The much awaited Royal Wedding is almost here as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle prepare to tie the knot at Windsor Castle tomorrow.
The son of Prince Charles and Princess Diana and sixth in line to the throne Harry and the American-born actress Meghan have invited about six hundred guests besides nearly 2,000 members of the public, who although won’t be allowed inside the Chapel but will witness the royal proceedings from the grounds of Windsor Castle.
Albeit providing such large-scale security protection is a big challenge, nonetheless, officers of the Royalty Protection Squad of London’s Metropolitan Police, known as SO14, are fully prepared to face any eventuality. This comes amid fears that terrorists could use the event to launch an unmanned attack not only on the couple, and nearly 80 other members of the Royal Family including the Queen but also on senior government and military dignitaries that will be attending, as well as over 100,000 members of the public that will lining-up to watch the procession.
According to reports, Counter Terrorism Command (CTC) and Thames Valley Police are confident to take care of security arrangements, thanks to the highly effective high-tech measures in place. However, should an unexpected incident erupt, then Special Forces will take control?
While drains have been sealed, litter bins removed and police snipers posted on tall buildings, CTC has also identified the aerial threat posed by drones. A no-fly zone has already been put in place to reduce the risk of attack from the air. Scotland Yard's detectives and other undercover officers will also watch for threats from the crowd. Additionally, the police have also worked with elite SAS teams and other key defense units to deploy the Anti-UAV Defence System (AIDS).
For those not familiar, AIDS are used only in ultra-high profile events such as the G8 summit and NATO meets. The highly advanced defense system can be mounted on to a vehicle to become completely mobile and can take less than a second to detect an intruder zone that crosses a pre-established virtual cordon. If an unauthorized UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) trespasses into a no-fly zone including intruder “paparazzi” remotely piloted vehicles (RPVs), plans have been put in place to virtually “freeze" the drones in the sky until its power runs out.
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Further, there will be screening locations positioned all over Windsor and as such whether visitors arrive by rail or road, all spectators will have to get through a rigorous screening in order to gain access to the secured areas around Windsor castle.
Meanwhile, according to V3, television broadcasters have also gone high tech. For instance, Britain's Sky News has teamed up with Amazon Web Services (AWS), to broadcast the wedding with a service called "Who's Who Live". Using Amazon's Recognition software, the names of guests will appear as subtitles on screen.
The British broadcaster has confirmed that the feature is a first for a royal wedding. David Gibbs, the company’s director of digital news, said in a press statement: “This new functionality allows Royal Wedding viewers greater insight into one of the biggest live events of the year, wherever they are. We’re excited by the software’s potential and ability to give audiences new ways of consuming content.”
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