The Royal Wedding - a preparation for enjoying the pageantry.

By Blue Badge Tour Guide - Anne Bartlett


The west end of Westminster Abbey

 I had a very enjoyable visit to London just before the Royal Wedding.  Friends and I went to explore Westminster Abbey and other places that would be seen on the television on the morning of the 29th April.
Once inside the Abbey, we broke away from the congested north transept and made our way to the west door (normally the exit) and started our audio tour of the Abbey from the back of the nave.  This would be the view that the TV cameras would have of the bridal procession as they made their way towards the high altar.  So, in effect we worked backwards through the official tour of the Abbey and in so doing found it to be a more logical route.


The Royal Mews

The nave was almost empty because the visitors were so engrossed in finding out about the magnificent chapels behind the high altar. I suspect they were confused by the detail, they had forgotten the geography of a church, so by the time they came through the cloisters into the nave, they were ready for the exit.

After spending hours enjoying the architecture and the treasures of the Abbey, we went on to the Royal Mews to see the carriages and the cars that are used for state occasions such as state visits, royal weddings, state openings of parliament and official engagements.



A state landau

I was allowed to take photographs so can show you the carriages that were used in the procession: This one on the left is one of 7 state landaus in the Royal mews, and there are a further 5 semi-state ones in the collection.  The one that Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, travelled back from Westminster Abbey after their wedding was a 1902 landau, the newest one in the mews and was especially built for Edward VII's coronation, however not used. For Prince William's wedding it was pulled by 4 Windsor Grey horses with a Captains escort of 12 troopers of the Lifeguard and 12 troopers of the Blues and Royals.


The Scottish State Coach

This is the Scottish State Coach that the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh used, to travel back from the Abbey.  It was drawn by four Windsor Grey horses.  The coach was specially commissioned by the Duke of Cambridge in 1830 and first used for King William IV's coronation.  It is a light bright coach with large glass windows and a transparent roof so the crowds have a good view of the occupants. It has a Scottish crown on top with a gilded frieze of thistles round the edge of the roof. For the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh there was a sovereign's escort of the Household Cavalry.  The 1st and 2nd divisions were provided by the Lifeguards consisting of twenty five men. The 3rd and 4th divisions, again consisting of twenty five men followed, provided by the Blues and Royals.

The Australian State Coach

This is the Australian state coach, the coach that Prince Charles, the Duchess of Cornwall and Mr and Mrs Middleton used to travel to Buckingham Palace from the Abbey.  It was drawn by two Cleveland Bay horses.  This coach was presented to the Queen in 1988 when she was in Canberra for Australia's bicentennial celebrations.  On the door is the coat of arms of Australia; a shield representing the six states - New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, and Tasmania. Above, is a seven point star over a blue and gold wreath.  The shield is supported by a red kangaroo and an emu and they are surrounded by a wreath of wattle the official Australian national floral emblem.

Gloucestershire's Royal Connections - King Edward VII

by:  Blue Badge Tour Guide - Anne Bartlett

This is a statue of King Edward VII in Montpellier in Cheltenham.  He reigned from 1901 -1910 and is the great, great, great, grandfather of Prince William, who was brought up at Highgrove House, Prince Charles' country house near Tetbury in Gloucestershire. 

When Albert, Edward (known affectionately as Bertie by his family) was Prince of Wales, his wait to become King was a long one.  Towards the end of his life, he famously said, "Everyone has an eternal Father but I'm blest with an eternal Mother."   Queen Victoria died on 22nd January 1901 after 40 years of mourning for her beloved husband Albert.  Bertie chose to be called King Edward rather than Albert, because he said he didn't want to "undervalue the name of Albert" and "diminish the status of his father with whom, among royalty, the name Albert should stand alone."

Here King Edward VII is informally dressed and holding the hand of a ragged child. - The huge disparity between rich and poor at that time, was one of the social evils of the period. 

King Edward was related to the Royal families across Europe and was uncle to Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany.  He could see that his nephew might well push Europe into war.  King Edward was a diplomat and used his family contacts to maintain peace.  Through state visits to France he helped pave the way for the signing of the Anglo-French entente Cordiale of 1904.

Sadly in 1914, four years after King Edward's death, war with Germany was declared and so ended the Edwardian era in Britain.

and there's more....

If you would like a guided tour of the Cotswolds contact:   anne@tourandexplore.com

Gloucestershire's Royal Connections: Gloucester Cathedral and Westminster Abbey

By:  Blue Badge Tour Guide - Anne Bartlett

Gloucester Cathedral

Gloucester Cathedral is very proud to have the reputation of having held the one and only coronation for a king of England outside London since William the Conqueror was crowned in Westminster Abbey, the traditional place for all coronations.



The Coronation of Henry III

 When the very unpopular King John died in 1216, London was under the control of Prince Louis of France who was trying to invade England.  In order to thwart the ambitions of the French prince, King John's heir, his nine year old son Prince Henry was hurried to Gloucester to be crowned, and the famous event is commemorated by a stained glass window in the south aisle of the nave.

The young King Henry III had a passionate interest in religion and his great hero was Edward the Confessor, a King of England from 1003 -1066,  who had had been canonized in 1161 by Pope Alexander III. King Henry decided that this rare English saint, whose tomb near the high altar in Westminster Abbey attracted huge numbers of pilgrims, should have an even more sumptious tomb in a magnificent chapel.  Over the course of 24 years from (1245 - 1269) Henry transformed the east end of the Abbey into a church which rivalled the magnificent Gothic cathedrals of France and a fitting place for future coronations.



Westminster Abbey - London

 The large area between the high altar and the beginning of the quire will provide the stage where the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton will take place on Friday 29th April.  Millions of people across the world will be tuned in to watch this royal event. So, as the television cameras record the great day, do admire the magnificent Gothic architecture and the rich decorations and remember that these are a monument to a young prince who became king in Gloucester.

and there's more...


To book a guided coach tour of the Cotswolds contact:
Anne Bartlett - Blue Badge Tour Guide