London:
Britain's Prince William and his bride-to-be Kate Middleton arrived at Westminster Abbey in London on Wednesday evening for a private wedding rehearsal ahead of their big day on Friday.
Escorted by police, the convoy swept through the gate giving the crowd already assembled for the wedding no glimpse of the couple behind the blacked out windows.
Joining them at the rehearsal were the bride's parents, William's brother and best man Prince Harry and senior clergy.
Britain hasn't seen a royal wedding of this size since William's father Prince Charles married the late Lady Diana Spencer in 1981.
There were actually 200 more police on duty for that wedding, which had a longer procession route and a guest list of some 3,500 people, including foreign royals and heads of state.
Friday's wedding will offer much of the same pomp and circumstance with its 1,900 invited guests and excited crowds were already camping out outside Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey to get the best possible view ahead of the royal wedding celebrations.
Following the rehearsal, the royal convoy swept out of the gates of Westminster Abbey and through the London streets, to cheers from the assembled crowds.
Some people have already spent their first night sleeping on the pavement with many more expected to join them on Wednesday evening.