Return to Transcripts main page
Connect the World
Royal Wedding
Aired April 28, 2011 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST: Rehearsals are over. Just one thing left to do. Have a royal wedding.
Invitation revoked. They Syrian ambassador is told he's not welcome because of this brutal crackdown at home.
Storms of the century, also, tonight. Deadly tornadoes rip across 12 US states destroying everything in their wake.
And a right royal reception. Crowds grow wild outside Kate Middleton's hotel as the princess-to-be arrives on the eve of her wedding.
These stories and more this hour as we CONNECT THE WORLD.
I'm Becky Anderson at Buckingham Palace in London, where it is just after 9:00 PM in the evening. And we are into the final stretch, 12 hours from now, guests will be arriving at Westminster Abbey for the wedding we've all been waiting for.
Millions, maybe billions of people will be watching tomorrow when Britain's Prince William and Kate Middleton tie the knot.
Before that, Kate is spending one last night as a single girl at the Goring Hotel in central London not far from here. My colleague Max Foster is there. What's the atmosphere like, Max?
MAX FOSTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm on Middleton watch here, Becky, and you can see the awning that they built there. A big, white tunnel where the car will come in tomorrow morning, pick up Catherine, and the whole idea is that we don't get to see the dress until she arrives at the abbey.
The whole family's in there. They're all getting ready for tomorrow. This morning, there was a rehearsal in the abbey. That was the last time Catherine went there ahead of the wedding tomorrow. More later.
ANDERSON: All right. And Max will join us later this hour.
A royal snub, though, today. On the eve of the royal wedding, Britain's foreign office announced today that Syria's ambassador is no longer welcome to the wedding because of this, the Syrian government's bloody crackdown on anti-regime protesters.
It's drawn heavy criticism from human rights groups, and Britain doesn't want any of that controversy tainting Friday's festivities.
Our Senior International Correspondent Nic Robertson joins me now. Of course, you've been in the region some three months on and off. And this - - this ambassador having his invitation effectively revoked, right or wrong?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Dr. Sami Khiyami, I think he saw this coming. I think he saw what was happening back home, that this was something that was going to happen. And the royal family and, indeed, the government really took the view that this couldn't go ahead.
So, I don't think it's come as any great surprise to him. But it's come at a very last minute.
ANDERSON: He will have accepted that invitation. Unlike the Bahraini prince, who decided that he wouldn't accept the invitation.
ROBERTSON: And the king of Swaziland, as well. Both of them are accused of brutally repressing public movements against the government, the king -- the crown prince of Bahrain, in particular. We've seen that play out on television, battle tanks, people killed in the streets, teargassing, the deconstruction or the pulling down of the Pearl Roundabout.
So, all this has been in the public domain, and it spills over, it's unavoidable. When people like that show up at a royal wedding like this, it is unavoidable that they would bring their home baggage with them.
ANDERSON: So, royal snub today for the Syrian ambassador. Stay with me, because I just want to get our viewers a sense of what is happening in Syria, today. Witnesses say authorities are pushing ahead with the crackdown, there, especially in Daraa, the heart of the protest movement.
Residents say hundreds of snipers have been positioned on building roofs while tanks shell the city. Troops break into houses and make arrests, we're told. Human Rights Watch says more than 300 demonstrators have died since mid-March.
Other groups have put the toll even higher, but the government says some of their security personnel have also been killed. And a reminder, CNN cannot verify the authenticity of video uploaded onto the internet. And that has been a real problem, of course, because we can't report from inside the country.
ROBERTSON: We can't get into the country. There is sort of some reason to speculate and believe that, perhaps, Bashar Assad would like to get a message to the outside world, but he's not letting people in to come and hear that message. Journalists from CNN, from all sorts of news organizations, are being blocked from getting in.
But we are seeing, and we have seen with the snub, now, to the ambassador to Syria, here, Dr. Sami Khiyami, we've seen this snub, now. He has been told he cannot come to the wedding.
ANDERSON: How significant is what is going on in Syria for Syrians and, indeed, for the rest of the region.
ROBERTSON: What we're seeing in Syria is very serious. Because Syria is a stabilizing or a non-stabilizing factor in the region. It has a huge influence over what happens in Lebanon. It's got historic enmity with Israel. It's got ties to Iran. It is a big, influential player in the region. Not to mention a buffer with Iraq, as well. So it's -- what happens there is very significant.
But let's take a look, for a moment, at what happened to the ambassador when he got turned down today.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTSON (voice-over): These latest images from Syria reveal why they've been snubbed by Britain's royals. Battle tanks, apparently on their way to quell civilian protest. The growing death toll in the Middle East nation is turning Syria into a pariah state, not fit for an invite to Kate and Will's wedding.
ROBERTSON (on camera): Only Wednesday this week, Syria's ambassador to London was summoned here, to the British foreign office, given a diplomatic dressing down, warned that his regime back home must end its brutal repression of the opposition.
But even at that late stage, the ambassador still had an invite to the royal wedding, just around the corner at Westminster Abbey.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): With barely 24 hours to go, as outrage over Syria's invite mounted, even past British prime ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown were left off the guest list. Ambassador Sami Khiyami was told, "don't come."
A statement by the British foreign office said, "In light of this week's attacks against civilians by the Syrian security forces, which we have condemned, the presence of the Syrian ambassador at the royal wedding would be unacceptable."
They Syrian ambassador also issued a statement of his own, calling it "most regretful" and wishing the royal couple a memorable wedding day and happiness for the future.
Why the decision came down to the wire is not clear. Why he was invited in the first place, explained away as a diplomatic nicety.
