Zara Phillips wedding to England rugby player Mike Tyndall looks set to be a far more subtle affair than April's royal wedding, with police warning only 1,500 people will catch a glimpse of the couple. Miss Phillips will marry in Edinburgh on Saturday (30th July 2011) but authorities are keen to manage crowds given the narrow streets around Canongate Kirk Church.
According to the UK's Telegraph newspaper, police have insisted the ceremony is merely the marriage of "two sports personalities" rather than a royal wedding. No television cameras have been granted access inside the church and the order of service is unlikely to be published. In comparison, the wedding of the Kate Middleton and Prince William at London's Westminster Abbey was a global event, watched by an estimated 1 billion people worldwide and televised live. While Middleton was driven 1.5 miles from the Goring Hotel in Victoria to the famous Abbey, Phillips will travel 400 yards down the Royal Mile to Canongate Kirk giving spectators little chance to catch a glimpse of the bride. Superintendent Ivor Marshall said, "Obviously it is the Royal Mile, which is a very constricted space. There are no fully set up viewing areas, as this is a private event and not a state event. So I would get there early".
Zara and her husband-to-be will hold a drinks reception on-board the Royal yacht Britannia on Friday (29th July 2011) The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh are scheduled to travel down from Balmoral on Saturday.