Navy personnel and Royal Marines ready to play their part at Windsor wedding
Hard work has been put in on the parade ground ahead of Saturday’s festivities.
Royal Navy sailors have spoken of their nerves and honour at providing ceremonial duties at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
Personnel from the Fleet’s Small Ships and Diving Units and 30 Commando IX Group Royal Marines from Plymouth will be among the 250 members of the armed forces at the royal wedding on Saturday.
The sailors have been rehearsing their role at HMS Collingwood in Fareham, Hampshire.
“It’s an honour for us to be involved in such an event and bolsters the already great relationship between the Royal Family and the military.
“We have done a lot of ceremonial duties in the last 12 months, including Royal duties in London, which was a first for the Royal Navy, and now a royal wedding.
“The guys will be able to cope with the pressure on the day because we have done a lot of training and it’s all about repetition so that they are focused on what they are doing.
“Nerves are a good thing and a bit of healthy nervousness is good in my book. We are absolutely ready to go.”
Able Seaman (Diver) Andy Waller is representing Southern Diving Unit 2 (SDU2), based at Horsea Island in Portsmouth, at the wedding.
His unit is the first to respond to explosive ordnance discovered in the south of the country including a 500lb Second World War German bomb found during dredging work at London City Airport.
2For me the highlight will be once we’re finished and I can look back and know we’ve done a good job, and that everything went well on the day.
“This is a seminal moment for the British royal family which does not happen very often.
“Prince Harry is well loved by the military so we’re very proud to be taking part.”