MICHAEL ELLIS, BRITISH MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT: Of course, a royal wedding is not the time to -- to posture about these types of things or to make political decisions. And so, rightly, the general decision is taken in events like this to invite the entire diplomatic corps and make exceptions for those for whom we have abnormal diplomatic relations.
ROBERTSON: Syria isn't the only country paying a royal price for repression. Libya's ambassador has not been invited. And following the heavily criticized harsh crackdown in Bahrain, the tiny country's crown prince has called to say he's decided not to accept his invite. So, too, the king of Swaziland, also criticized for a crackdown on his people. Not clear if they'd been pressured to stay away.
But with Iran and North Korea's representatives still on the guest list, what is clear, whether Prince William and Catherine Middleton want it or not, their big day is being dragged into the diplomatic spotlight.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTSON: And while everyone will be focusing here on the royal wedding, in Syria, there's a Day of Rage called for tomorrow. So, expect more protests and expect more crackdown, as we've seen, by the government.
And perhaps most significant thing there, today, in Daraa, where we've seen so many of the protests, 200 Baath Party members resigned from the party, the only party in the country, Bashar al-Assad's party. They resigned from it.
OK, they're low-level members, and perhaps it's not significant in the broad picture, but definitely in the picture of Daraa, the government is losing its control over that city, because it's losing the party members from that city.
We've also seen this state-appointed imam, preacher for that city, quit his post, too. So, what's happening here is the government's losing control over a key town, and the way it's responding is with this brutal crackdown, as we've seen.
ANDERSON: Fascinating. Nic Robertson, we thank you very much, indeed, for joining us tonight.
Well, the southern US is reeling after an epic outbreak of tornadoes. Ahead on this show, residents sift through a massive amount of destruction, and the death toll keeps rising.
And later this hour, royal wedding eve. Where is the future queen spending the night? We will take you there, live. This is CONNECT THE WORLD live from London. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: These pictures just into CNN, just moments ago. Here he is, the groom-to-be, out and about, can you believe it? On the streets of London. Not really the streets of London. This is The Mall, which is the road, of course, you'll know, that goes up from Buckingham Palace to Trafalgar Square.
How about this? He's out and about on the even of his wedding, chatting to the crowd. You've got to give him some due, haven't you, really? I mean, it's not even a particularly good night, but people have been queuing now, there are crowds out there, the atmosphere's really electric here at Buckingham Palace. We've been here all week, broadcasting for you at this time.
And there he is. So he's -- he's chatting to the girl. Let's have -- let's have a listen to what he said.
(CROWD SHOUTING)
ANDERSON: We can't quite hear what he's actually saying to the crowd. But they must be absolutely delighted. You can see it on their faces, there, can't you?
He's hours away from his big day, and let me tell you, where he is on The Mall is literally outside of where he will be staying tonight. It's Clarence House, where his father lives. It's where the queen mum used to live, and Prince Charles moved in with Camilla when the prince -- when the queen mum -- the queen mother died some years ago.
Prince William will be staying there tonight. He'll leave for Westminster Abbey at about 10 past 10:00 local time, that's in about, oh, 13 hours from now. And he'll be there for a good half an hour before his bride-to-be leaves the Goring Hotel, where our Max Foster is tonight. She's there for the evening. She's not out and about. I don't blame her, but good for him.
Prince William, out on the streets, out on The Mall, just moments ago here in London. And every single one of those people who turned up and are spending the night here, tonight, in anticipation of the big day will be absolutely delighted.
All right. I'm Becky Anderson in London. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD. Here's a look at the other stories that we are following for you this hour.
"Decimated and obliterated." Those words from Tuscaloosa out of Alabama's mayor. He's describing his city, caught in the crosshairs of an epic tornado outbreak in the southern and central United States. The death toll is 273 and still rising, with most of those deaths reported in Alabama.
This startling video shows the tornado approaching Bryant-Denny Stadium at the University of Alabama. With large swathes of the city destroyed, Tuscaloosa will need a long time to recover.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WALTER MADDOX, MAYOR, TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA (via telephone): I've been on the ground several times during the day and during the night, and I'm about to go back out again in the next few minutes.
I don't know how anyone survived. We're used to tornadoes here in Tuscaloosa, it's part of growing up. But when you look at this path of destruction, it's likely five to seven miles long, and in areas, half a mile to a mile wide. I don't know how anyone survived. It's an amazing scene.
There's parts of this city that I don't recognize, and that's someone that's lived here his entire life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, the United States has more tornadoes than other country by far, but even given that fact, the scope of yesterday's outbreak, pretty startling. The weather system that spawned the storms spanned much of the eastern US, a massive area.
Some of the more powerful twisters tore through heavily-populated areas, leaving death and destruction in their wake.
Well, Tunisia's state news agency says forces loyal to Moammar Gadhafi now control the Libyan side of the Wazen-Dehiba border crossing with Tunisia. Libyan rebels said to the control the crossing for the past week. Witnesses tell Agence France Press that the rebels fled into Tunisia, pursued by pro-Gadhafi troops. They described the situation as very chaotic.
The French president is condemning the apparent terror attack in Marrakesh in Morocco, today, calling it "cruel and cowardly." An explosion ripped through a cafe near a bazaar and square popular with foreign visitors. State-run news says many of the 14 people were killed were tourists. Several French nationals were among the 20 people wounded. So far, no group has claimed responsibility.
China's census reveals some telling facts about the world's most populous nation. It estimates the population at the end of last year reached 1.34 billion. That's a jump of 73 million to the decade, but the growth rate slower than the previous ten years. The census also shows an aging population, more mobile and better educated than ever before.
