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A multimillion-pound ring of steel will see snipers on rooftops, undercover officers among the crowds and armed police trained to deal with a Mumbai-style terror atrocity in central London.
Threats from al Qaida-inspired extremists, dissident Irish republican terrorists, anarchists and even lone stalkers will have been factored into the policing operation.
But the security is likely to be balanced with the desire to let onlookers enjoy the atmosphere as the wedding brings key parts of the capital to a standstill.
The event will see the Royal Family, celebrities and many senior Government figures gathering with 50 foreign heads of state to celebrate the happy couple’s day.
With hundreds of millions watching around the world, tensions will be running high, with senior officers keen to avoid another embarrassing episode like the one which saw protesters attack a car carrying the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall last December.
And the police will be taking no chances. During the Pope’s visit last September, six cleaners were arrested by counter-terrorism officers and later released without charge amid reports that they had been overheard making a joke in a canteen.
Thousands of officers will line the streets and concentric rings of security around Buckingham Palace and Westminster will ripple out across much of London.
But hundreds more will be working behind the scenes on counter-terrorism measures, with others carefully monitoring the plethora of CCTV cameras for anyone acting suspiciously.
Large numbers of officers are also expected to be kept in reserve to respond to emerging threats or disorder.
Sharpshooters and mounted patrols will be in key positions overlooking the celebrations while plain-clothes officers will be in the crowd along with sniffer dogs.
The key threat of a Mumbai-style attack on the streets of Britain has seen extra firearms officers being trained to higher levels and ministers involved in terror-training exercises.
Referring to threats faced by the UK, Security Minister Baroness Neville-Jones said recently that a Mumbai-style attack “is one for which we must be prepared”.
In the run-up to the wedding, every nook and cranny inside Westminster Abbey is likely to be checked by sniffer dogs, with sewers and drains along the route likely to be closed off.
Estimates of the security costs alone top £20 million, with thousands of police officers earning double-time after the wedding was designated as a bank holiday.
