The Royal Wedding has made London the new hot spot. Tourist authority VisitBritain predict the wedding will trigger a major tourism boom pulling in an extra 4 million or so visitors in the next few years and some £2 billion in revenue. Meanwhile WhichBudget.com, the flight search engine, says it had a 194% increase in the total number of worldwide enquiries about flights to the UK in comparison with the same time last year.
So will you join the throng and head to London? Has the Will and Kate factor worked its magic on you? If so here is our definitive guide to Prince William and Kate's (sorry we mean Catherine Duchess of Cambridge's) chic London. Gleaned from insiders, outsiders, minor aristocrats, hangers-on, party-goers, restauranteurs, hairdressers and everyone else who has gossiped about the royals, or celebrated with them over the past few days.

The  Top 20 places William and Kate go in London
1. For men. Get your hair cut at William's barber, Geo F Trumper in Curzon Street (number 9). The Trumper shops in Curzon Street, Mayfair and Duke of York Street are renowned for cutting the hair of the ruling classes. Trumper's original Curzon Street venue still has beautiful mahogany panelled private cubicles and  displays of  what the barber calls 'grooming requisites'. www.trumpers.com
2. Forget Jennifer Aniston's much-copied mane, hairdressers worldwide are now getting request for 'The Kate'. Go to the source, celebrity hairdresser Richard Ward, Kate's favourite stylist at Richard Ward Salon (82 Duke of York Square). Apparently it wasn't Ward himself who usually tames Kate's Disney princess-like locks but one James Price. The Countess of Wessex also gets her locks trimmed here. www.richardward.com

3. You'll find something similar to William's engagement suit at Turnbull & Asser. Prince William dresses in understated, upper-class style; buying suits and shirts from Turnbull & Asser (71-72 Jermyn St). Prince Charles shops here too.
4. John Lobb has been the official shoemaker to Royalty since 1863. If you have £2,000+  to spare for a pair of wing tips Lobb will make wooden copy of your feet and start the long process (waits of up to eight months have been known)  of hand-making your special footwear. William, Harry, Charles, the Duke of Edinburgh and countless other royals have been  Lobb-ed.  The fifth generation of Lobbs (one of whom is also called William as it happens) now work at the bespoke shoemaker on St James Street, Westminster. Choose from various materials including crocodile skin, elk skin and deer skin.
5. In the market for a wedding dress? Then pop along to Alexander McQueen's London address at 4-5 Old Bond Street. Since McQueen's death Sarah Burton has taken up the designer reins. www.alexandermcqueen.com/

