Matt Dunham/AP
Once bitten, twice shy? Not if you’re Kate Middleton, who may have more faith in the British public and security services than her future father-in-law.
You may recall that during last year’s student protests in London, Prince Charles and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, were headed to the theater — nobody’s going to get in the way of their night out — when the royal Rolls-Royce Phantom VI limousine was set upon by a mob. The car was splattered with white paint and had a rear window cracked while there were also reports that Camilla may have been touched — if not harmed — by a protester. It took NewsFeed some time to get over the irony that a bulletproof car is great, but it does help if you have the windows up.
But brave Kate Middleton is planning to put those shocking scenes behind her, step into the Rolls and have it take her to Westminster Abbey, which will be her last journey as a single woman. The car is currently being repaired but Crown Equerry Col Toby Browne has confirmed that the damage wasn’t extensive and any lengthy delays are due to the unique nature of the vehicle.
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“One of the problems [is] it’s such a special car there are details that have to be reproduced and are not available off the shelf,” Browne said. “The claret paint is specific to [all royal] cars and certain bits of glass had to be made, but it’s really a minor detail you won’t notice.”
As for the car itself, it was originally a gift to the current monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, on her Silver Jubilee back in 1977. And once the happy couple have said “I do” (or whatever it is they decide upon), there’s a good chance that Kate and Prince William will parade past crowds in the same open-topped horse-drawn carriage used by his parents in 1981. The 1902 State Landau is, according to senior carriage restorer, Martin Oates, the vehicle that “everybody wants to see,” provided, presumably, that Kate gets to the Abbey unscathed. (via BBC)
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