Royal wedding webcams to go live

Preparations for the Royal Wedding are under way in Windsor

For those who cannot face the crowded streets of Windsor but want to watch the royal wedding, tuning in via the web could be the answer.

UK firm Network Webcams has hooked up with the Macdonald Castle hotel to put two powerful webcams on its roof.

The hotel is located across the street from the Windsor Guildhall where the civil ceremony will take place on Saturday.

People will be able to watch guests arriving from the comfort of their PCs.

Best seat

Royal wedding fever has already begun online as people trade memorabilia and bid for the best view of proceedings.

Various media outlets have offered up to £5,000 to local hotels and other buildings in order to set up cameras on roofs.

On auction site e-bay, a shopfront in Windsor has been offered for hire for the day.

Webcams covering public events have already proved popular.

The company behind the royal wedding webcam also put a camera on Dornoch Cathedral when Madonna and Guy Ritchie attended the christening service of their son Rocco.

It attracted 6.2 million visitors, the company said.

"We want to make sure that the UK benefits from this potential tourist boost again by offering every PC user in the world the chance to follow the royal wedding," said Robert Kilgour, chairman of Network Webcams.

"Not from a £5,000 post on a roof, or through on online bidding war but free and with the best seat in the house," he added.