LONDON — Prince William and Kate Middleton spent their last night as singles several miles apart Thursday – she in a small luxury hotel, he at Clarence House, both surrounded by family – before next seeing each other Friday morning at Westminster Abbey for the royal wedding watched ’round the world.
Kate arrived at the boutique Goring Hotel in central London about 5:45pm local time (12:45 ET) accompanied by her sister and maid-of-honor, Pippa, and their mother, Carole.
The 29-year-old bride-to-be, dressed in a black print dress and white jacket, appeared relaxed and smiling as she ran her fingers through her long, straight hair and waved several times at the crowd gathered behind police barricades to watch the bridal party arrivals.
A white canopy, designed to shield Kate from cameras as she leaves Friday in her still-secret wedding dress, extended from the hotel onto the pavement outside.
According to Us Weekly magazine, Kate and her family enjoyed a sumptuous dinner of smoked salmon blinis, chateaubriand, vegetables and a sauvignon blanc wine.
William, 28, dined Thursday night at Clarence House, a four-story royal residence on the Mall, with his father, Prince Charles, brother, Prince Harry, and stepmother, the Duchess of Cornwall.
At one point Thursday evening, the future king appeared outside Clarence House, grinning non-stop, to shake hands and chat briefly with scores of cheering supporters.
Dressed casually in a blue shirt, dark sweater and tan pants, he beamed and appeared ebullient as he grasped outstretched hands and said “thank you” and “so nice to see you.” At one point he asked two women wearing sunflower headpieces if they were going to be warm enough.
When he finally left with a wave, cheers and screams erupted from the delighted crowd.
Their last night apart capped a day in which Kate went through a final rehearsal at Westminster Abbey for Friday’s ceremony, this time with best man Harry and bridesmaids in tow.
Prince William did not attend. On Wednesday, he managed to fit in some last minute de-stressing soccer time, playing with friends in south London for several hours – by one account, he was wearing mismatched socks, England shorts and an Aston villa T-shirt – before speeding off on a Ducati motorbike.
But with the “night before” being kept tightly private, all eyes were focused on Friday’s ceremony, scheduled to begin at 11 am (6am ET) and expected to be watched by a worldwide audience of two billion.
Kate will arrive at the Abbey in a Rolls Royce minutes before the start of the single-ring ceremony (William has chosen not to wear one), expected to last approximately one hour.
The weather is predicted to be about 17 degrees Celsius (62 Fahrenheit) with a risk of showers – although superstition says rain on a wedding day is good luck.
There will be some 1900 invited guests – now less one, since the UK Foreign Office withdrew the Syrian ambassador’s invitation Thursday, saying in light of recent Syrian security force attacks on civilians, his presence would be “unacceptable.”
On Thursday, details of William and Kate’s vows were released – she will not pledge to “obey” her husband but will pledge to “love, comfort, honor and keep him” – along with some of the musical selections.
She will make her three-and-a-half minute walk down the aisle with her father, Michael, to the dramatic strains of a coronation anthem, “I Was Glad” by Sir Charles Hubert Hastings Parry from Psalm 122.
Other musical pieces will include the popular hymn “Jerusalem” the traditional English melody “Greensleeves” and works by Edward Elgar and Benjamin Britten.
William also chose to include “Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer,” which was sung during his mother, Princess Diana’s, funeral service in 1997.
After the service, Kate’s wedding bouquet will be placed on the Grave of the Unknown Warrior at the Abbey, a tradition begun by Queen Elizabeth, the late Queen mother. Princess Diana also left her bouquet there.
The official wedding program, also released in advance of the service, carried a message from Kate and William saying the outpouring of affection ahead of their wedding was “incredibly moving.”
It was that good will that helped bring some 600,000 extra visitors to London for the celebration, with many expected to crowd the streets hoping to catch a glimpse of the carriage transporting Kate and William from the Abbey to Buckingham Palace with a household cavalry escort.
And for those outside the palace, the moment known as “the kiss” should come about 1:25 pm (8:25am ET) when Kate, William and their families appear on the palace balcony.
Queen Elizabeth II, William’s grandmother, will host a lunchtime reception. But the monarch announced Thursday she would then leave for the weekend, meaning she will miss the bridal couple’s black-tie party at the palace Friday night, along with Prince Harry’s best man’s speech.