Windsor Castle is a magnificent building, but on May 19th, the day of Prince Harry to Meaghan Markle the world will be watching this small chapel.
A royal wedding is cause for a celebration, so Will Hide takes a London royal-themed pub tour.
The huge digital advertising board in Piccadilly Circus is showing an advert for gumboots, which is appropriate today as it's raining cats and dogs in London. Tourists gamely try to take selfies while grappling with umbrellas and poncho hoods. What to do on such a soggy, grey day? What any self-respecting Brit would: head to the nearest pub of course.
I'm meeting 35-year-old musician and tour guide Glenn Hodge, who lives on a houseboat in trendy Hackney, to the east. But today we're exploring the centre of town around Mayfair, St James and Westminster. It's a two-and-a-half-hour pub tour that explains more about royal London, which seems appropriate with the wedding of Harry and Meghan just days away. I ask Glenn if we might we see a sparkle of Markle or a flash of ginger clutching a pint of Guinness today?
Very unlikely, I'm told. You could spot the prince clubbing in town, but you're more likely to catch him propping up a bar in Windsor. Ah well, you never know.
Although groups can be up to 12, on this damp afternoon it's just me and Aussie Steve Wheen, originally from Canberra but now living in England. Our first of four ports of call is the Red Lion, a five-minute stroll away on Duke of York St, where a pint of Seafarers' Ale is £4 (NZ$8).
The building is more than 200 years old and fulfils every tourist's pub expectations, with stained wood, antique mirrors and etched-glass panelling. It used to be a "gin palace" serving cheap booze to the masses when alcohol was a less risky alternative than water.
The Duke of Wellington tried to reduce the amount of gin bingeing by increasing its price, which had the desired affect, although the seething masses just turned to beer instead.
Red Lion pub, London. Photo / Getty Images
"Pubs like this are still part of a community," says Hodge, who oozes enthusiasm for the history of the capital's drinking dens, as he explains the area's royal connections. "Apart from your doctor and your Mum, the landlord is pretty much the only person who can tell you with authority when it's time to stop drinking."
We move on to our second pub, also called the Red Lion — a popular name originating from the union of Scotland and England in 1603 when many buildings in England, including pubs, started to display the red lion that was a symbol of the northern neighbour — tucked down a quiet alleyway called Crown Passage. It's next to Lock and Co, a millinery, which dates back to 1747 and still makes hats for the Duke of Edinburgh and Prince Charles.
No sign of either popping in next door for a swift half as I order a pint of Mosaic Pale Ale (£5.70) and then settle on to one of the red-velvet benches. Hodge tells us the pub used to be a brothel. It's supposed to be connected by tunnel to St James' Palace nearby, so King Charles II could easily pop up to meet his mistress Nell Gwyn, and a small cellar door, said to lead to the tunnels, is named after her.
After two drinks there's a wind in our sails, the rain is easing and so we stroll on to Pall Mall, past Clarence House, the London residence of the Prince of Wales. Our guide assures me that Charles will give a wave if he sees our group, then we're down The Mall, across to Buckingham Palace, and through St James's Park.
We carry on at a leisurely pace to the 18th-century Two Chairmen pub on Dartmouth St, where there's a chance to pause for chicken tikka skewers, a hog-roast burger or ham, egg and chips, washed down with a pint of London Glory cask ale. We chat about why pubs remain so popular in Britain and Aussie Steve says that "in London everyone lives in a cramped flat and few people drive, so a pub is an extension of your living room where you can escape and just have a few drinks with your mates." It makes sense.
We leave and it's on past Westminster Abbey to our final destination, the Marquis of Granby. It's another popular pub name, because the marquis was an army man in the 18th century and when many of his men left service, he encouraged them to become publicans and landlords. En route, Hodge leads us down quiet side streets and through tranquil squares that I, as a 25-year-Londoner, never knew existed, away from the throngs who are aiming for the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben.
Once inside I order a pint of Great Newsome Pigs Ear ale (£4.55) and a pork pie with brown sauce. Near our table is a bell, which rings when politicians, many of whom frequent the place during lengthy parliamentary debates, have to rush back to vote in the House of Commons. Once it goes they have eight minutes to shut up, sup up and get back to work pronto. During our visit it remains silent, thankfully not disturbing the boisterous chatter of the people on the table next to us debating Meghan Markle's wedding dress and the royal couple's possible honeymoon destination. Cheers to the happy couple.
FACT BOX
DETAILS The three hour London historic royal pub tour with Urban Adventures starts from $65pp.
