Buckingham Palace have reported a last minute rush to see Duchess Catherine’s wedding dress.
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The royal household had announced that there were just 1,000 advance tickets left for the palace’s summer opening – which features items from Catherine and Prince William’s wedding among the displays – before it ends on Monday (03.10.11), but they have now sold out*, with long queues forming for those wishing to get into the exhibition.
A Royal Collection spokeswoman said: “The royal wedding attracted worldwide interest, so it’s only natural people have wanted to come to take a closer look at the Duchess of Cambridge’s dress, which celebrates great British design. Advance tickets have sold out for the final week, but there are some available each day on the door.”
Catherine’s dress is displayed alongside the Cartier Halo tiara she was loaned for the wedding by the queen, her handmade shoes, the diamond earrings she wore which were a gift from her parents, a replica of her bouquet, the three-tier wedding cake and official photographs.
Visitor numbers this year are up 20 per cent from 2010 and are expected to top 500,000 for the first time since Queen Elizabeth’s official residence was opened to the public in 1994.
* Though direct advance tickets have sold out, check LondonNet’s Buckingham Palace ticket page for availability. At time of writing – afternoon, 28.09.11 – we still had some left.