You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD here on CNN with me, Becky Anderson. Our royal wedding coverage continues. Just hours to go until Prince William is officially of the market. Coming up, an incredible photo. But what else is in the official wedding program? Well, Max Foster has the details for you.
Plus, policing the big day. We take a look at the huge operation underway, and we're going to talk to a security expert about the challenges ahead. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: All right, just hours to go until Kate Middleton walks up the aisle. With me in the studio is CNN contributor and royal biographer Mark Saunders, and my colleague from across the pond and namesake Brooke Anderson, joining us tonight, coming to you guys in just a moment.
But first, right now, the future queen is at the luxury Goring Hotel which, of course, is just around the corner from here. She's with her family. And she's with Max Foster, who I believe is just outside. Max?
FOSTER: Becky, if you take a look down there, you can see the hotel, you can see the large, white tunnel that they built for Catherine to walk through. Her car will be waiting at the end. The whole idea is that we don't get a glimpse of her dress before William does.
But I'm going to show you something, Becky, because I'm going to be here tomorrow morning, when she leaves. The car is going to come up here, through that barrier. There'll be a pause, there. She's going to come here. There's going to be a bit of an awkward corner, here. The whole back of the car is glass.
So, we're going to get the first glimpse of the dress, right here. Find out if it's white, how her hair is, apparently eye makeup is very important, you might know more about that than me.
But we also, today, saw the wedding program, the souvenir program, and on the back of that, there was a new Coat of Arms. This is the new Middleton Coat of Arms. This is something that sort of got rushed through.
Now, tomorrow morning, Catherine will be a princess. She would have entered the royal family. In order to do that, she also needed a Coat of Arms. She's entering the aristocracy. Let's have a look at the Coat of Arms. I went to see the guy that designed it. It's a very interesting story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER (voice-over): On the top floor of the College of Arms, they're using the same craft they've been using here for 500 years. Their latest commission, the Middleton Coat of Arms.
THOMAS WOODCOCK, GARTER KING OF ARMS: Well, what I've been working on is a Coat of Arms and a Crest to be granted to Kate Middleton's father, Michael Middleton. And as he has a Grant of Arms, then, the right to the Coat of Arms passes to all his three children and his son, James Middleton, will then pass it onto his children, and Kate Middleton may use it for her life.
FOSTER: Michael Middleton and his wife, Carole, have chosen acorns to represent oak trees of the common around their family home. Kate specifically asked for oak sprigs, as they were more decorative.
WOODCOCK: Oak, of course, is a very English tree. It's a symbol of strength, and from small acorns, great oaks grow, so an acorn is good in that way.
FOSTER: There's also gold to represent Carole's maiden name, Goldsmith. The chevrons represent mountains, reflecting the family's interest in hill walking and skiing. And it all comes together to create what's, effectively, a badge or logo for the Middleton family.
But this also matters for the family they're marrying into. A prince and princess without a Coat of Arms is unheard of, and to create one, they need to merge his with hers, into what's known as Marital Arms.
WOODCOCK: And as you look at it, on the left-hand side will be the royal Coat of Arms, and on the right-hand side as you look at it will be the Middleton Coat of Arms.
FOSTER: So, now the Middletons have a Coat of Arms and so, too, do the future king and queen of England. Copies of both will forever be stored in the College of Arms, part of the nation's history.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: And you know, there are people who aren't particularly happy about this whole process. They're suggesting that the class system is very much alive, and this whole royal wedding is emphasizing that. Why should she have to create a new Coat of Arms?
Well, I'm told it was her father's choice. And it's also part of the fairytale, isn't it? Many people like the idea that she's being accepted into the aristocracy and into the royal family.
You may fall on one side of the debate, you may fall on the other, whatever happens, tomorrow is going to be a great show.
ANDERSON: Yes, absolutely. I was going to say, whatever you think at this point, you can't stop it. It's going to happen, and it's going to happen in about 12 hours time.
Max, I know you're going to join us up here in the studio, so we'll let you go at this point and -- so you can make your way back here. Mark Saunders and Brooke Anderson are with me in the studio.
To both of you, quite remarkable today. We did expect to see Kate going into the Goring Hotel, and we want to show our viewers exactly the moment which she arrived.
What we didn't expect was what we saw afterwards, so let's just talk through these pictures. So, Brooke, you've seen the pictures, as well.
BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Yes, quite a thrill to Kate and Prince William. You know, they've been lying low, and then they had a rehearsal last night. Prince William was seen playing a little bit of soccer with buddies yesterday, riding his motorbike.
And then, Kate at the rehearsal this morning and then, showing up at the Goring Hotel where she's staying tonight with her family. There's her mother Carole, her sister, Pippa, waving to the fans who are lining the street, there, who are so ecstatic to just get a glimpse of her.
And then, Prince William and Prince Harry, outside of Clarence House, talking to people tonight, as well.
BECKY ANDERSON: Oh, you spoiled it!
BROOKE ANDERSON: I'm sorry, sorry!
(LAUGHTER)
BECKY ANDERSON: I was --
BROOKE ANDERSON: I couldn't wait to get to it, Becky.
BECKY ANDERSON: Queuing it up, queuing it up for our viewers, yes. Brooke, you're absolutely right. Just literally moments ago, it was quite remarkable, we were already here in the studio. About a half hour ago, Mark. Look at this.
MARK SAUNDERS, ROYAL COMMENTATOR: Yes --
BECKY ANDERSON: Prince William out and about.
