Up to a thousand servicemen and women from all three branches of the Armed Forces were involved in the full-scale walk through as they aim for perfection with two days to go before Friday's big event.
It began before dawn but excited crowds desperate to get a glimpse of the rehearsals gathered outside Buckingham Palace as the sun came up to watch the soldiers complete their parades.
The eyes of the world will be on Prince William and Kate Middleton when they begin their journeys to and from Westminster Abbey.
And it falls in no small part to the military to ensure the couple's occasion has all the pomp and grandeur it deserves.
The dry run took place as weather forecasters predicted scattered showers in some places on Friday, threatening to spoil the event for thousands of onlookers.
But that has not put off some royal fans who have already taken their places outside the Abbey. John Loughrey, 56, was the first - setting up camp on MONDAY night.
Nothing was left to chance as the rehearsal began at 2am today. Timings were tested to the second and all armed forces taking part got the chance to practise their role in their service uniforms.
Troops left Westminster's Wellington Barracks shortly before 5am to begin their way along the route.
First to arrive at the Abbey were two of the royal fleet cars ? Rolls-Royces which arrived at about 4.50am.
Shortly after 5am orders were heard being barked out as the troops emerged from the final stretch of the route running down from the Houses of Parliament to the Abbey.Several companies of the Royal Navy lined the end of the route while the Army lined Parliament Street.
Soldiers stood guard along the route to the Cenotaph, outside the entrance to Downing Street, and RAF personnel lined the road to Horse Guards Parade.An RAF officer walked up the line and barked instructions to his colleagues setting out exactly what would happen on Friday.
He called out: "On the day you'll have your heels on the white line (of the road markings)."When Wills and Kate leave Westminster Abbey as man and wife, two groups of 12 military personnel will line their route as they make their way to their horse-drawn coach.
It's a tradition performed at many military weddings.Dozens of soldiers on horseback from the Household Cavalry made their way to Westminster Abbey via a different route from the wedding cars this morning.
The cavalry led the cars and carriages back to Buckingham Palace - as will happen when the wedding is taking place - through the arch of Horse Guards Parade and along the Mall.They then performed a loop, parading down Buckingham Palace Road and along Victoria Street to return back to the Abbey.
1000 members of armed forces in pre-dawn dress rehearsal for big bash
As the horses walked through the parade ground at Horse Guards, clouds of dust kicked up covering the Welsh Guards, who were lining that part of the procession.
Guen Murray, 76, from Attleborough, Norfolk, had spent her first night in a tent across the road from the Abbey.
She was up at 5am to watch today's rehearsal.
She said: "That was very good, a real Brucie bonus.
"You don't get that at home, do you?
"It was nice to have a taster and it's made me look forward to Friday even more.
"It was great seeing the Navy presenting arms and doing all the shouting.
"And it was nice to see the Household Cavalry in khaki rather than red."
An historic flypast was also being rehearsed today.
Seven aircraft will take part in the formation that will fly over Buckingham Palace including a Spitfire, a Hurricane and a Lancaster.
They will make their way to London from RAF Coningsby, Lincs, where they will then assume Battle of Britain Memorial Flight formation.
Thirty seconds later two Tornado planes and two Typhoons will follow in the Windsor formation.
Antony Parkinson, flight lieutenant of the Spitfire, said: "We're a little bit nervous. "The real unknown is the weather so I think we will all wake up on Friday and be studying the weather in great detail, clearly it needs to be good to fly over London."
No comments:
Post a Comment