The British police said on Tuesday they have no specific intelligence about a security threat to Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding but vowed “robust” action against planned Muslim protests.
Scotland Yard said more than 5,000 police, including specialist protection and firearms officers, would be on duty for Friday’s ceremony at Westminster Abbey, while military personnel would also line the route.
“In London we operate on a daily basis against a backdrop of a severe threat from international terrorism, and of course we have planned to this threat level for this event,” Commander Christine Jones, one of the officers leading the massive security operation, told a news conference.
“But we have no specific intelligence to suggest a threat to the event at this point in time.” Britain has suffered a number of attacks by Islamist militants in recent years, the bloodiest of which were four suicide bombings on London’s transport network on July 7, 2005, which killed 52 people.
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Hotels to hike rates up to 113%
AGE CORRESPONDENT
London
LONDON, WHICH is hosting the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton on Friday, is looking at maximising financial gain from the royal extravaganza.
Research indicates that British households on average are set to spend about £267 to celebrate the occasion. Even hotel room rates are expected to rise by up to 113 per cent for the royal wedding, according to price projections. Research by the show Cooperative Bank has revealed that food and drink will be the main areas of spending on the day of royal wedding, with a combined average spend of £126.
However, travel (£41), new outfits (£42) and decorations (£29) will push the overall budget to almost £270. Average price of a stay in a central London hotel room is 26 per cent or £86.46 more expensive over the royal wedding weekend than the following weekend.