Wootton Bassett, one of Britain's most patriotic towns, is to become Royal Wootton Bassett, according to "The Gazette and Herald." Princess Anne will confer the honor on the town when she delivers the Queen's Letters Patent – a special form of decree that, among other things, can turn a town into a city and add a Royal before its name.
Wootton Bassett was formerly the town through which repatriated victims of the War on Terror were brought, with hundreds of citizens lining the street to honor them. Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall paid a visit in January, 2010, braving snow as they took part in a ceremony to honor those who'd been killed; in November that same year, Prince Harry visited to dedicate the Wootton Bassett Garden of Remembrance.
However, when RAF Lyneham closed this year, Brize Norton in Oxfordshire took over that sad duty. The first Brize Norton repatriation took place on September 8, that of Sergeant Weston of 42 Commando, Royal Marines, who died in a bomb attack in Afghanistan last month.
Nevertheless, the acts certainly didn't go unnoticed and the Queen conferred the honor in March. There are only two more "Royal" towns in England -- Royal Leamington Spa and Royal Tunbridge Wells; a third community, the Royal Town of Caernarvon, is in Wales. Princess Anne will perform the dedication on October 16 to present Letters Patent. The entire weekend will be a festival, with fly-pasts and a military and civilian parade.
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Sources: British government; Wiltshire Gazette and Herald
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