Royal Wedding: Overjoyed Spectators Satisfied With a Glimpse
LONDON, April 29, 2011— -- Royal wedding gawkers -- generally pleased with any glimpse they could get -- made the most of their positions along London streets today while Prince William and Kate Middleton exchanged vows at Westminster Abbey and later greeted well-wishers from a Buckingham Palace balcony.
"We saw them drive pass," Briton Duncan Stewart said, before recalling that he sat on his father's shoulders as a boy to catch a peek at Charles and Diana's wedding processional 30 years ago.
"Wish people would always get on like this."
About 1 million people gathered along the wedding processional route, with about 500,000 at the balcony appearance, authorities said.
Watch a special two-hour "20/20" tonight at 9 ET as Barbara Walters takes a look back at the wedding watched by the world.
Hannah Hewetson of Hackney in London, said her group "cycled down in our tiaras for the kiss [at Buckingham Palace]. Everyone was foreign; almost feel like a celebrity being from here."
Indeed, Lila Muhammad of Afghanistan made it to Buckingham Palace "but there were so many people we couldn't see them [the newlyweds]," she said.
Charles Mary, 32, a Christian monk from London, fared a little better with the help of technology. "I saw it on the screens up in Hyde park," he said. "It was fantastic. ... I missed the second kiss though."
Christine Goodes of Essex, U.K., wore a hat made 30 years ago for Charles and Diana's wedding, where, she said, there were fewer revelers in her line of sight than this time around.
Viviani Guergni of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 36, said it was a "wonderful day, managed to see absolutely everything. Saw them in the carriage; beautiful, beautiful. Kate was stunning."
A girl from London, part of group whose cheeks were painted with images of William and Middleton, said, "We could feel Diana's spirit."
Others came from places as diverse as Sweden, Ireland and the Philippines, all hoping to lay eyes on Middleton's wedding dress, which was designed by Sarah Burton of Alexander McQueen.
"Kate, Kate, Kate," a group of women from Malaga, Spain, chanted.
A Lebanese tourist said his group "couldn't really see Will and Kate" through the throng of horses.
A woman from Nuremberg, Germany, said she booked her flight three months ago: "There are so many people here and so many are international," she said. "It's so great. It's the greatest event that the world has seen."
A San Francisco man wearing a plastic crown said, "This is 'smashing,' as the English would say."
"It's such a beautiful moment," a visitor from Venezuela said. "It's a moment of love so peaceful and cheerful for them and it's a pleasure to be here."
A few spectators had other things in mind, hoping to catch a glimpse of eligible younger brother Prince Harry. "He's hot," one woman said.
Americans, Germans, Italians and a couple from Venezuela -- both wearing crowns -- were among those gathered outside Westminster Abbey this morning in anticipation of the moment that has drawn flocks of people from all over the world to the streets of London: the royal wedding.
The atmosphere across the capital was festive. Onlookers were waving union jacks, many dressing as brides and kings.
One woman carried a sign saying: "Should Have Been Me!!"
The first of the 1,900 guests arrived at 3:15 a.m. ET, but there were already thousands of eager royal wedding watchers lining the streets three hours before the ceremony was to begin.
People have come from far and wide, one lady even painted her face blue, saying she had come as the engagement ring.
At Hyde Park corner, a crowd of 180,000 is expected to gather around the large screens to watch Kate Middleton and Prince William tie the knot.
Thousands of people camped out overnight on the procession route; and there is also the specially constructed Camp Royale in Clapham Common.
More than 1,500 soldiers, sailors and air crew will be on duty to line the couple's procession route between Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace, just under a mile away.
Also, an additional 5,000 uniformed and undercover police have been called in to be on alert for threats from Irish dissidents, Muslim extremists, anti-monarchists, royal obsessives and anyone who might be drunken or disorderly.
