, I got dumped out of the crowd by Victoria Station and there was a narrow window to hop onto the Underground train home. I sent her a text instructing her to head there so she could just meet me back at our flat. Once I walked through the door and crashed down in my chair, Brittany was finally able to get a call through to me. My heart dropped.

A little while before, Brittany almost had an asthma attack trying to fight her way through the hot, sweaty crowds. (It went from cold to hot very quickly.) A police officer noticed that she wasn't doing well, and pulled her out of the crowd so she could sit down and collect herself. Once the crowd was starting to thin a bit, she recommenced her expedition to the tube, only to discover that the Victoria Station was now closed. After waiting for a while, the doors were reopened, and she reached into her pockets to get her Oyster Card so she could get into the train platform. That's when she realized where she had put it her card to keep it safe--in her backpack. The same backpack where she had put her wallet with all of her money and credit cards. The same backpack I had offered to carry to "lighten her load." She now had no way home, had no money, and still wasn't able to make a phone call.

Now Brittany DID have an asthma attack. She did not have her inhaler with her. Dozens of people walked by with puzzled looks on their faces, but it took what seemed like an eternity for someone to stop and offer help. They didn't really know what was happening, but finally they got someone's attention that recognized her symptoms and offered a quick puff from her own inhaler. She was now able to breathe, but she still didn't know what to do. After a few minutes, Vodafone came through and my phone rang.

I had trouble hearing her, because she was still pretty panicked. I, of course, felt like an idiot for not realizing until then that I had stranded her there without any means to pay for her way back. To add insult to injury, her phone battery then died before we had a chance to coordinate a pickup. I didn't know what to do. Without any way to communicate, I was left to my nervous remorse. Thankfully, she was able to explain her plight to the Underground officers, and they had compassion on her. They let her hop on the train for free. (Thanks guys!)

Ugh. It was finally over. What a roller coaster ride! I don't know how we stayed awake that long (about 36 hours) or stayed on our feet that long. But it was SUCH a relief to get home, take a shower, and CRASH in bed. We actually had a bus tour the next day, so we slept for 14 hours straight to recover. It was an incredible, once-in-a-lifetime experience, but I'm just glad it's now in the books! Here's to a wonderful life together for William and Kate. Congratulations, and thanks for "inviting" us!