Love is in the air
Royal fan faces 32-hour trek to UK for glimpse of wedding spectacle
Kiwi’s whirlwind round-the-world trip to Windsor
AKiwi royal fanatic will spend as much time travelling as she will on the ground in the UK for a whirlwind trip for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding.
Elaine Sutherland will take almost 32 hours to get to London, with three stopovers, and pay more than $1000 to spend four days in the UK.
All going well, she plans to be one of the thousands expected to line the route the newlyweds will take through the town of Windsor tonight, New Zealand time.
The couple will be married in front of 600 guests inside St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.
The streets around the castle grounds were packed with crowds as the Prince and his bride arrived yesterday (Thursday UK time) for a rehearsal of the big event.
Markle smiled despite a tumultuous week in which she announced her father will not walk her down the aisle. He had suffered a heart attack and was this week undergoing surgery. It also emerged earlier in the week he had staged photos with paparazzi.
Last night Kensington Palace announced Prince Charles would walk Markle down the aisle tonight. “Meghan Markle has asked His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales to accompany her down the aisle of the Quire of St George's Chapel on her wedding day,” the palace said in a statement.
“The Prince of Wales is pleased to be able to welcome Ms Markle to the royal family in this way.”
Sutherland, a cosmetics manager in her 50s is originally from Waima, in the Hokianga area of Northland.
She now lives in Cairns, Australia, and is married with grown children, but has left them behind for her solo journey.
She was due to fly via Melbourne, Singapore and Dubai to arrive in London Friday night UK time — about 12 hours before the wedding.
Sutherland will have travelled a total of 19,688km, spent almost 26 hours in the air, and nearly six hours on the ground in three different airports, before arriving in London.
“My family and friends think I am bonkers,” she told the Weekend Herald.
She was staying in a hotel in the London suburb of Paddington and planned to get to Windsor just before 9am Saturday UK time, with two hours before the ceremony.
While she knew it might be late to grab a premium spot she was happy to just be part of the atmosphere.
“It’s all about the vibe and the experience of, fingers crossed, catching a glimpse of the couple on the big screens,” Sutherland said.
“I can say for years to come that I was there, and it was delightful and amazing.”
Sutherland recalls watching the royal family as a child and had a soft spot for Prince Charles.
“I would have to say Prince Charles is my favourite.”
She said it was a privilege to witness a part of history and see members of the royal family up close.
“I very much love the history of the royal family and have had my eyes glued on to everything and everyone [royal]. I’m very fascinated by the establishment and of course our Queen.”
Not all Kiwis were travelling so far. Emma Pedersen, 27, a primary school teacher living in London, will be in Windsor with a group of friends armed with a bottle of prosecco and a picnic lunch.
She was not a big royal fan, but Pedersen wanted to experience what would be a historic moment.
“It’s about feeling the buzz and the atmosphere and that fact that in years to come we can say we were there.”
However, one Kiwi expat couldn’t be happier that he will be elsewhere during the big day.
Clint Heine, manager of the Kiwi in London page, said he had been to Windsor on a “quiet day” and that was busy enough for him.
Saturday, he said, would be “carnage”.
“It’s a good day for Harry, he is the most popular royal by far. I wish him well.”
Instead Heine would be at the Grasshoppers Rugby Football Club in Middlesex celebrating the London Big Day Out for Kiwis, Australians and anyone else wanting to celebrate the antipodean culture.
“The day itself is not going to be based around the royal wedding, but we have a specific space to watch it.”
He said there was going to be a British-themed bar, with traditional British liqueur Pimm’s, the royal wedding on a big screen, British flags and other wedding memorabilia.
Overnight, Markle was hoping to put a horrendous week of family drama behind her as she took her mother to meet the Queen.
After a series of setbacks including her half-brother calling the wedding a mistake, the final preparations are in full swing.
Markle’s mother, Doria Ragland, who has been staying at Kensington Palace, was due to meet the Queen to complete a whirlwind introduction to the royal family after flying in from Los Angeles on Wednesday. Royal fans are already camping out outside the castle to ensure a good view, using sleeping bags and even folding chairs after police banned tents.
Yesterday they witnessed a full rehearsal with a carriage and members of the armed forces on parade.