>> this is "bbc world news." funding for this presentation is made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu. newman's own foundation. the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation. and union bank. >> union bank has put its global expertise to work for a wide range of companies. what can we do for you?

>> welcome to bbc news, broadcasting in the u.k. and across the world. live at buckingham palace with just nine hours to go to the start of the royal wedding. the prince and his people on the eve of the royal wedding. william wows the crowd with a walk about. his wife to be, kate, is at a london hotel spending her last night as a single woman. the queen gets the party started, joining other royals for a prewedding celebration. the invitation to the syrian

ambassador is withdrawn. thousands of well wishers storm the capital streets. hello and a warm welcome to you from buckingham palace, where the eyes of the world are focusing on the royal wedding between prince william and kate middleton. in less than nine hours the husband will come here as husband and wife after a glittering wedding ceremony at westminster abbey. you can see many behind me at buckingham palace. they are braving the cold because it is getting chilly overnight.

then it is about how moved they are by the public's reception. william and kate will have dinner with families. prince william went out to greet the well wishers. the queen hosted a dinner for heads of state. this is our first report on the final preparations for the big day. just a word of warning, it does include some flash photography. >> the years of waiting are almost over. accompanied by her mother and younger sister, kate middleton arrived at a hotel for her final night as a single woman. looking happy and relaxed, but

understandably feeling a little nervous about the big day ahead. the head of the family she is about to join, the queen was at another central london hotel for a reception of foreign royal families who have come to london to attend. the crowds have been gathering. it was to the abbey this morning that the bride came again for what really was the final run through. without prince william this time but with harry and the bridesmaids. the royal wedding official program has been published containing a message from william and kate in which they say they are deeply touched by the affection they have been shown. the vows the bride will take omit the word obey. she will say i katherine

elizabeth take to you to cherish until love do us part. the couple chose three hyms. so, tomorrow kate middleton will join a family in the past which hasn't been notably welcome to newcomers. on the eve of this wedding a member of that family has spoken publically in her support. the queen's cousin and one of her most trusted confidants. >> as a future queen. >> good thing for the royal family as well. >> yes. anything is good that promotes a good marriage. >> in london then pretty much everything is ready. the bands have their music and the clergy their lines and the

guests their invitations, minus a couple of diplomatic absences. everything is known except the bride's dress. was this a dress designer in disguise? who knows. and then as day gave way to dusk, thousands headed for the route with sleeping bags and tents to sponed the night in the open. tonight the weather outlook certainly is not perfect but for this, the biggest royal wedding the country has seen in 30 years the atmosphere has grown in the day and it is now one of celebration. for those waiting it was an un excepted bonus. how was he feeling? ok as long as i get my lines

right. how many grooms said that the night before the wedding. this is no ordinary groom and no ordinary wedding. this young man interests marriage with the good wishes of the majority of britain. >> it is excepted that 2 billion people across the world will be watching. some 8,000 journalists that are alongside me at the capital here that will be broadcasting across the world. there are some 1,900 people attending the wedding itself, making up the congregation at westminster.

>> the syrian ambassador has been told he is no longer welcome following his crackdown on pro democracy demonstrators. the decision to not invite two former prime ministers has been controversial. here is our political correspondent with the details. >> it is party time in westminster. a storm has been brewing over the guest list and especially an invitation to the syrian ambassador. these syrian opposition groups have been forcing their anger over the depths of hundreds. today they directly led to the syrian ambassador had his royal wedding invitation withdrawn. >> i find it embarrassing but i don't consider it an act that

would jeopardize any ongoing discussions. >> the syrian ambassador is not alone. the libyan ambassador. he pulled out because of criticism of the brutal response for demonstrations in his country. he will be represented by his ambassador to london, accused of running a torture center. >> it would be inappropriate for the syrian ambassador given the brew tality and violence is meeting out on its own citizens. >> the foreign office has struggled with the diplomatic invite another has blown up over the political guest list. former labor prime ministers,

tony blair and gordon brown have not been invited. they are not knights, one of the highest civil honors. >> i think it is a mistake. it will exclude the two most recent prime ministers. >> in 1981 when william's father married lady diana, all surviving prime ministers were invited. not all of them were knights. >> this is a private event, it is not a state event. there is not a requirement to invite former prime ministers. >> these confusions have been distracting when the wedding is a private family event and an official occasion. >> up and down people have been preparing.

the pavement is getting fuller by the hour. people are camped out, wrapped up in blankets. and there are many of them, young and old. many of them taking their spots since the beginning of the week. with the details, here is our special correspondent. >> tonight it is transformed into an enormous royal sleepover. a street party in the dark. thousands in their seats for a wedding that is still a day away. >> everyone is so excited about tomorrow. i have never seen so many people so cheerful in my life. >> from early evening, it is clear that there would be little prospect of sleep. but there is food, drink and excitement. >> it is a once in a lifetime opportunity.

