STREET PARTIES, Union flags and bunting were the order of the day ten years ago when York celebrated the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.
As the royal couple celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary today, we look back on how the people of York enjoyed their special day.
York’s streets, plazas, pubs and churches hosted a variety of events with 150 residents gathering on the appropriately named Westminster Road in York to celebrate, including high tea, costume and make-up.
Nursing home residents, including the Broadway Residential Home in Fulford, toasted the royal couple with the Birchlands Care Home in Haxby, which combined their celebrations – including sing-alongs, bowling and chairobics – with a naming ceremony.
The Dunnington Sports Club also hosted an event with a bar full of people drinking coffee, money, sodas, and bacon.
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Street parties in Hunters Way, near Tadcaster Road, were organized by young friends Grace Smith, Anna and Paige. Local businesses donated goods, including a three-tier pork cake.
Some die-hard royal watchers traveled from York to London to see the action up close.
Press reporter Maxine Gordon joined fans outside Buckingham Palace for hours to get a glimpse of the couple who had tied the knot at Westminster Abbey.
She said: “It was a happy day with a holiday atmosphere. When Kate left Buckingham Palace for the Abbey, I could only see the lace sleeve of her dress through the car window. But the crowd went wild when the newlyweds came back to Buckingham Palace, standing on the balcony and had a very public kiss. ”
A group of very young fans camped out at Buckingham Palace before the big day.
Ten-year-old Hannah Greenwood camped with her five-year-old sister Millie and her Malton-born mother Laura with the Bell family from Driffield and friends Victoria Aitken from Hull and Sarah Hardy from Scarborough.
Hannah said in a red, white and blue wig: “The best part was to see the cars go by and have our pictures taken.”
They all enjoyed a roadside roast that morning with Yorkshire bacon and eggs.
Mother of three Laura told the press: “We had to do it. We’ll never see it again. We’ll see it on TV for years and the kids can say, ‘My mom took me there.'”
Others who had traveled from York to London for the royal wedding included Will McCardle, five of St. Oswald’s School in Fulford, who watched the parade with his mother and father Sarah and Russ.
Manor CE’s schoolmates, Mollie Salter, 12 and Ellie Norris, 13, were also in London with their mothers Debbie and Julie for the big day.
Ellie said the trip was worth it. “When I’m old and sit in my rocking chair, I can say to myself, ‘I’ve been there’.”
Julie said, “We thought it was a nice opportunity to all get together. It’s the biggest event of the year.”
Vicki Wonders, 30, of Northallerton, camped out with 12 friends overnight to secure a front row seat to watch the negotiations. Vicki said in a Stetson with a union flag and a matching flag, “We just had to do it. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity.”
