My First (and probably only) Royal Wedding Experience

Before I knew our group would be in London during the Royal Wedding, I was continuously asked if I would be attending it while on my summer abroad here. Little did I know I would get the chance of a lifetime and witness such a beautiful moment in history (like how many of us can tell our future children we saw a royal wedding?!). Anyways, it wasn't exactly planned for our whole group to go, but once I arrived in London, I knew I couldn't miss being apart of the crowd for Meghan and Harry.

Early Saturday morning, my roommates, some other group members and, I ventured off to the tube station prepared for the big day. I think we all thought it would be much easier to actually get to Windsor than it turned out to be. This was only our third day in London, and our tube/train experience was minimal. However, this travel experience definitely taught me a lot about train navigation and planning.

Thinking that all lines would be open for the wedding day was very naive! Once we arrived at the South Kensington tube station, all of us were surprised to see the various line closures. Eventually, (after one wrong tube) we managed to figure out how to get around the closures and make our way to Paddington Station. Once at Paddington Station, we bought our tickets to Slough and had to SPRINT to make it onto the next train. The train from Paddington to Slough (once we were on) was lovely and relaxed. It was so fun to see all the different types of people coming from near and far to witness this event. After arriving at Slough, we got in a "Disneyland" type of line to wait for our next train to Windsor. In the line, volunteers were handing out royal wedding chocolates, selling British flags, and amping up our excitement for the wedding.

The train to Windsor was absolutely packed (I could barely move there was such a mass of people) but, it was 100% worth it. Once we had finally arrived in Windsor, we followed signs and crowds through the gorgeous town to where the procession route was supposed to be. There was little direction from security as to where to go to get a glimpse of the couple, so it was quite frustrating trying to get a close spot. Out of luck while we were searching for somewhere to wait and later watch Meghan and Harry go by, Meghan drove past us! She looked calm and stunning while en route to getting married. This made us even more determined to try and see the happy couple after the wedding, so we pushed forward through the crowds trying to make it through the security checkpoint located before the procession route.

With a little bit more perseverance and luck on our side, officials let all of us through security very last minute, and we were able to get a great spot on the procession route. All of our traveling and walking had paid off! Meghan and Harry drove us and to say it was magical is an understatement. Once they had passed, it took us all a while to stop shaking from adrenaline. It was such a fantastic thing to be a part of, and although we later got stuck in Windsor for a bit due to train closures, it was all worth it.

I think this wedding was essential to witness because it epitomizes how our world is dramatically changing for the better. The fact that an older, previously married, American woman of color was able to marry Prince Harry (although they will never become king and queen) exemplifies the acceptance of cultural differences happening around the globe today. I am proud I was able to see such a historical event and know this is just the beginning of change in our society and many others.