SAUNDERS: It's incredible. But do you -- cannot you not see the resemblance with his mother. It's incredible. That's how she used to play the crowd. She would have five people in front of her, and each one would be getting individual attention, and he's doing exactly that.
BECKY ANDERSON: Well, same as his mother. The crowd who may or may not be queuing all night, may or may not be camping, they will be absolutely thrilled that he's been out tonight.
BROOKE ANDERSON: It makes him more accessible. And I'm from America, and we don't have a royal family in America. The Kennedys were the closest thing to it. So, the whole concept of a royal family and the monarchy just is fascinating to us.
And like Max said, it really is a fairytale, especially for a so- called commoner, like Kate, to be becoming a princess.
BECKY ANDERSON: Listen, I want to move on to a picture that we've seen today. It's been published in the souvenir program of the ceremony tomorrow. And again, Mark, you alluded to the fact that he's so like Diana when you see him with the crowd.
Take a look at this picture. This is the Mario Testino picture. You'll remember back in 1997, the pictures that Mario Testino took of Diana, and they really sort of -- she almost came of age, didn't she, Mark? Now, this is the picture, here, of William and Kate. I love this picture.
SAUNDERS: It's an astonishing picture. It's the first time I've ever looked at Catherine and thought, she is beautiful. She really is looking like a princess. But also, she looks supremely confident and she's kind of in charge a little bit. He's kind of taking a step back.
I kept saying in the reports when I was covering them earlier that he appears chivalrous when he's with her. He's never going to let her on her own, the eye contact. But she's kind of started coming to the fore, more, now.
BROOKE ANDERSON: I thought I saw she looked pretty. And I think they have such a deep connection. They've been together for so long, and they even finish each other's sentences, so it really does feel like the love that will last a lifetime.
SAUDNERS: Yes, it does. But when I first met Kate -- Catherine, I was asked what was she like, and I said "charming." And that was it. Now, I kind of feel she's regal. She's royal.
(LAUGHTER)
(CROSSTALK)
ANDERSON: Who else is out and about today, and again, somebody who is so incredibly accessible, whether you like her or not, was Camilla, out with the --
(CROSSTALK)
SAUNDERS: Let me, let me, let me. OK, OK. And did you see how polite -- that is so British. I mean, I remember thinking Camilla will never marry Charles, never. But here she was, and it's just -- I really like these pictures, because it sums up the wedding. It's just so happy.
BECKY ANDERSON: Let's remind our viewers that -- I'm not sure where she was, but it looks to me as if she was out on The Mall. Certainly Prince William -- there you go, there's Clarence House.
SAUNDERS: Yes.
BECKY ANDERSON: Prince William, viewers, was just opposite Clarence House, and that, of course, is where he's staying tonight, with Prince Charles and with Camilla. It's where the queen mum used to reside and the house given to Charles after that.
Where are the -- where are Kate and William going to live? Do we know that, yet, out of interest?
SAUNDERS: Well, he's got a year left in the RAF, so he's going to be in Anglesey, where they've got -- they've got a six-bedroom cottage, very pretty place.
And after that, I mean, we're being told, he'll probably leave the service, then, and take up full-time royal work. Because remember, they're going to take over a lot of the jobs that Camilla and Charles are doing, now. Charles and Camilla will take over --
The old is giving way to the new, now, really.
BROOKE ANDERSON: Modernizing.
SAUNDERS: Yes, it always does happen, now. You say about a commoner, there have been commoners before, but they've been from the aristocracy. Catherine isn't. But the new aristocracy -- the old aristocracy, they're broke, they -- it's all changing.
BECKY ANDERSON: Somebody was saying to me today, Brooke, talk about the royal family, whether you like them or not, the Murdochs of this world are probably much more important these days, they're footballers, here. Loaded with money.
So, there are other people around, and you've got to modernize this -- this monarchy.
BROOKE ANDERSON: You do, and I think William and Kate are doing it their own way, obviously. William is not wearing a band, Kate is fine with that, it's just his personal preference. A lot of the male royals do wear a wedding band, so it is very common, but it's not obligatory.
BECKY ANDERSON: She's not going to obey, either.
BROOKE ANDERSON: That she's not going to obey, she's going to love, honor, keep, comfort. But she's not going to obey in her vows.
BECKY ANDERSON: Good girl! All right, we're going to have to leave it there for the time being. These guys are going to be back with me, going to take a very short break, pay for the show.
Be part of CNN's global viewing party for William and Kate's royal wedding. Join Anderson Cooper, Piers Morgan, Cat Deeley, Richard Quest, Max, me, Brooke, all of us as we bring you every moment of the London celebration, live Friday, starting at 9:00 in the morning in London, 10:00 in Brussels and Berlin, work it out wherever you are in the world, right here on CNN.
Well, the wedding is a massive undertaking, and so is the security surrounding it. We're going to take a look at that aspect of the looming nuptials up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BECKY ANDERSON: You're back with CONNECT THE WORLD here on CNN. I'm Becky Anderson in London. Let's get you a quick check of the headlines, shall we, this hour?
And a massive cleanup and a search for more victims in the southern United States after an epic outbreak of tornadoes. The death toll now stands at 273 in six states. At least 184 died in the Alabama state, the hardest hit.
According to Morocco's state-run news, the blast in Marrakesh has killed at least 14 people and wounded 20 others. Many of the victims are tourists, and terrorism is now suspected. The explosion happened at a cafe popular with foreigners.
Nearly two years after Air France flight 447 plunged into the Atlantic Ocean, search teams have found part of the aircraft's data recorders. All 288 passengers and crew died in the crash. The cause is still a mystery.
