The Royals Two Days Before the Wedding

Journalists Have Been Staked Out All Day to Get the Photos I Did

All day long, I've been at the right place at the right time. I've spoke to journalists including Today host Natalie Morales and Vivien Sheriff, hat designer to some of Miss Kate Middleton's hats... who knew when Kori posted Kate's hats earlier this week I would get to see, snap, and speak to the designer!!! (I will post later along with the clip of the Today show, and point out where I was a speck in the crowd.)

But this afternoon, I beat the thousands of journalists who have paid top dollar for their stations to stake out all day for a glimpse of the Royals and their preparations. Each news medium here has a number of photographers at all entry points of every location.  As a journalism graduate, it is really pretty damn exciting just in itself to be a part of this.

I lingered for about 20 minutes before feeling that I should move on, and fortunately for me I got a few shots of ... unconfirmed officials returning to Buckingham Palace just before 5:00p.m., with no other journalists around.

Notice the driver closest to us behind the wheel, but who is this passenger?

 Tell me that does not look like the man of the moment?

Also in the front car... VERY blurry, but...

 The teeth and eyebrow bone look very much like Prince Charles in the back seat. Or maybe Harry?

I think it looks more like Prince Charles? What do you think?

I was about 75 yards from the private entrance to Buckingham Palace and saw them turn in with police motorcycles before and after, so I'm not yanking your chain.

And just a few minutes before, a trio of silver vans leaving Buckingham Palace...

 

Zoomed in to the front... doesn't look like Kate to me.

But whoever it is has some nice jewels on. It was rumored (well confirmed actually by a journalist photo) that Kate pulled her hair back today, uncommon for her to do as she was driving herself and sister to Buckingham Palace earlier today. Speculations are she may be trying out an up do for the big day.

Also, the Queen was in Cambridge today but returned this afternoon. Wonder if this was her returning late afternoon.

& after I waited for 20 minutes with other London newspaper journalists (they had witnessed a Range Rover entering Clarence House). I decided to carry on, fortunately for me I caught all my photos. At the next entrance, just a few moments later, where hardly any journalists were, I walked by and caught this Mercedes leaving the Palace. It drove right past me, the windows were completely blacked out. (This was a no access area for cars or media, so it was someone important.) The other journalists ran over to snap photos as as quick as they could, one getting very close to the door as you can see. 

ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN or any other world media corporations if you're looking to hire... I'm your girl!

The key is even though I'm a meager tourist with my humble blog (and Heidi braids today), I always have my camera ready... and go with my gut. Funny thing is I was content with my photos of the vans and Mercedes, had my camera put away to enjoy the same walk I took yesterday from along the gates of Buckingham Palace with St. James Park at my right because I found it so peaceful the day before. But I took my camera out to search for something I saw yesterday - two single red tulips that stood out in a jumble of weeds next to the gates, I thought them to be symbolic of William and Kate for the wedding. I remembered them from yesterday, so pulled out my camera to try to find them again in the afternoon lighting, couldn't find them, and instead turned to my right and saw the entourage.

The Tulip Girl scores again... I'm really beginning to see the big picture of how small events in life unfold into a grander scheme.