Eurostar, the high-speed passenger service that ‘marries’ Britain and the continent has reported a 28% surge in inbound bookings for the royal wedding on Friday 29 April, compared to the same weekend last year.

Thousands of people from across Europe are expected to travel to London with Eurostar to see Prince William and Kate Middleton tie the knot, as royal wedding fever sweeps across the continent.

Lionel Benbassat, Head of Sales and Marketing in France for Eurostar said:

“Not since Charles and Diana married in 1981 have we seen such huge interest across the continent in the British royal family. People are truly fascinated by this wedding and they want to experience the excitement of the big day and the party atmosphere first hand.

“This fascination isn’t just limited to countries that have a monarchy themselves. We’ve seen a surge in bookings from republican Germany and France as well as from Belgium and the Netherlands, which have their own monarchies. After three years of financial austerity, it looks like Europe is gearing up for party.”

According to Visit London around 1.1 million people are expected to visit London when Prince William and Kate Middleton get married on April 29.

With convenient connections and fast journey times, it’s easy to travel between London and the continent with Eurostar. Journey times between London and Amsterdam and London and Cologne are just over four hours and between London and Marseille just over six hours.