6. Once you've done that of course you must visit the VERY aisle the dress swept down.  A visit to Westminster Abbey, the place of the wedding, is a must for all lovers of pomp ceremony and tradition. The Abbey has crowned the  royals since 1066 - a mind boggling statistic -  and seen many a royal wedding including that of The Queen and Prince Philip but not  Prince Charles and Princess Diana, who were of course married at St Pauls.
7. While on the site-seeing trail you can see eye to glassy eye with William and Kate by viewing their waxy effigies at  Madame Tussauds. www.madametussauds.com
8. Now that the crowds have dispersed a view of the balcony which has suddenly become more romantic than Juliet's after that Double Kiss is a must, so go and visit Buckingham Palace. During the summer visitors can tour the nineteen state rooms which form the heart of the palace. The rooms are decorated with some of the greatest treasures from the Royal Collection, including paintings by Rembrandt, Rubens and Canaletto and sculpture by Canova. This year the  rooms will be open from  23 July - 3 October. Entry is by timed ticket and demand is fierce.
www.royalcollection.org.uk/
9.In the palace mood? Then fashionistas please note that Kensington Palace (once the home of Princess Diana, William and Harry)) has an  'Enchanted Palace' exhibition from now until 30 June 2012. British Designers such as Paul Costelloe, Vivienne Westwood (who dressed Princess Eugenie for the royal wedding), Bruce Oldfield (favourite designer of Diana's)  and Zandra Rhodes have been commissioned to design magical installations. www.hrp.org.uk/kensingtonpalace
10.Half the guests at the royal wedding seemed to be wearing Philp Treacy hats, including Princess Beatrice in that much-commented-on hat, so head to Treacy's Conduit Street boudoir for your own flight of fancy or two. www.philiptreacy.co.uk/
11. Then head to to the Whistles branch on the king's Road where Kate Middleton shopped chain-store before the fashion designers of the world were beating a path to her door or  pop into Jigsaw where she worked briefly as an accessories buyer during her short breakup with Will in 2007.
12. Not shopped out yet? Then head to Fenwick's, because the blue silk-jersey wrap dress by Issa that Kate wore at the couple's engagement announcement was bought off the rack at this department store in Bond Street.
13. Austique was opened by Australian sisters Lindy Lopes and Katie Canvin in 2004. The shop on the Kings Road is a favourite of Kate Middleton and her sister Pippa .When they want something a little less staid than royal garden parties demand they let loose with funky fashion labels from around the world as well as accessories and jewellery (330 Kings Rd). Austique also sells online. www.austique.co.uk.
14.  For more serious jewellery go to Garrard, the specialist in crown jewels (by Royal Appointment since 1843). Garrard at 24 Albemarle Street, Mayfair is where Diana's engagement ring (now Kate's) came from. Rumour has it Diana chose it because it was the largest on the tray.
15. Not to forget the men in all this - Polistas (the name is Argentine slang for 'polo players')  is where you'll find the polo-clothes worn by William, Harry and Prince Charles. Canadian financier and polo pro Johnny Lynn launched his menswear line with the aim of aim out-Laurening Ralph. Soon all his polo-playing mates were wearing his three-pony logo (19 Shepherd Market or Westfield Central London). Tip for polo fans; find polo glamour in the middle of London at The Mini-Polo tournament in Hurlingham Park from the 3 - 5 June 2011.
16. Looking for entertainment? Visit the favourite cinema of William & Kate, Cineworld on the Fulham Road. Currently showing Thor 3D and Fast and Furious 5. Ah well. www.cineworld.co.uk
17. Then belt across London and go for a drink at The Ship, a gastropub on the Thames. The Ship is a favourite drinking spot for Wills and his brother Harry and their friends. Apart from its patronage by young royals it is also known for good food and a decent  wine list, not always true of the great British pub where warm beer the norm. The pub is pretty historic too- overlooking the Thames by the Wandsworth Bridge it has been there since it opened in 1786 as Thameside waterman's inn.
18.  To eat like a royal book a booth at Automat, modelled on an American diner it is a bit of a celebrity haunt and Kate and William are regular visitors. They tuck into hamburgers  and Caesar salad (a Kate fav) in one of the private booths lining the walls. (33 Dover Street)  www.automat-london.com
19. Tom's Kitchen is another Wills and Kate favourite.Tom Aikens is a popular celebrity chef and his main restaurant has Michelin stars and an equally starry clientele. Tom's Kitchen in  Cale Street Chelsea, however, is more of a a neighbourhood place where people hang out and relax and amongst them Kate and her prince. Although William does prefer to head for the private dining room.(27 Cale St).

20.End the night partying at the royals favourite Mayfair nightspot, Mahiki. Although Prince Charles took his sons to Christmas parties at The Ritz Wills and Kate's favourite night club is a little different; forget Ritz gold leaf, instead expect nearly 3 miles of rare black Bamboo, Mahiki is a pacific island-inspired cocktail bar-come-club on Dover Street which attracts an eclectic crowd of bright young things.  It's where both Will and Kate showed up separately during their brief hiatus back in 2007. www.mahiki.com
21. Then stay the night at The Goring. OK, we know that's 21,we're giving you one extra for free.As the whole world knows by now the Middleton family commandeered this entire 71-room, five-star hotel for the wedding, and Kate spent her last unmarried night in one of its suites. We don't know what she thought of the eccentric stuffed sheep which also live in all the rooms. Was she given a small one as a momento - TLTB has one too! A few minutes from Buckingham Palace, the century-old, family-run establishent is a firm TLTB favourite and has long been been royally favoured:  The Queen Mother loved the place and it is where her husband King George VI (and a teen Elizabeth II) came for breakfast to celebrate the end of WWII (15 Beeston Place). www.thegoring.com

 

 

Hilary Doling 1/5/11