Syria's ambassador to the UK will not be among the guests at Friday's royal wedding. Britain has withdrawn his invitation. The foreign office says it would be unacceptable for him to attend in light of Syria's recent crackdown.
And these pictures show Kate Middleton arriving at the Goring Hotel just moments away from here. She's spending the night there with her family before heading to Westminster Abbey tomorrow to marry Prince William.
And speaking of him, he, Prince William, he was out and about this evening, as well. He gave crowds something to smile about when he took time out to shake hands and greet those already lined along The Mall.
Those are your headlines this hour.
Well, the eyes of the world will be focused on the royal wedding tomorrow, Friday, but not everyone is happy about it, of course. Protests and the threat of violence have police working on unprecedented security measures here in London. As Dan Rivers tells us, they are leaving nothing to chance.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN RIVERS, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): With just a few days to go, the police in London are engaged in a massive security operation, searching every inch of the wedding route, and drawing up plans to deal with potential trouble-makers.
The wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton is taking place during a time of government spending cuts, political turmoil, and protests. The event itself is a magnet for anyone with a gripe to make their point very publicly.
(CROWD SHOUTING)
RIVERS: The small but provocative Muslims Against Crusades group has applied for official permission to protest. One member, Abu Izadeen, famously heckled Britain's interior minister five years ago.
ABU IZADEEN, MUSLIMS AGAINST CRUSADES: I'm here to disrupt the meeting, that's right!
RIVERS: Now, he's also threatening to disrupt the royal wedding.
IZADEEN: Prince Harry, Prince William, they are part and parcel of the crusade against Muslims. Prince Harry himself was in the battlement, he fought against Muslims, hitting inside Afghanistan and Iraq.
RIVERS: But with such inflammatory accusations, its unsurprising their application to protest opposite Westminster Abbey has been refused. But the far-right English Defense League may cause further problems, vowing to stop Muslims Against Crusades getting anywhere near central London.
TOMMY ROBINSON, ENGLISH DEFENSE LEAGUE: We're going to block their troops, troop stations, that enter into the wedding area. Basically have 50 to 100 lads guarding each troop station, so if they're -- every single time they bring Muslims Against Crusades to protest, the police escort them in and escort them out. So, as they escort them out past the troop, we'll try and put them back down.
RIVERS: And anarchists are also planning on being on the streets during the wedding. The police are hoping these scenes won't be repeated. But some are already planning on winding up the establishment, like Chris Knight and his guillotine, showing his contempt for financial cuts.
CHRIS KNIGHT, ANARCHIST: The feeling that this wealthiest of families should have a wedding at our expense at this place in Central London at this time isn't amusing. It really is a provocation.
RIVERS (on camera): With all these competing protests threat, the police are facing a real challenge, how to keep these different factions away from each other and from the royal wedding, without turning an atmosphere of celebration into one of confrontation.
During previous protests, the police tactic of containment or kettling has been used to pin activists into one location. But that might overshadow the generally good-natured feel of the day. Instead, this is the police message for potential troublemakers.
LYNNE OWENS, ASSITANT COMMISSIONER, METROPOLITAN POLICE: My police officers will spot you in the crowd, and they will take quick and decisive action to remove you. We won't let anybody disrupt this very exciting day for the royal family and for the country.
RIVERS (voice-over): A day that police are hoping won't be marred by a noisy minority bent on trouble. Dan Rivers, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, ensuring security for the wedding is a massive operation, 5,000 officers will police the event, including some with sniffer dogs and some on horses. Police announced they've already made arrests and several raids across London in what Scotland Yard calls "proactive work to subdue criminals."
More than 60 individuals have been banned from being in London tomorrow, and police say that is the result of investigations after recent demonstrations in the capital. Scotland Yard also says it's prepared to deal with the possibility of international terrorism, but they say there is no specific intelligence to suggest there is any threat to the wedding.
Well, OK, I want to talk more about wedding security with Brian Paddick, he's the former deputy assistant commissioner of the London Metropolitan Police.
And as we speak tonight, the Met's saying that the three individuals, two men, aged 68 and 45, one woman, aged 60, have been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to cause public nuisance and breech of the peace. Does that surprise you?
BRIAN PADDICK, FORMER DEPUTY ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER, METROPOLITAN POLICE: Becky, what they said was that they were going to take proactive action to make sure that anybody who they thought might be going to come to London tomorrow to cause trouble was taken out before the event.
ANDERSON: What will be going through the mind of those who run the Met tonight?
PADDICK: Well, they'll be taking every possible precaution. They'll be searching, they will be -- they'll have police on crowd control, they'll have sniffer dogs, they'll have snipers on rooftops. And they'll be crossing their fingers, because they can't guarantee 100 percent security.
I think between the palace and the abbey, everything will be fine. It's the rest of London I'm concerned about.
ANDERSON: How difficult is it to lock down an area like this? This is a significant area we're talking about.
PADDICK: Well, the area around the palace and around the abbey and the path in between, fairly easy to do.
You just search everything where a bomb could be concealed, you just keep checking it, you put tamper-proof seals on there with serial numbers to make sure nobody else has gone in there and planted something after you've checked it. You have rows of police and army, as well, on duty tomorrow.
So, that's -- that's pretty straightforward. But you remember the 7th of July bombings in 2005? That was supposed to coincide with London winning the Olympic bid. It happened the day after, but they didn't target where that event was going to take place. They targeted the subway system.
And so, how are the police going to protect the whole of London from a terrorist attack? That's the big issue.
ANDERSON: Well, that is the known unknown, as it were. Again, if you were still deputy commissioner of the Met, what would you be doing? How do you -- at least ensure that you've done what you can?
