Few towns are as quintessentially English as Windsor, the bucolic riverside locale where Prince Harry and American actress Meghan Markle will get married on May 19.

And few towns are as pleasing when a warm spring sun bakes off the morning mist. Even the plump white swans on the Thames River seem relieved that the winter is over.

Most of the swans belong to Queen Elizabeth II and must be counted each year by Her MajestyB次元官网网址檚 Swan Marker, a ritual that reflects the dominant role the Windsors play in the town whose name the royal family adopted as a surname a century ago.

All roads seem to lead to Windsor Castle, a magnificent fortress perched high on a hill topped by the royal standard when the queen is in residence. It is here B次元官网网址� a favoured royal playground since William the Conqueror built the first structure in 1070 B次元官网网址� that the royal wedding will take place.

Harry, one of the least traditional young royals, has chosen the most traditional of venues.

Fevered preparations are underway: Many roads have been repaved, street signs are being repainted, storefronts are decked out with life-size cutouts of Harry and Markle and shoppers are being lured by souvenirs of all kinds.

Windsor is getting a bit of a makeover, just like the monarchy, which is rebranding itself with attention focused on the new, younger generation of princes as the 92-year-old queen slowly reduces her public duties.

B次元官网网址淓verything is now in place, weB次元官网网址檙e 99.9 per cent of the way there,B次元官网网址� said town councillor Phillip Bicknell, who expects more than 100,000 people on the royal wedding day if the weather is good. B次元官网网址淲e believe this is going to be the biggest number of people fitting into Windsor for any event. ItB次元官网网址檚 going to be quite tight, but the atmosphere will be electric.B次元官网网址�

ThereB次元官网网址檚 already a party feel in Windsor well in advance of the actual party. Tourists from around the world arrive daily by train and walk through the royal shopping arcade to the castle. No one, it seems, can resist the impulse to take a selfie in front of the castle.

The royal wedding itself is a party on a grand scale, with 600 guests invited to the ceremony in St. GeorgeB次元官网网址檚 Chapel, another 2,640 invited to the castleB次元官网网址檚 grounds, and tens of thousands more expected to throng the townB次元官网网址檚 narrow streets hoping for a glimpse of the newlyweds.

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Security barriers are being put in place and an elaborate police deployment plan has been mapped out. ItB次元官网网址檚 fairly easy to establish a secure perimeter around the castle grounds, and a no-fly, no-drone zone will be enforced to keep the airspace clear. Still, Harry and Meghan are determined to ride outside the castle in an open horse-drawn carriage, which calls for extra protective measures.

Police are using an automatic license plate recognition system to flag any known suspicious vehicles. Many roads into the town centre will be blocked off to lessen the chances of a vehicle attack on the huge crowds expected at the foot of the castle.

Police with automatic weapons can already be seen on the streets of Windsor, a jarring fact reflecting that BritainB次元官网网址檚 official terrorism threat level is set at B次元官网网址渟evere,B次元官网网址� indicating an attack is judged highly likely.

Before the spate of extremist attacks on Britain last year, it was common to see some royals in the streets and in the park surrounding the town. When the queen was younger it wasnB次元官网网址檛 unusual to see her on horseback, walking through a park, or driving her Jaguar through the narrow streets.

That happens less frequently now, but the royal presence still permeates Windsor. Many are excited about the mantle being handed to Harry and older brother Prince William.

B次元官网网址淵ouB次元官网网址檒l see them about now and again,B次元官网网址� says Dean Wright, an artist at the darkened Rogue Tattoo Windsor studio. B次元官网网址淵ouB次元官网网址檒l see the Duke of Edinburgh (the queenB次元官网网址檚 husband, also known as Prince Philip) riding in a carriage in the morning. IB次元官网网址檝e seen her go by in a convertible, a nice one. The royals are popular. With the princes becoming more public, the people really like them.B次元官网网址�

Wright has had a surge in demand for tattoos with traditional British themes: the castle, the crown, the London skyline B次元官网网址� and a profile of the queenB次元官网网址檚 face lit with the famous David Bowie lightning flash.

B次元官网网址淭he wedding will make us busier for sure,B次元官网网址� he said of WindsorB次元官网网址檚 business community. B次元官网网址淚t will definitely bring more people in. Everyone wants to get involved.B次元官网网址�

Vijay Kapur, the manager of the nearby Havana House cigar emporium, is less certain. He fears extra security, road closures and big crowds may keep real shoppers at bay. But he knows the long-term benefit of having a major royal event in the heart of Windsor.

HeB次元官网网址檚 offering two cigars B次元官网网址� a Romeo and Julieta, for its romantic connotations, and a Rocky Patel Royale, because it has royal in the name B次元官网网址� packaged with a cigar cutter and cigar matches in a special royal wedding gift box. But heB次元官网网址檚 not expecting a crush of buyers.

B次元官网网址淪ome businesses may suffer if the road to their stall is closed that day, but I think the royal presence is great,B次元官网网址� Kapur said. B次元官网网址淚t adds to the aura of the town, especially the castle. You can absorb and feel the culture and the tradition and the history. It puts the town on the map.B次元官网网址�

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Gregory Katz, The Associated Press

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