to wonder what sort of people camp outside overnight to watch a wedding

[fedupalready]

Are they for real, grown up people camping outside in tents,very unhygenic & totally daft, who are these nutters?

Americans I imagine...well lots of them anyway!!

We went to the Caribbean in November and all the Americans there were obsessed by it, thats all they could talk about!

I think they are, collectively, mad as a box of frogs. I'd rather drink my own shit through a Crazy Straw than sleep on the pavement in order to watch anything connected with the Royal Family.

But actually, I'd hate it if there weren't crowds of people prepared to do it because I love the idea that Britain is a nation of eccentrics and what sort of event would it be without the plastic flag waving hordes?

Don't be so superior, people like to do different things, what interests you probably doesn't interest them. It is totally harmless and doesn't affect you one iota. I can't bear the smuggery about this wedding. Lots of people dont give a toss, me included, but lots of people do. Good luck to them. Stop talking about them as if they are some sort of dimwitted underclass.

some folk have even brought their pets along to watch the wedding, how sweet. (camping to, hope they clear up the dogs mess)

theres nowt as strange as folk

On the lunchtime news they showed a spaniel in a tiara, someone with a selection of hats and a pensioner who had travelled over specially from New Zealand, plus loads of vocal Americans.

I think they're all mad - but I mean that in an affectionate way IYSWIM. They do bring an amazing eccentric quality to the celebration.

Bit like those who queue overnight for Henman Hill / Murray Mount.

DH and I waited overnight in the Mall for Di's funeral. I wasn't a Di fan, but we both decided on the spur of the moment to head up to town the evening before. Didn't take a tent or anything, just a couple of folding chairs and big fleece blankets and a flask of Brandy, and just set them out at the front.
We were both of the attitude that 'We may not get to see pomp and ceremony like this again', and as someone said before It's the only time you can hangout in London overnight, and not be moved on.
I'm glad we went, the atmosphere was surreal. Wandering up and down the Mall at 4am, whilst DH had 40 winks, chatting to different people.
We were at a point just past where the young boys joined the cortege, from Clarence House. As they turned the corner, we then heard what I can only describe as an audible mexican wave. Imagine a sharp intake of breath, and the sound that makes, then have that travel down the crowd of 20 deep people. Something I'll never forget.
I'm working tomorrow, but may have considered taking a chair up to The Mall overnight if not. I'm not a Royalist, and indifferent to the wedding if anything, but all the ceremonial marching , and the liveried coach drivers are truly a spectacle, and a sight to behold if you're at the front. Couldn't be doing with camping for days. I value my hygiene too much couldn't do without a shower!

i think it's sort of sweet, someone had a child's gazebo - hope they weren't sleeping in that!

On a serious note - I think it's the atmosphere that attracts the British to an event like this - they love a party with a happy atmosphere.

It gives them something to do. If you think about it hard enough most leisure activities are pointless. I'd rather camp out for the royal wedding than go fishing for example.

Yes I hate the smugness of some of the "I don't give a shit about the wedding" types.

Fair enough if you don't but don't think you are a superior being to those who do. I've seen more moaning about the "wedding hype" then I've seen hype. Before this week I found it perfectly possible to escape the wedding, though not so possible to escape people moaning about the wedding coverage, and I think it's acceptable to discuss it a lot in the media from a week or so before the big day!

I wouldn't want to camp out there but can understand why people would. I think the best bit must be the camaraderie of putting up with a bit of hardship. I did queue for six hours to get in Wimbledon once.

I love people being 'as mad as a box of frogs'- eccentricity is far more uplifting than endless carping- which gets you down. Some people are so joyless.

'I think I am about to be kicked off MN for confessing this but when I was 21` I spent the night in the Mall for prince ANdrew and Sarah Ferguson's wedding.'

jaw.hitting.floor. omg! you saddo. :o

as to the kind of people who camp overnight for the royal wedding: complete fecking rejects.

Those people have been there the better part of the week. Where are they taking showers??

Boak. Can you imagine how pongy it is there?

I think those festivals are all silly, too. Hanging around, getting progressively stinkier and using rank portable loos that get more and more vile as the days go by just holds no appeal for me.

What they will definitely need is she-wees

YANBU

What's wrong with it? I can't understand why people would camp out all night to watch Tim Henman play tennis but Prince William's wedding day will be recorded in history and they want to say they were there, that's all.

And why is it unhygienic? They will have been catered for with portaloos.

I bet they're all having a great time.

they are all fruitcakes - and thank god for em - the world needs more freaks!

Well I walked past the tents by the Abbey yesterday and they were mainly middle aged or older and enjoying being interviewed by the countless interviewers with obligatory cameraman. They all seemed very happy - I stopped to watch for a while. But I did wonder if they would get very bored. Wrt washing I am assuming they would use the facilities at Victoria Station. I suppose they would take it in turns to go to the toilet in a cafe or something. The person I wondered most about was a group (the only ones) of Australians on the Mall. They had very nice chairs but no tent so not sure what they were planning on doing. I also saw Sharon Osbourne but that wasn't very exciting.

Not washing for days, using portaloos with no handwashing facility, sleeping on the pavement. Sounds pretty unhygenic to me.

Nothing wrong with it, per se, just that it's pathetic, IMO.

Oh let them be, OP.

I imagine the atmosphere will be jolly.