By Elisabeth Anderson and Lillian Rizzo
Where better to celebrate the nuptials of Wills and Kate than in the borough of Kings? You may not know it, but Brooklyn has more than a few royal connections:
– Brooklyn is the reigning King over all the five boroughs because it is actually the County of Kings. In 1664 King Charles II of England made his mark on the city naming county after himself. The beloved Kings Highway, once the longest road in Brooklyn, was named for the King as well.
– Even before King Charles II became the County’s namesake, Lady Deborah Moody lived in Brooklyn in the mid-1600s when the Dutch still ruled. Lady Moody left England in 1639 due to religious persecution and set up camp in Gravesend. The original town square is still mapped out on Gravesend Neck Road between Van Siclen Street and McDonald Avenue and she is buried at the Old Gravesend Cemetery.
– Who needs Windsor Castle when we’ve got Windsor Terrace. The neighborhood nestled between Kensington (ahem, another London palace!) and Park Slope boasts a diverse population. In addition to long-time Irish-, German-, Polish-, and Italian-American families, Greek, Hispanic, and Syrian immigrants have moved in.
– We’ve got Lords in Flatbush — well, The Lords of Flatbush anyway! The 1974 film starring Perry King, Henry Winkler, and Sylvester Stalone as Flatbush street gang members, was largely filmed in the borough.
– Not only does Flatbush have Lords, it has its very own Duke. Duke Snyder, center fielder and Brooklyn Dodger legend not only won the World Series, he won the hearts of Brooklynites and became royalty in the borough.
– We’ve got pizza fit for the soon-to-be Princess Catherine — over at Princess Pizza, on Fifth Avenue in Park Slope.
– It’s well-reported that Princes William and Harry enjoy a night out on the town. They should hire Flatbush’s own Brooklyn Prince to perform his hip-hop single “DJ Turn It Up” at their next party.
– Being the Kings that we are, we must dress in that fashion. In 2006 designer Bob Bland opened Brooklyn Royalty, a New York City based apparel line.
– The party for the Royal Wedding can only occur once in a lifetime, but Brooklynites can have a Royal party for their birthday or any occasion they please. Aurora Entertainment, which holds New York City princess parties, can throw a royal bash whenever you please and they can get Snow White or Cinderella to join.
– Brooklynites know how to throw a party. Just in case you can’t get royalty to attend the occasion, you can throw a royal shindig at Princess Manor in Greenpoint. The sparkling banquet room has been around since 1957 and is home to many weddings in the Polish neighborhood.
Stay connected to thebrooklynink.com for comprehensive coverage of all the pomp and circumstance:
– Starting today, and continuing tomorrow, a live Twitter feed curating the best bits of wedding news from London;
– Tomorrow from 5:30-8:30 a.m., live blogging coverage of the royal wedding viewing party under The Archway in DUMBO (video coverage will follow later in the day);
– Tomorrow mid-morning, live blogging from the Brooklyn Municipal Building — we’re talking to brides and grooms who will share their wedding day with the royal couple; and
– Tomorrow afternoon, coverage of the royal wedding party at The Chip Shop in Brooklyn Heights, which will feature a champagne toast and fancy-hat competition.
Get up early, grab coffee and crumpets, and we’ll see you on the Ink!
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