On the day Prince William walks down the aisle in April 2011 the world will be a very different place to when his parents married 30 years ago in 1981.
Back then there were no emails; mobile/cell phones were in their infancy, and The Tweets was the name of a band whose "Birdy Song" peaked at Number Two in the UK pop charts that year, and became a big hit across the dance-floors of Europe (as well as topping a chart of the most annoying songs of all time).
But it isn't just the virtual world that has changed, Westminster Abbey may be little altered from 30 years ago, but the rest of the capital, and indeed many other UK cities, have changed beyond belief.
When Charles and Diana wed at St Paul's Cathedral on 29 July 1981, the recently opened NatWest Tower (now called Tower 42) was the tallest building in the UK, but only stood at 183metres/600 feet high - now Renzo Piano's Shard by London Bridge has just become the tallest building in Britain, having topped Canary Wharf's One Canada Square, and when completed in 2013 The Shard will stand at 1017 feet.
In the month of the wedding, the London Docklands Development Corporation was established, with the aim of regenerating the old docklands in East London, which had fallen into disuse. Canary Wharf was not due to be completed for another ten years, while the Docklands Light Railway and London City Airport were not in operation for another six years. (The Museum of London Docklands is an excellent place to find out more about this area).
And the East End of Brick Lane, Shoreditch and Hoxton, with its vibrant markets, lively bars and art galleries, now one of the top spots for visitors to London, certainly wasn't on the average itinerary of 30 years ago.
Thinking of heading toLondon
Back then there were no emails; mobile/cell phones were in their infancy, and The Tweets was the name of a band whose "Birdy Song" peaked at Number Two in the UK pop charts that year, and became a big hit across the dance-floors of Europe (as well as topping a chart of the most annoying songs of all time).
But it isn't just the virtual world that has changed, Westminster Abbey may be little altered from 30 years ago, but the rest of the capital, and indeed many other UK cities, have changed beyond belief.
When Charles and Diana wed at St Paul's Cathedral on 29 July 1981, the recently opened NatWest Tower (now called Tower 42) was the tallest building in the UK, but only stood at 183metres/600 feet high - now Renzo Piano's Shard by London Bridge has just become the tallest building in Britain, having topped Canary Wharf's One Canada Square, and when completed in 2013 The Shard will stand at 1017 feet.
In the month of the wedding, the London Docklands Development Corporation was established, with the aim of regenerating the old docklands in East London, which had fallen into disuse. Canary Wharf was not due to be completed for another ten years, while the Docklands Light Railway and London City Airport were not in operation for another six years. (The Museum of London Docklands is an excellent place to find out more about this area).
And the East End of Brick Lane, Shoreditch and Hoxton, with its vibrant markets, lively bars and art galleries, now one of the top spots for visitors to London, certainly wasn't on the average itinerary of 30 years ago.
Thinking of heading to
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