>> we all seem to be enjoying themselves. people come from all over the world for this. it is a proud day for britain. >> there has been a sense of celebration all day, particularly from this lot who secured a prime spot. this brother and sister left it a bit late for one of their top positions. >> i think it is good. very good. >> so many people here. so many more expected and they all need looking after. 1,400 toilets were delivered from south wales by this man. >> grit to be a part of it.

>> and as the flags and masks and messing around continued, thousands of reporters shared the atmosphere with people around the world. there are 12,000 journalists here operating from this temporary village of studios and offices. but it was a sense of last minute preparation. at one end they were dropping off programs. >> they have keep doing it. >> the crowds have continued to arrive. >> there are plent that he came to sample the atmosphere. hundreds are here for the night, not much more than 12 hours to go and the first guests already arrived. >> now it is thousands that

have lined the route to get a clear vantage point to see the newly weds. none more than the location we are at here. in amongst the crowd is daniel. >> it is getting a little bit quieter but not much. more trying to get some sleep without much luck. you have taken time from your studies. tell us why you are here tonight. >> we are here for the wedding, obviously. we came here at 10:00. >> we are loving the environment over here. >> it is amazing. it is something that we thought we would make the most of and come and spend the night outside. >> you still have a good vantage point. >> we had to climb over people. i hope we did not step on anyone. we were lucky to find this

place. >> let me introduce you to some people who came over from the states from ohio, i believe. you came over just for the wedding. >> we did. we booked november 23rd. we have a couple of airline tickets. we flew over on wednesday morning. >> why is it so important for you to come here and see this? >> i was 8 when princess diana was married. my mom woke me up at 4:00 a.m. so we could watch that wedding. i was able to come over. hoar i am. it has been fabulous. >> there is a threat of some rain. you don't have a tent. how will you survive the night. >> we have a tent. we have an umbrella. we will be fine. it is just a little rain. >> they are moving along here. >> all the way from manchester. >> you have other supplies, lots of drinks to keep you

going. >> my royal wedding hat. >> bags packed there. does that have you're outfit for tomorrow? >> got to carry on the party in there. >> why did you decide to stay out here tonight rather than watching it on a big screen at home? >> we thought it was a momentous occasion. >> there is a group of young people up here who were all asleep a short time ago in their sleeping bags. they have now woken up. i think starting to play a bit of music there. why have you come here? >> you all have your flags. great atmosphere. >> amazing. really great. >> you are all prepared for a bit of a party tonight? >> absolutely. >> hoping to get some sleep.

>> a little bit. >> there are still people arriving at the moment trying to put up their tents, it is not long to go now. but it will be quite a ways. for some a cold night as well. >> daniel, thank you very much. it is less than nine hours to go until the ceremony takes place. i have to say the temperatures at the moment, they are very brave out there. we will keep broadcasting for you throughout the night. stay with us. more to come. back to you in the studios. >> thank you very much indeed. still to come here on bbc news we have the latest on the deadly storms that killed more than 260 people in the southern united states and we have a report on the bombing of a tourist cafe in which at least 15 have died. the cost of two aircraft

carriers built for the british royal navy have gone up dramatically. the u.k. ministry of defense insists the final cost won't be agreed upon until the beginning of next year. not a computer war game but a vision of what will be defending the shores. two giant aircraft carriers the size of three futball pitches. less than three years ago when the contract was signed in july 2008 the budget was 3.9 billion pounds. less than a year later i disclosed the cost shot up to 5 billion because they ordered a costly project delay. that became 5.2 billion pounds last october and today i learned the final bill will reach 7 billion pounds. each taxpayer would be shelling

out 233 pounds. are they worth the money? >> events in libya are a stark example of where the new type of aircraft carrier would have made a huge difference to what we could have done off of libya. >> officials tell me it is possible they will modify only one ship limiting the overall increase to 1 billion pounds and turning the other ship into a vast white elephant. >> they have known for a while that there would be more cost to building the ships but we would save the money on the aircraft. i don't think they have actually perhaps told the public enough about it. >> right now the u.k. seems to be coping without any carrier capable of taking jets. in stock and available to buy

