We got out to the train station, and based on the amount of people taking the train and on the underground, I actually thought that we were arriving at a good time. It appeared to me that the throngs that were expected were going to come later based on who was coming with us as that point. As soon as we got up from the Underground near St James Park, we knew there was something special on. Police were directing the crowds, Union Jacks were hanging all the way down the streets, and there were huge screens set up in the park for everyone to watch on. Sarah and I made our way down to the Mall to the spot that I had scoped out earlier and decided was the place to watch from.
Well, it turns out that the throngs of people had turned up before us - that's we we didn't really see them on the trains and tube. We got to our spot, just down the street from Clarence House, and we were instantly 8 or 10 people deep in the crowd. Not too bad, really, but I had hoped to be only 4 or 5 back. Oh well! We met a nice couple who had made their way down from Manchester, and they outfitted us with some Union Jacks to wave, and made some pleasant conversation, which helped to pass the two hour wait before anything started happening. People watching was interesting during the wait too; there were some people who had obviously camped out the night before and looked worse for wear (I don't imagine they slept too well on the sidewalk), some dressed in top hats and tails, and others with faces painted or bridal gowns on! Were were positioned there ended up being a military marching band positioned across the street from us. It was quite interesting as they helped the crowd pass the time by playing songs such as "Coco Cabana," the theme from Star Wars, and a song from the musical Chicago! Interesting choices for a military band!
Right on time according to the programme of the days events, we saw members of the foreign royal families pass by us on their way to the Abbey, followed by Harry and William. Then it was the Middleton family, "minor members" of the Royal Family, more members of the Royal family including Prince Charles and Camilla, and the Queen and Prince Phillip. Finally we saw Kate on her way with her dad, and she looked splendid! Smiling and very princess-y! After she had passed us by, we had no visual cues until the wedding was over, so we listened to it all over speakers, and then waited for the happy new couple to come back to Buckingham Palace. People cheered quite loudly when we heard them say their vows and "I do's," and everybody went nuts when they finally passed us by. It was great that the weather was sunny because their carriage was open-topped as a result, and we had a good view of them on their way "home."
After saw everyone make their way back up the Mall with Captains Escort and Sovereign's Escort (quite the pomp and circumstance you would expect for an event like this!), we made our way back to the train station. Or rather, I should say, tried to make our way.
The crowds had multiplied at least tenfold from when we first arrived. Most were now making their way up the Mall to the Queen Victoria monument to wait for the balcony kiss and RAF flyover, but those not doing that (including us) were virtually blocked into St James Park as 600 invited guests of the Queen made their way back to Buckingham Palace for a reception, and police had closed nearly every exit from the park. We walked for about 30 minutes before finding a route out, only to find that were again blocked from crossing to where we needed to go by another police barricade! I guess it was good that there were so many police on hand, but we walked halfway across downtown and in the complete opposite direction of home and the wedding festivities to get out of there. I heard one person on his mobile phone say that he had never seen the parks that busy and described them as a madhouse.
But despite the difficulties getting out of the area, it was a very special day. A once-in-a-lifetime event that I'm glad we were able to witness. It was very special, and having an English slant to our news coverage didn't hurt either! I congratulate you if you got up at 2am (or 5am for our Toronto family - go Lauren!) to watch it live. I've put up some pictures that we snapped in the photo section. Cheers to the new Duke & Duchess of Cambridge!