Have you received your invitation to Wills and Kate's wedding? No? Perhaps it got lost in the mail. For those of us who aren't on speed dial with the British royal family, there may yet be a way to get an exclusive peek at the upcoming royal wedding...or at least the site of it, prior to the event. Mobile-phone users across the globe (okay, so maybe not so exclusive) will be able to take a virtual walk up the aisle of The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster – commonly known as Westminster Abbey – ahead of Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding, reports Reuters.
The Abbey 3D app will give Android, iPhone and iPad users access to the historic royal church using a technique commonly used in film production but rarely applied to mobile devices.
The app begins at the Great West Door, where Middleton will enter on April 29th, before proceeding up the aisle to the High Altar.
Flashing up along the way will be “hotspots” of information, including the Grave of the Unknown Warrior, and their significance on the day of the wedding.
Archive pictures and potted biographies on key participants at the royal wedding will be on the app as well as archive pictures and historic facts of previous royal weddings.
It will also show a cross-section bird's-eye view of the abbey showing the layout of the church.
The original Westminster Abbey was consecrated in 1065 by pre-Norman conquest king Edward the Confessor, though the current building is a blend of later architecture dating between 1245 and 1517. The church was designated by Queen Elizabeth I as a “Royal Peculiar,” a church responsible directly to the English sovereign, rather than to a diocesan bishop, as is customary in the Church of England.
Tracey Schelmetic is a contributing editor for TechZone360. To read more of Tracey's articles, please visit her columnist page.Edited by
Rich Steeves