Passers-by were rather surprised today to find a traditional British street party happening outside the British Embassy in Budapest – complete with bunting, balloons (red, white and blue, naturally) and British, Indian and other foods. It’s not something you often see in Hungary….
And it was of course to mark the marriage of Their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Some 300 British, Australian, Canadian, Hungarian, US and other grown-ups and children had come to watch the BBC coverage of the happy event. And after toasts and a slice of a wonderful, multi-tiered cake, they engaged in traditional games and children’s pursuits; shopping from stalls; and enjoying some great food and drink provided by sponsors and contributed by the guests themselves.
As in the UK, we were very lucky with the weather. And there was huge local interest, with widespread newspaper coverage and many requests from TV companies for interviews from me and footage of our party. Today brought pleasure to a great many people and did a marvellous job of showcasing Britain. We hope that many who watched the wedding will want to go to the UK and see for themselves what we have to offer – not least Her Majesty the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the Olympics in 2012.