now. >> this is bbc news. the headlines this hour. prince william has wowed the crowds and bride to be kate arrived at the hotel where she is spending her last night as a single woman. excitement is mounting as thousands of well wishers are flooding the london streets. president obama is to visit alabama to visit the damage caused by some of the worst storms in the history of the united states. tornadoes killed more than 260 people in the south of the country. oh, my god. >> a terrified man watches film and hopes. just one tornado inspires fear and awe. but in one day more than 160

twisters have churned and ripped their way across the united states from texas to new york, crunching up buildings, spitting out degree and killing more people than any tornadoes in america for more than 30 years. the president will see the damage for himself. >> the loss of life has been heartbreaking, especially in alabama. in a matter of hours these deadly tornadoes, the worst we have seen in decades, took mothers and fathers, sons and daughters and friends and neighbors and even entire communities. >> alabama was hit hardest. this tornado flattened part of the university of tuscaloosa. >> i don't know if i ever saw in my life anything as destructive and as tragic as what transpired in tuscaloosa. >> security cameras caught this junkyard being torn up.

>> they don't know where she at. they have been missing since yesterday. >> mississippi, early warnings saved lives but 30 died and many others just escaped. in this town the grocery store is devastated, church is crushed, people are mourning. >> what was left is people and bodies everywhere. scattered as the most god awful thing i have seen in my life. >> this is out of theordinary, 900 tornadoes. bbc news, washington. >> an investigation is underway after a bomb exploded in morroco. our security correspondent has

the details. >> this cafe moments after a deadly blast ripped through it. officials initially talked of an exploding gas canister but it appears to have been the work of a suicide bomber. investigators are searching the inside of the building for evidence. the majority of those died here are thought to be foreigners. they were almost certainly the target of the attack. >> i heard a that you had around us, initially thought it was a masonry falling from the building or next door neighbor. the whole first floor of the cafe is gone and had been totally wiped out. waiters were trying to help the injured up from the floor and quite a few pools of blood. it was a very chaotic scene. >> this was the cafe before the

blast, a popular spot for foreign tourists. 362,000 britains visited in 2009. the square filled with markets, which the cafe overlooked. it has been eight years since the last major attack in morocco. in 2003 suicide bombers killed 45 targeting jewish institutions as well as restaurants and hotels. since then the country has been largely peaceful. casualties today were taken to the main hospital. at least seven said to be seriously injured. a regional group linked to al qaeda is reported to have threatened morocco just last week and the concern will be that they have now struck hitting a location they knew would draw international attention. >> let's return to the main story, wedding excitement continuing to grow here in the u.k. and around the world.

back to you. >> thank you very much. just a word about the people that have been camping out for the last few days. many of them have been doing so from across the world they arrived here. a couple of thousand that we estimate that have gathered behind me here. they are very savvy about stastaking out their positions. many moved back where they are making sure that their vantage points are safe before taking a little stroll back up here to buckingham palace. people have been sending good luck messages to the couple and none more so than the messages that have come through to prince william and kate middleton from the british armed forces. >> i would like to send my best wishes on their wedding day. i last saw the couple in december when we commissioned together. i hope the weather is as good back in the u.k. as it is here

in afghanistan. >> i hope you had a lot more success than i did on the first two marriages. have a little bit of patience. i wish you all the happiness in the world. >> lots of love to you william and kate. i am sure you will be brilliant. have a wonderful day. >> have a fantastic day. i am getting married in august myself. if you drop me an invitation for your wedding, i will give you one to mine. >> mine would be to prince william to always take your wife's advice that way you never have any gripes in your near future. >> have lots of fun. don't drink too much. >> we wish prince william and kate the best and we will be thinking of you on your happy day. >> messages from some of the british armed forces. plenty more coming up. if you are on twitter keep

up-to-date. >> and now, "bbc world news." >> hello and welcome. >> see the news unfold, get the top stories from around the globe and click-to-play video reports. go to bbc.com/news to experience the in-depth, expert reporting of "bbc world news" online. >> funding was made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu. newman's own foundation. the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation. and union bank. >> union bank has put its global financial strength to work for a wide range of

companies. what can we do for you? >> "bbc world news" was presented by kcet los angeles.