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Video: Inside the church where William, Kate will say ‘I do’

  1. Closed captioning of: Inside the church where William, Kate will say ‘I do’

    >>> we are back in london as we count down to the royal wedding . all eyes will be on westminster abbey on april 29th . we were taken on a private tour by the man who will conduct the ceremony. dr. john haul, westminster's dean. founded in 960 and steeped in over 1,000 years of history, westminster abbey is known as the church of kings. 38 monarchs have been crowned here. the most recent, queen elizabeth in 1953 . it has also been the site of many royal weddings. from queen elizabeth and prince philip to the recent wedding of prince andrew to sarah ferguson in 1986 . but in just six weeks, prince william will greet his bride as she walks into this historic and sacred church. if you could set the scene for us, kate middleton will walk down this aisle. what will she see at this point?

    >> there will be guests, friends, facing inwards. she'll come through the choir screen into the choir area here where there will be some very important people, no doubt it shall -- government representatives.

    >> in the choir area?

    >> in the choir area. high commissioners , ambassadors. when you get to the middle of the choir, the choirs themselves will be sitting either side. there will be a row of boys in front and the westminster boys choir in behind. she comes into this space when the abbey opens up. you have the north and south trancept with poets, musicians, and statesmen.

    >> they are names you may have heard of. newton, darwin and shakespeare, all buried or memorialized in the abbey.

    >> this is the place of the acclamation of coronation and this is the point at which she will encounter members of her family and friends , the royal family on the right.

    >> the royal family is here.

    >> and the middleton family on the left.

    >> where will the queen be?

    >> just here, nearest the steps with other members of the royal family . of course the prince of wales and duchess of cornwall . catherine will come to this point. i expect william will meet her here and together they will walk up the steps to the kneelers, this extraordinary 16th century area.

    >> absolutely.

    >> and the marriage itself will begin here.

    >> now, the maid of honor, her sister pippa and the best man, prince harry , will they be here at the base of the steps?

    >> the normal convention is the best man is beside the bridegroom and maids of honor are behind.

    >> right. what is your role?

    >> i will be leading the bride and her father up through the church. then the bridesmaids and page boys. the usher of canterbury is marrying them quite rightly. the bishop of london will give an address. it will all happen in this space.

    >> they take their vows here and they go behind to sign?

    >> and they will emerge from the other doors and on their way.

    >> this is your first royal wedding you have officiated.

    >> yes.

    >> you have been dean since 2006 . what does it mean to row?

    >> of course it's tremendously exciting. it's going to be a wonderful occasion. we are delighted for prince william and for catherine. we wish them every blessing under god and for the whole of their life together.

    >> they are talking about possibly 2 billion people watching the wedding.

    >> alarming, isn't it? wonderful. there is a lot to depress us just at the moment. one of the things that i once heard prince william say is he hoped it would be uplifting for people, a moment of joy. i think people will be engaged with it.

    >> what advice do you give the couple?

    >> i hope they will really enjoy the occasion, that they will have a strong sense of making their vows to each other in the presence of god.

    >> is there something in particular you will say to them before you walk kate down the aisle?

    >> when the moment comes, i will be there to greet her and her father when she arrives. i hope that she'll be able to steady herself.

    >> steady herself?

    >> yeah.

    >> westminster abbey also serves as the location of the funeral of princess diana . the dean told me that celebrating both happy and sad occasions is what creates a connection with your church. so william will definiteliy feel a deep connection

Photos: Westminster Abbey

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  1. Westminster Abbey

    Here comes the ... dean. The Dean of Westminster Abbey, John Hall, walks through Britain's most famous church, where Prince William married fiancée Kate Middleton on April 29, 2011 before a global audience that topped 2 billion people. (Toby Melville / Reuters) Back to slideshow navigation
  2. Westminster Abbey is where William's grandparents, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, wed in 1947; it was also the site of his mother Princess Diana's funeral in 1997. (Dan Kitwood / Getty Images) Back to slideshow navigation
  3. The royal insignia is seen above the Great West Door entrance of Westminster Abbey in central London. Westminster Abbey is one of the finest examples of neo-Gothic architecture in the country and is of great historical and symbolic significance, as the location where sovereigns since the 11th century have been crowned, including Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. (Toby Melville / Reuters) Back to slideshow navigation
  4. Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, center left in orange, arrive to attend the ninth Inauguration of the General Synod at Westminster Abbey on Nov. 23. Royal officials said that Prince William and Kate Middleton chose the venue for its beauty, intimacy and historic royal connections. (Dan Kitwood / AP) Back to slideshow navigation
  5. The April 29 royal wedding at the nearly 1,000-year-old Westminster Abbey is expected to cost around $40 million. (Akira Suemori / AP) Back to slideshow navigation
  6. Verger Ian Thompson cleans the Grave of the Unknown Warrior at Westminster Abbey on November 10. On Nov. 11, 1920, a coffin containing the body of an unidentified member of the armed forces from the First World War battlefields was buried here. The warrior represented all those lost on the battlefields who never returned home for burial. (Peter Macdiarmid / Getty Images) Back to slideshow navigation
  7. The High Altar in Westminster Abbey during the ceremony for the ninth Inauguration of the General Synod, attended by Britain's Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, and the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams. (Pool / Reuters) Back to slideshow navigation
  8. An organist plays at Westminster Abbey during the General Synod on November 23. (Dan Kitwood / Getty Images) Back to slideshow navigation
  9. A view of Westminster Abbey showing the Lantern roof. Nearly every British king and queen since William I has been crowned here, and 18 are buried here. (Peter Macdiarmid / Getty Images) Back to slideshow navigation
  10. An actor dressed as Charles Darwin looks at the grave of Charles Darwin at Westminster Abbey; many prominent British subjects are buried at the abbey, including Isaac Newton and Geoffrey Chaucer. (Afp / AFP/Getty Images) Back to slideshow navigation
  11. The Great West Door at Westminster Abbey, which became a popular venue for royal weddings when Princess Patricia of Connaught wed the Honourable Alexander Ramsay here in 1919. (Dan Kitwood / Getty Images) Back to slideshow navigation
  12. Statues above the Great West Door entrance of Westminster Abbey. (Toby Melville / Reuters) Back to slideshow navigation
  13. In September, Pope Benedict XVI became the first pope to enter the nearly 1,000-year-old Westminster Abbey. (Dan Kitwood / Getty Images) Back to slideshow navigation
  14. Visitors walk near Alfred Lord Tennyson's gravestone in Poets' Corner in Westminster Abbey. (Peter Macdiarmid / Getty Images) Back to slideshow navigation
  15. Prince William and Kate Middleton got married before approximately 1,900 guests at the abbey. (Dan Kitwood / Getty Images) Back to slideshow navigation
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  1. Image: The Dean of Westminster Abbey, John Hall, walks through Westminster Abbey, in central
    Toby Melville / Reuters
    Above: Slideshow (15) Westminster Abbey: 1,000 years of history
  2. Mario Testino / Art Partner
    Slideshow (27) A royal couple’s long courtship
  3. franklinmint.com
    Slideshow (87) Wacky royal wedding memorabilia

Timeline: A history of British royal weddings

Take a look back at the gorgeous and famous British royal weddings in the last 80 years.

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