Otter Abroad: A Royal Affair Part II

It was a magical morning at Westminster Abbey, love was in the air and so were countless Union Jacks waving in the wind. Over one million people lined the streets of central London on April 29, 2011 to watch one common girl marry her prince.

After countless hours of waiting, the events of the day started to unfold. Hundreds of the British elite slowly made their way into Westminster Abbey for the romantic occasion. In tradition, all of the women wore a type of hat or headpiece while the men strutted in tuxes. Even though we were in the front row, we still had to squint to make out the famous Brits. It was quite easy, however, to know when someone extremely famous had arrived because the crowd would go nuts. The first time this happened we listened for a second to hear who we would be cheering for and when we heard the names we went crazy. As we peered towards the long line of celebs we saw David and Victoria Beckham walking casually up the queue. Though most of the cheering heard, “David Beckham!!!” The girls and I looked at each other in disbelief then, turned back and screamed, “Posh Spice!!!” It was unreal, a child of the 90s dream come true. A little later, after seeing numerous other celebrities (including Mr. Bean, Joss Stone and London mayor, Boris Johnson) the crowd went wild once again. This time it was not hard to identify the person; it was Elton John and his partner!

Finally, as the wedding bells began to ring, the police (along with their machine guns) took their places, and it was time for the procession to start! First to arrive was the groom himself. Prince William and brother, Prince Harry, drove by on their way to the front entrance of the Abbey. That was a moment I will never forget. The look on Prince Williams face was precious; it was full of excitement, joy and of course, love. You could literally feel his love for Kate Middleton through the beaming smile he flashed to his fans.

Next in the procession was his grandmother, the Queen, who was just the cutest old lady. And last, but certainly not least, the moment we had all been waiting for. Kate Middleton, with her father by her side, drove by in a black limo looking more stunning than ever. The crowd roared for the beautiful commoner and she elegantly waved back to us.

Speakers lined the streets of London so, even if you were not in the church, you could be a part of the magical moment. The girls and I could not believe we were standing outside of Westminster Abbey, listening to Prince William and Kate Middleton say their vows and their “I Will’s”’ And of course, like any other wedding, half the crowd was tearing up, including me. It was the most surreal moment I have ever experienced.

After a long ceremony the new Duke and Duchess of Cambridge climbed into their carriage and proceeded to take the same route back to Buckingham Palace, this time as a married couple. It was like a scene out of a movie; hundreds of guards on horses accompanied the queen and the rest of the royal family, who sat in fairytale-like carriages, back to the palace. Once the last guard passed we all looked at each other in amazement of what we had just experienced. Nothing will ever compare to those 24 hours. Camping out in the freezing cold, befriending locals, and watching history unfold right in front of our eyes… it was truly one of the most memorable days of my 20 years of life.