People around the Island are getting ready for the Queen's visit and yesterday students at Sandys Secondary School practised their show in front of the Governor Sir Richard Gozney.

The pupils will put on a re-enactment of an old-fashioned Bermuda wedding when the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh visit Dockyard next week, as part of their three-day visit to the Island.

Yesterday Sir Richard and Lady Gozney spent the morning in Dockyard following the route that the Royal party will take and observing rehearsals of performances being staged for their visit.

Sandys Secondary School was selected to put on several performances for the Royal party in the Clocktower Mall, where they were rehearsing.

"We had originally re-enacted an old-fashioned Bermuda wedding for Heritage Day last May," said Victoria Saltus, a Sandys school teacher and drama coordinator. "It was a big hit so we decided to do it again for the Queen."

Student Justin Donawa has been tasked with narrating the performance and he said: "I am excited, but it is the Queen so I am nervous too."

Several boys from Sandys Secondary are telling the stories of the men who were involved in an apprentice programme in Dockyard in the 1940s and early 50s and some of the surviving men will be in attendance on the day of the final performance when the Royal party visit Dockyard.

Sandys Secondary has also organised a drumline that will play for the Royal party as they step off of their ferry when they arrive at the former Royal Navy Base.

Former Premier David Saul is displaying some of his Bermuda Cedar carvings for the Queen. Additionally he will give a cedar carving demonstration and display cedar roots that were discovered under water in Town Cut, St. George's that were carbon dated to be up 3,500 years old.

Dr. Saul said that he first met the Queen 50 years ago. "I have met the Queen five times over the years," he said. "The first time that I met her was as a student at Buckingham Palace in 1959."

After watching the performances, the Governor and his entourage headed to the Maritime Museum where they met Dr. Edward Harris and museum officials to go over protocol and finalise the plans for the Royal visit.

The Queen will officially unveil a mural depicting Bermuda's 400 year history by local artist Graham Foster.

Said the Governor: "I think it is very exciting because you've got a lovely sequence up here in the Clocktower. It will be a very nice way of showing some rather special things about Dockyard and Bermuda. The students have worked it all out very well in the two weeks that they have had to practice."

WedCo was also busy yesterday. Employees could be seen all over Dockyard painting, cleaning, laying new bricks, installing lights and making sure the entire area will be ready for the Royal Visit.

The Queen arrives on Tuesday when she will visit St. George's. Her tour of Dockyard takes place on Wednesday and she leaves on Thursday.