By: Ian Jones
Just how impressive a venue have Prince William and Kate Middleton chosen for their wedding? MSN went along to investigate.
It is one of the most recognisable buildings in the country.
It sits at one of the busiest sites in London, close to the River Thames, across the road from the Houses of Parliament and a short distance from Downing Street. And it has played host to some of the biggest formal occasions in the history of the United Kingdom.
While the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton may not quite match a coronation or royal burial in terms of sheer magnitude and regal splendour, it is still an event in which a great many have taken an interest and towards which an enormous amount of affection will be directed.
Almost all the eyes of the world will be watching Westminster Abbey on 29 April as the next-but-one-in-line-to-the-throne weds his future Queen.
But what is the Abbey like inside? What kind of backdrop might it provide for the wedding?
And how do some of those who visit, walk by and in some cases live next to the Abbey feel about the forthcoming nuptials?
Fables and legends
There has been a place of worship on the site of Westminster Abbey since the 11th century. The first recorded coronation in the Abbey took place in 1066, when William the Conqueror was crowned. Since then the building has become the traditional venue for both coronations and burials of English, later British and later still monarchs of the Commonwealth.
The names of those to whom tribute is paid within the walls of the Abbey number among the most famous to have ever lived. Kings, queens, explorers, inventors, writers, musicians, scientists, philosophers, commanders, soldiers, actors, dancers, politicians, trade unionists... all are commemorated within the building's imperious walls and stone floors.
As a place where some of history's greatest figures are remembered, it seems appropriate that Westminster Abbey has itself become a crucible for some of history's greatest national events.
When Prince William marries Kate Middleton in the Abbey on 29 April, the pair's presence among such a rich mix of fable and legend will no doubt compound an occasion that is already being talked about as "the wedding of the decade".
"We all love the royal family"
Westminster Abbey is one of London's most popular tourist attractions. The place throngs with visitors and tourists from the moment it opens its doors. There is a continuous babble of sound inside the building, as the stern voices of tour guides mix with the excited chatter of people who have travelled to the Abbey from all over the world.
Parties of school children scurry between the most startling ornaments while groups of older visitors carve a more sedate path among the building's many curios and memorials.
Outside the Abbey a vast crowd of sightseers jostle to take photographs and soak in the scene.
Those who have travelled from beyond these shores are keen, almost with exception, to emphasise their fondness for the house of Windsor.
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"We all love the royal family," a group of teenagers from Italy chorus. "We love Prince William. We love the royal wedding."
"It's a great place to get married," declares a couple from the United States.
"Is this where the Queen goes to church?" wonders a small child.
"I love a wedding - and you sure can't get much better than a royal one," says a woman from Ireland.
Regardless of the various shades of opinion in the UK, the nuptials of William and Kate seem to be guaranteed a reception from the rest of the world that is near-universal in its enthusiasm.
"They'll probably put a giant barrier in front of us"
Opposite Westminster Abbey is Parliament Square, a patch of grass that is home to statues of Winston Churchill and Nelson Mandela, and also to half a dozen tents and makeshift homes belonging to a variety of demonstrators.
Many of them have been there for months. Some have been there for years. But this small protest camp has become the subject of a big legal battle.
Its occupants have resisted numerous attempts at eviction. They have used their wits and tenacity to find a way to maintain a presence in such a potent location, next to both the Abbey and the Houses of Parliament, despite threats of physical action.
But with the royal wedding looming, some of the demonstrators wonder whether the authorities will try to banish them from Parliament Square for good.
"It's not the police who want us out of here for the wedding, it's the media," says one. "They need this place for all their cameras."
"They'll probably put a giant barrier in front of us," he adds.
"They say we're going to try and hijack the wedding, or that we want to somehow confront Prince William," says another. "But if I wanted to speak to the prince, I'd pop into my local in north Wales, which happens to be in the same place as where he is based [working for the RAF], and have a word with him there!"
The protesters, with their colourful stalls and banners advocating peace, love and the return of all British troops from Afghanistan, seem in part bemused, in part unsettled by the attention likely to be directed towards them as the royal wedding nears.
Yet they are not ignoring the big day. Among the painted slogans is one declaring WILLIAM [HEART] KATE.