UK police make 55 arrests around royal wedding

British police arrested 55 people in London for a range of mostly minor offences as the force mounted one of the biggest security operations ever seen in the capital around the royal wedding.

Around 5,000 officers were on duty to control the huge flag-waving crowds, alongside around 1,000 soldiers lining the route from Westminster Abbey to Queen Elizabeth's London residence, Buckingham Palace.

Specialist teams with sniffer dogs had patrolled the procession route searching for explosives, while helicopters buzzed overhead as part of the operation to protect Prince William and his new wife Kate Middleton.

The Metropolitan Police said there had been 55 arrests, with most of those detained for minor public order offences.

Police arrested 10 people at Charing Cross railway station after they were found to be carrying anti-royalist placards.

One million people lined the route between the church and Buckingham Palace and 500,000 watched the couple appear on the palace balcony after the service, police estimated.