A pre-dawn military walk-through of the royal wedding route has taken place, ahead of Prince William's marriage to Kate Middleton in London on Friday. Up to 1,000 members of the armed forces left Wellington Barracks in Westminster to take part shortly before 0500 BST. Carriages took part in the full-scale procession to Westminster Abbey, although the first to arrive were two royal fleet cars at around 0450 BST. The Army, navy and RAF all took part in the dry run. Soldiers lined the route to the Cenotaph, outside the entrance to Downing Street. From there the RAF lined the road to Horse Guards Parade, members of the Army lined Parliament Street and several companies of the Royal Navy lined the conclusion of the route. The abbey closed its doors to the public on Tuesday so that preparations could get under way. On Friday the carriage procession will pass along The Mall, Horse Guards Road, Horse Guards Parade, through Horse Guards Arch, along Whitehall, along the south side of Parliament Square and into Broad Sanctuary. A dress rehearsal for clergy and broadcasters is also scheduled for Wednesday, while the royal couple are expected to hold their own preparations with senior clergy at the abbey. Miss Middleton was pictured driving from her parents' house in Bucklebury, Berkshire, to London on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the first member of the public has begun camping out in front of Westminster Abbey. John Loughrey, 56, began his week-long vigil on Monday night, saying he planned to stay in his position to ensure a prime spot for the event. As well as the Royal Family, 50 heads of state are attending the ceremony, which it is anticipated will be watched by up to two billion people on television. There will be 70-80 close protection teams for VIPs on the day. On Tuesday, detectives leading the major royal wedding security operation appealed for the public to be the "eyes and ears" of the 5,000 officers tasked with maintaining law and order on the big day. Scotland Yard's appeal came alongside a warning that anyone attempting to disrupt the wedding in central London on Friday would face a "robust" response. The police are continuing to negotiate with Islamist group Muslims against Crusades over proposed protests, after its application for an event outside Westminster Abbey was rejected. On Thursday the group told reporters it would not protest at the royal wedding. Nationalist group the English Defence League had threatened to hold a counter-demonstration if the police granted permission to Muslims against Crusades. It has since said that no counter-protest will be held. Elsewhere, a separate protest group with Middle Eastern links has warned police it is planning disruptions. Police have powers to ban any major protests along the main route that the royal couple will take but are unable to rule out "static" protests taking place at other nearby locations. Source: BBC