PADDICK: Well, you'd be liaising with the intelligence services to see whether or not any known activists have been talking to each other, whether they're planning anything. You'd be watching out for anarchist groups who might be trying to disrupt the wedding, trying to keep tabs on them.
You're trying to make sure that people who want to make a name for themselves by rushing out in front of the royal -- the carriage, for example, are kept in check.
You'd be doing all those things but, most of all, you'd be keeping your fingers crossed.
ANDERSON: Are you aware of any credible threats at this point?
PADDICK: No. I mean, there is no specific threat. There's been a couple of groups who said they were going to protest the -- those groups have said they're not going to protest anymore.
There's one, I think, connected with the arrests that we just heard about, which is a bit of an unknown at the moment, but they've been threatening to disrupt the wedding. But overall, I don't think there is any specific intelligence about a particular threat.
ANDERSON: Cross fingers.
PADDICK: Cross fingers is all we can do.
ANDERSON: Thank you. Brian Paddick for you.
Next up, the moment that a princess became a beacon of hope. We turn back the clock to that day in 1947 when Britain's future queen stepped out in a dress that made the country forget about its post-war gloom. Can William and Kate's wedding have a similar impact?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Well, as we count down to the marriage of William and Kate, I want to turn back the clock 64-odd years. It was just after the second World War, and times were tough here in Britain, but the country also had a royal wedding to look froward to. Nick Glass met a lady who was intricately involved in the preparations to find out how she helped change the national mood.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK GLASS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A lady with a lovely smile and a few royal memories, Betty Foster will be 83 next month. Back in 1947, she was just a girl in a workshop in London's Mayfair. The workshop just happened to be run by Normal Hartnell, dressmaker to the Queen.
GLASS (on camera): How old were you then?
BETTY FOSTER, SEAMSTRESS: Nineteen.
GLASS: Sweet 19?
FOSTER: Don't know about sweet, but I was 19.
GLASS (voice-over): Norman Hartnell came into the workshop one day and came over to Betty's boss, Annie Holiday, the chief seamstress.
FOSTER: He said, "I would like you to make the wedding dress for Princess Elizabeth." And because of the huge responsibility, she did hesitate.
And there were three assistants. There was Dorothy, Edna, and myself, all teenagers. And we said, "Oh, oh, please? Please?"
GLASS: So, from Hartnell's sketch, Ms. Holiday and her trio of teenage assistants got to make a wedding dress for a future queen.
FOSTER: It's a beautiful sketch. Really lovely. And there was such a lot of embroidery on the dress. I don't think there could be another dress to compete with it, not another wedding dress.
GLASS: Ten thousand seed pearls.
FOSTER: I believe, yes. I didn't count them.
GLASS (voice-over): Winston Churchill would vividly describe the wedding as "a flash of color on the hard road we have to travel." The dress was symbolic of rebirth, inspired by a famous Italian painting, Botticelli's "Primavera." Spring.
In Betty's scrapbook, she has samples of her work, buttonholes and the like.
GLASS (on camera): You've got two buttonholes.
FOSTER: Yes. They were the practice ones. And there's a little button that I made for the sleeve. There are the buttons I made for the back of the dress. That's the piping, which fastened the little buttons on the sleeve. And that's part of the under skirt. That's horse hair.
GLASS (voice-over): On the wedding day, Betty and the other seamstresses were given a special place to stand near the gates of Buckingham Palace.
FOSTER: Now, I remember especially seeing the queen riding in the carriage with her father, and looking at that dress, it didn't seem real, because I'd seen it in the work room, but seeing it being worn on the princess, it looked -- it was sort of magical. And she looked -- she looked beautiful.
The dress was such -- so wonderful for people to see, because they -- there's been austerity and clothes rationing, and you had to be a little bit of this and a little bit of that. And I think it was -- it was so special to see something very glamorous, because it was a glamorous dress.
GLASS: Tomorrow, Betty will be watching television from an early hour.
GLASS (on camera): And how long will you watch for?
FOSTER: Until it's finished.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: How nice. Well, here we are, in lean times once again, of course, with another royal wedding dress to be -- set to be unveiled and, this time, it's not just Britain that is looking forward to something to celebrate. This is a party that has gone global.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TEXT: ENGLAND
NICK DEARLING, ALCESTER HIGH BAILIFF: OK, we've got planned tomorrow a big family street party in Alcester, Warwickshire, which is in the heart of England. It's going to be a fabulous day. We've got something for everybody, music, food, bring-your-own picnic.
All the court elite will be coming in their regalia. The court elite are the body that used to run towns long before there were town councils. Today, we're ceremonial, and our job is to add color to the town, and that's just what we'll be doing tomorrow.
TEXT: UAE
SUSAN FARROW, DUBAI REUNITED: We've got the royal wedding garden party up at the polo club here in Dubai, which is very fitting for tomorrow's event. We've got a women's match first up, and that's an all- women's match in Dubai, which is a first.
And the ladies have named their teams Will's Team and -- versus Kate's Team, which will be lots of fun. They're going to wear veils and bow ties.
ANNE QUINLAN, DUBAI REUNITED: The great thing about Dubai is the ex- pats here are from all around the world, and the royal wedding is seen as a real global event, not really just a British event.
TEXT: SINGAPORE
SEAN BOYLE, THE BRITISH CLUB: We've started our celebrations for the big wedding of the century since the 21st of April, and tomorrow is the highlight.
