How I Became a Spectator at the Royal Wedding

One morning, as I was watching the news, they announced the date and time of the upcoming royal wedding of Harry and Meghan. On a whim, I decided to book the first cute Inn that popped up when searching for hotels near Windsor.

Immediately after, I texted my Mom and Sisters asking, “girls trip?”.

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I absolutely love London and this was the perfect excuse to go back!

Luckily, everyone was just excited as me and it was decided – we were going to London for the Royal Wedding!

My impulse decision to book a hotel worked in my favor! Within an hour, all of the hotels in both Windsor and the surrounding areas were booked solid.

Typically, I would avoid visiting cities when big events like this are happening since it makes it much more difficult to see the city when the crowds are larger than normal but this was a once in a lifetime opportunity and I am so glad that we went!

After a few short months, we were packing our bags and heading to London!

We decided to stay in the Windsor area for a few days, go to the Royal Wedding, and then end our trip with a few days in London.

Since we knew that Windsor would be packed on the actual wedding day, we wanted a few days ahead of time to see the town and enjoy the little shops and atmosphere.

We were surprised to see people already camping outside the gates of Windsor Castle, holding their perfect spot to view the wedding guests arriving and to watch the carriage processional after the wedding!

As you can imagine, the town of Windsor was absolutely buzzing with excitement. Every shop was decorated and selling various souvenirs.

We made sure to get our collectible coins, stamps and various other items. You could (although I didn’t) even get a replica of Meghan’s wedding ring!

There were reporters stationed everywhere you looked broadcasting throughout the world – an estimated 1.9 BILLION people would be tuning in to watch this wedding!

We walked past multiple famous reporters that we recognized including Giuliana Rancic.

The day of the wedding, We arrived in Windsor early, REALLY early. Not only did we want to make sure that we were going to be able to find transportation there, we also wanted to make sure that we found just the right spot!

Thousands of people had the same idea. Literally. More than 100,000 people attended the royal wedding as spectators in Windsor.

Although we had hoped to be closer to Windsor Castle, the town center was already packed when we arrived so we chose to be a little further out.

We were hoping to see some of the many famous people in attendance (Idris Elba anyone?) but to no avail. Some other famous attendees included James Blunt, George & Amal Clooney, David & Victoria Beckham, Elton John, Serena Williams, Oprah and so many more.

We picked a spot that looked good (and was close to food and restrooms – essentials) and set up shop. We took turns walking around while the others held our spots.

There were various food trucks and cocktail trucks and we made sure to grab a few pitchers of prosecco and some cream tea boxes. This made for a nice little picnic.

With all of the excitement, the time passed really quickly and before we knew it, the wedding was about to begin.

Just prior to the wedding, helicopters started flying over where we were standing and many officers rushed to the area. Lucky for us, HRH and her Mother, Doria Ragland were about to enter the grounds and they drove right past us on their way to the chapel!

The bride and her mother stayed at Cliveden House the night before the wedding.

Of course, this made everyone in the crowd even more excited.

The wedding began promptly at 12pm and lasted nearly an hour.

There were large screens positioned all throughout the area for fans to watch everything happening on the big screen. Everyone was also attempting to live stream it from their phones but it was nearly impossible due to the bogged down internet.

From the dress (she wore Clare Waight Keller from the House of Givenchy) to the famous guests, everyone was dying to get a glimpse of the action.

Once the carriage procession began, it took just a few short minutes for them to pass where we were standing.

And our long awaited moment was just that, a moment. Their carriage passed in the blink of an eye – that thing moves seriously fast!

Of course, keeping the carriage moving quickly is for security purposes!

Their carriage was pulled by four Windsor horses, Milford Haven, Plymouth, and the father and son duo – Storm and Tyrone!

After watching the carriage procession, we grabbed some lunch to let the crowds needing transportation die down. We made our way back to our hotel to continue celebrating (after we made our way through the crowds of course)!

Drury House

For lunch we ate at Drury House, which is one of Windsor’s oldest restaurants. It’s located less than a block from Windsor Castle and when dining outside, like we did, Windsor is your view.

We dined on some traditional dishes like the classic fish & chips, chicken & mushroom pie with mushy peas and sausages in Yorkshire pudding. Everything was delicious and the location couldn’t have been better!

Following the carriage ride, Harry and Meghan had a luncheon hosted by the Queen at St. George’s Hall at Windsor Castle. Later in the evening, Harry and Meghan’s wedding reception was hosted by Prince Charles at Frogmore House.

Where We Stayed

Ostrich Inn

We stayed in an adorable little Inn called the Ostrich Inn. Located in Colnbrook (Slough), it’s just 2 miles from Windsor.

This Inn is just a 10 minute drive to Heathrow airport and about a 45 minute drive to London. There is also train service to both Windsor and London.

Somehow, someway, I got incredibly lucky choosing this hotel without spending hours researching (like I normally do!). It was literally the perfect place for us to stay for this fun event.

The Ostrich Inn first opened its doors in 1106 as a coaching inn. It has all of the charm that you would expect from an Inn that has been running for more than 915 years; think fireplaces, crooked floors, cobblestone courtyard, wood beams, plaid furniture.

We booked a couple of their twin rooms and they were perfect. Everything was clean and comfortable and were exactly what we were looking for in this quiet town.

The main floor of the Inn holds a pub and restaurant. Both are lively scenes in the evening. We had a great breakfast in the pub on our last morning there with options from full English breakfast to avocado toast and, of course, a nice selection of teas.

The pub was typically quiet during the day and made for a great place to relax and read a book with a nice cup of tea.

Off of the back of the Inn is a nice courtyard area with seating to dine or enjoy a beer. Our cousin happened to be in England at the same time and came to meet up with us for a drink and appetizer. The courtyard was great for sitting in the sun and chatting.

Off to the left of the pub is a restaurant serving traditional British specialties. We ate here for dinner one evening and it was delicious. There was a wide range of options. We enjoyed the tandoori chicken, seared British sea scallops, mushroom arancini and more.

The restaurant was lively and the atmosphere was both fun and relaxing. The cocktails were delicious too!

So there you have it. My once in a lifetime experience of traveling half way across the world to be a spectator at a wedding.

Cheers to the Royal Wedding!