Small Crowd Gathers to Watch Royal Wedding at Cameron's

Amidst British paraphernalia, neon lights, strong tea and a breakfast of bangers, eggs and beans, about two dozen people gathered early this morning to watch the Royal Wedding at in Half Moon Bay.

The fact that the wedding took place at 3 a.m. didn’t deter Half Moon Bay resident Patti Holt and her 14-year-old twin daughters Abi and Hayley. They made it to Cameron’s right as Kate Middleton arrived at Westminster Abbey shortly before 3 a.m.

“We went to bed at 9 p.m.,” Holt said. “I remember the moon landing and my dad getting us up to watch the event on TV…when we heard that this was going on here, we thought it would be a fun place to go.”

While the Holt family watched the wedding in an outer room at Cameron’s, Angela Hey, a Portola Valley resident, sat on a barstool in the main room lined with big screen TVs for a front row seat to the wedding. 

“It’s a British holiday so I wanted to come out and watch it here,” said Hey, originally from Yorkshire, England. “I set out a British flag and a Scottish flag of St. Andrews outside my house, along with red, white and blue paper wedding bells.”

“The bells are actually for Fourth of July but I thought that since Kate’s parents run a party supply company, it would be appropriate,” she said.

Though it was the middle of the night, Hey didn’t seem the least bit tired. Nursing a cup of tea, she exchanged intermittent commentary with Half Moon Bay resident Gary Cakebread, sitting to the right of her at the bar.

“She can’t quite do the wave right,” Hey said to Cakebread, smiling. “She’s got her fingers slightly open,” she said as Middleton waved to the crowd from her car on the way to the church.

Cakebread agreed. “She couldn’t twist her wrist – she was waving straight,” he said.

Like the Holt family, Cakebread took a nap beforehand and got to Cameron’s at  2 a.m. this morning. “My wife was snoring, so she woke me up,” he said. “I wanted to come down because Cameron was putting out a spread…hopefully this is history.”

“It’s pretty cool, the pomp and majesty of it all,” he said.

Others found themselves at Cameron’s because it was the only bar in the Bay Area that they knew of which would be open to broadcast the wedding live.

Alicia, a technical recruiter who used to live in London, drove down from San Francisco. “I called around to all the bars in the city…and I couldn’t believe that Cameron’s was the only one open,” she said.

Because Palmer couldn’t serve alcohol legally after 2 a.m., the strongest drinks in the bar – tea and coffee -- were sipped rather than thrown back. “I had some people who showed up before 2 for last call,” Palmer said.

“We’ve never been open this late before,” said Palmer, who kept the bar open all night.

Though tea and crumpets were available for order, most chose to partake in the buffet breakfast spread, which included bangers (English sausage), beans, scrambled eggs, bacon, fried potatoes, fried tomatoes and English muffins. Those seeking lighter fare munched on doughnuts instead.

Viewers were subdued, yet opinionated in their commentary.

Hey didn’t like the row of trees positioned on either side of Westminster Abbey. “It’s stupid – it hides the view,” she said.

“Must be a Prince Charles thing,” Cakebread said. “A green wedding.”

Hey praised Middleton's dress and tiara. "It's beautiful," she said of both. "I really like the dress design...she couldn't let it plunge too much."

Alicia also wasn’t shy about sharing her views. “That part when William repeated the vows – it was very robotic,” she said. “He was like an engineer.”

“The wedding was kind of dry,” Alicia continued. “No frills.”

Many weighed in on the guests’ hats -- the antler-like version worn by Princess Beatrice being the most controversial. Hey, Holt and her daughters said they didn’t care for the hat at all.

Palmer’s father Alan, a Half Moon Bay resident originally from Newcastle on Tyne, England, was pleased with the ceremony. “It was flawless,” he said, over a breakfast of eggs and bangers, his wife Adora sitting beside him. “Everything was so well-timed and there was so much pageantry – it’s Britain at its best.”

Once Middleton and her new husband arrived at Buckingham Palace, most of the guests left to go home. But a little over half a dozen, including Hey, Holt and her daughters, stayed for the kiss on the balcony that took place after 5:15 a.m.

The chaste kiss inspired the most spirited reaction of the evening, especially from Francois Deck, a Frenchman visiting the Bay Area with his cousin. “That was a very British kiss,” he said. “One more, one more,” he chanted.

“Everyone had a good time,” Palmer said, as the last guests lingered in the front room. “It’s one of those moments where you'll always remember where you were,” he said.

“I’ll always have fond memories of being in my pub and watching the Royal Wedding,” he said.

Missed last night's fun? Come to Cameron's Restaurant for a big celebration at 8:30 p.m. tonight for wedding cake, drinks, and music. It's rumored that the King and Queen of England will make an appearance (Palmer's parents), and anyone named Elizabeth, Katherine/Kate will get a free glass of champagne. And if you're named William (or Will, Bill, Billy), Cameron Palmer will buy you a pint of Guinness. Palmer will also be rebroadcasting BBC's wedding coverage all day today in his pub. For more information, see the event flyer attached to this story in the media box to the right.