We've got our wedding dinner, with live telecasts from Western Surabhi (ph). We've had a pub singalong, "Down at the Old Bull and Bush," two nights ago, which was fantastic. And last night, a huge quiz. We had a high tea for the ladies yesterday afternoon, where they all wore the hats.
Tonight, we've got ladies night at Ascot in the Windsor Arms with betting on the races, and the girls are all going to come out dressed to impress.
TEXT: NEW ZEALAND
SIMON O'CONNOR, MONARCHY NEW ZEALAND: It's been a tough few months here in New Zealand, with the Canterbury earthquake and the Pike River mining disaster. So, we as a nation are looking forward to the opportunity to celebrate.
You can't go anywhere without seeing the TV coverage, the radio, the magazines, the newspapers. Kiwis can't get enough of this royal wedding.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: How nice. All right, well, the biggest party, of course, is right here in London. Next up, we're going to head down to campus central and bring you live pictures of a royal fever that is growing by the minute. Do stay with us. You're watching CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's a real fairytale in real life. She's going to become a princess after marrying, like, Cat -- William.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Prince Tommy.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, Prince Tommy, exactly.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's the day of British history so far.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I think so. Winning the war was quite good.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, second.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But yes, this is close.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, call it a bit barmy, but hundreds of royal fans have sacrificed their cozy beds to get front row seats to what is this unfolding fairytale. They are out roughing it tonight so they can catch this happy occasion, the royal wedding, of course, with their own eyes.
But that is no reason to go without some high tea, so I headed down to campus central armed with a bit of a treat.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: With less than 24 hours to go, now, until the big event, you probably have heard by now some 2 billion are expected to watch on television around the world. But that isn't good enough for some people, who've decided they're going to camp it out, as it were.
Meet our friends, they're from all over the world. Spokesman of this right royal crew, here, is, I'm told, Queen Genai (ph) and Queen Victoria. Girls, how are you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Fabulous, having a great time.
ANDERSON: How long have you been here?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Since 7:30 this morning.
ANDERSON: And how's it going?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Not bad, actually. It's a bit -- zoo-like, though, I have to say. It's a bit odd.
ANDERSON: Let's find out where these ladies' loyalties lie. You can see my cupcakes, here. Granted, Kate's spelled wrong, but don't worry about that. I want you to choose one and tell me why.
UNIDENTIFIED GIRL: Kate, because she's going to be the new queen of England.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: William, for all his charity work.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'd have to go for William. Gorgeous.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm going for Kate, because she's an educated commoner, just like me.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm going for Kate, because she's normal and marrying into royalty, so there's more of a chance for me.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I can't choose. I'm having them both.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And that leaves me with William, and I'm not upset, though. Here's to you, Wills, have a good day.
ANDERSON: Well, they might be slumming it, sleeping rough, here, in the center of London, but that doesn't mean they can't enjoy a quintessentially English tea party. Ladies?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALES: To tea!
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, they forgot the tea, anyway, but they were drinking champagne, I heard. That's very British. For you, which do you like?
SAUNDERS: I'll have the "Kate" one.
ANDERSON: Will you? And "Kate" is now spelled correctly, as well.
SAUNDERS: Yes.
ANDERSON: Just want to make sure that our viewers realize that we did actually have to spell her name K-A-T-E when it's short, and I'll keep "William," then.
People are out and about, aren't they? Unbelievable.
SAUNDERS: And the atmosphere is electric, now. It's really getting exciting, isn't it?
ANDERSON: I know the police said that they'd allow people to camp from Tuesday. I was surprised to a certain extent that there was very few people out on Tuesday. But tonight --
SAUNDERS: Yes.
ANDERSON: -- just look at the crowds outside here, and it's nearly 10:00 at night.
SAUNDERS: Well, Prince Charles himself said, back in 81, he was astonished. When he went to bed, it was OK, he could handle it. At Clarence House, same -- where William is. And when he woke up, the noise actually woke him at 6:00 in the morning. If you think this is large, wait until tomorrow morning.
ANDERSON: Yes.
SAUNDERS: It will be massive.
ANDERSON: All right, let's go back and take a look at what we've seen over the past couple of hours, reminding our viewers will mind if we -- if you were watching earlier on and we showed you pictures of Prince William out and about, outside Clarence House, talking to some of those who are out camping tonight.
Let's just get those pictures back up for our viewers and we'll talk through. I'm told, although we don't see him, that Prince Harry was also there.
SAUNDERS: You know, Prince Harry is a boy. He's really lived -- I mean, he would play the crowd. And Harry is kind of that link, isn't he? Between the crowd and the event. And I think he's such a popular young chap.
You know, we'll be back here for his wedding soon, and that will be fun, I think.
ANDERSON: Do you know the boys particularly well?
SAUNDERS: It's funny, because I actually got -- I was -- this morning, there were a lot of pictures that were in the father and the son. The motorbike. And I remember seeing him on a little tricycle when he was two years old. And I've kind of watched them grow up, and it's --
Because we've obviously got the tragedy. You really can't talk about them --
(CROSSTALK)
ANDERSON: With his mum, of course.
SAUNDERS: -- without bringing it up at some point. His mum. And now, you've watched them -- and I've watched William and Catherine for the last five months crisscross the country. And the astonishing maturity that they've both shown together, which -- I've just watched grow before my eyes.
ANDERSON: And I think the guest list, to a certain extent, reflects that. Those that they've invited --
SAUNDERS: Yes.
ANDERSON: -- are good a bunch of people, actually, it's got to be said.
SAUNDERS: It's a very good reflection on them, as well. We keep calling this a "modern royal wedding." I think it is. I think we're looking at the future, now. Catherine -- we're so close. She's going to be a princess. She's been a princess-in-waiting.
Son of a gun, five months ago, we were talking, we were speculating about all of this. And tomorrow, we're actually going to see it all happen.
ANDERSON: Yes, all right. Well, Max, I know you're with us. You're out down on The Mall, where Prince William was earlier on, and you just hot-footed it over from the Goring Hotel where, of course, we saw Kate arriving earlier on.
(SILENCE)
ANDERSON: Mr. Foster, can you hear me?
I don't think we can -- not sure we can get Max up at the moment. I know he's right outside here. We may be struggling a little bit with the technology. I'll get back to Max when we know we can establish him.
Let's take a look at that Mario Testino shot again. It was released today in the souvenir program, and I can't get enough of this shot. He, of course, shot --
SAUNDERS: Diana.
ANDERSON: -- two of the pictures of Diana in 1997.
SAUNDERS: Yes. And he's got a great relationship with William, as well, hasn't he? But obviously, come from his mum. But do you remember the shot that Mario did of William and Harry and Diana? That --
ANDERSON: Very good.
SAUNDERS: That said so much, that picture, because the love that -- I remember Diana was looking down at her boys, wasn't she? And I felt he's done this in the same style. Do you think he's done that purposely?
ANDERSON: Yes. Oh, yes, absolutely. I think William just looks -- William is -- the photo is taken there as if -- oh, I've seen that shot before, basically. It was a Testino shot of Diana.
SAUNDERS: Yes.
ANDERSON: And it's fantastic.
SAUNDERS: And she's looking, as I say, she is looking marvelous.
ANDERSON: All right. Stay with me, Mark. I know we've got Phil Han is also down amongst the crowds down there. We're going to try and get Max up, but while we wait for Max, Phil Han is also among the fans who've pitched in along the royal route. But he's there for the night. Oh, I think he might need a shave.
PHIL HAN, CNN DIGITAL PRODUCER: That's right, Becky --
ANDERSON: Can you hear me?
HAN: I've been sleeping out along the route for about two nights -- yes, I can hear you. I've been here for about two nights, now, and I can tell you, in the last couple of hours, the crowd has grown tremendously. There's a lot of excitement, there's a lot of buzz, there's people coming in every couple of minutes. There's at least five or six tents deep worth of people around the route.
And you can see the group behind me, they've been camping out here --
(CROWD CHEERS)
ANDERSON: Yes.
HAN: They've been camping out here since --
(CROSSTALK)
ANDERSON: Yes, because -- because Phil?
HAN: -- last night, have a great little fete. I know that --
ANDERSON: Yes, Phil, it's not about you, remember, it's about the people. So move away. Move away from the screen just a little bit so we can see our fans.
(CROWD CHEERS)
ANDERSON: We're teasing him. We're teasing him.
(LAUGHTER)
ANDERSON: Many of -- many of these were people that we met earlier on today. He's really made some friends out there, Phil. Phil out there, really roughing it. But a lot of these people that we met today said this "glamping" rather than camping.
Come, Phil, back into the shot so we can see you. Is he there, or is he gone?
HAN: Oh, yes. And police are just starting to close the route along The Mall, now, so they're letting a lot more people on, and they're closing the street to traffic, getting ready for tonight's -- tomorrow's big event.
And I don't think that there's going to be a lot of sleep happening tonight.
CROWD: No! No, no, no, no!
HAN: -- really enjoy it, really experiencing every last minute of it. And I can tell you that everyone is extremely excited for tomorrow's night -- tomorrow's event, and everybody here has got a great spot picked out. And they just want to say a quick message to the soon-to-be prince and princess. So, guys, what do you guys want to say?
(CROWD SHOUTING - INAUDIBLE)
(CROWD CHEERS)
ANDERSON: OK. I thought I might be able to translate that, but I wasn't able to. They said something. I hope the royal family are watching.
Thank you, Phil. Phil out with the campers, there, on The Mall. And I know that Max Foster is with us, again. Max, where are you?
FOSTER: I'm not hearing -- OK, I'm here -- I'm having some struggles hearing you. I'm going to have some real struggles, now, because this lot's about to kick off.
(CROWD CHEERS)
FOSTER: And -- it's insane. This is the atmosphere. This is the night before the royal wedding. Guys, where are you from? Where are you from?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Minnesota!
FOSTER: Minnesota!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Minnesota!
FOSTER: Where are you from, sir?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Minnesota!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sydney.
FOSTER: Sydney. Where are you from?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: England!
FOSTER: England! There's some English here!
(CROWD CHEERS)
FOSTER: Basically, all down the aisle, down the road, down The Mall, countless people.
(CROWD CHEERS)
FOSTER: They're clearing the center of the road. Don't know how the carriage is going to get down here tomorrow, but they're going to clear the way, I'm sure. There's the palace over there. There's the media center, up there is where Becky Anderson is. Back to the crowd, though, as we hand it back to Becky in the studio.
(CROWD CHEERS)
ANDERSON: Thank you, Max. Ah, the atmosphere's fantastic. Mark, last thought.
SAUNDERS: Everybody keeps talking about tomorrow's the end. The end, tomorrow. It isn't. Tomorrow's the beginning. It's the beginning of William and Catherine's life together. And it's so fantastic to be here. And I think this fairytale is going to work.
ANDERSON: Good stuff. Mark Saunders, thank you very much, indeed, for joining us. We'll see you tomorrow.
I'm Becky Anderson. That is your world connected. Thank you for watching. The world news headlines and "BackStory" will follow this short break here on CNN. Don't go away.
(CROWD CHEERING)
END
