Magic in the Daylight

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> Maris Cole, a primary-school teacher from Great Somerford and her husband Hector, 41, who teaches iron working at a local secondary school. The Coles were chosen to craft the 20-ft.-long handwrought iron gates that will stretch across the entrance to Highgrove, the 18th century Georgian mansion of mellow brick near Tetbury, where Charles and Diana will set up housekeeping. Maris—"the artist in the family," according to Hector—sketched the classic design, which is to be executed by her husband. "We toiled for many hours in our study," Maris admits. "Our biggest problem was trying to decide what Prince Charles would like. We finally decided that in our humble opinion something fairly simple would be O.K." Tetbury residents are paying the $5,000 cost of the gates by taking up a collection and selling a commemorative envelope of the wedding day, a scheme launched by a local insurance man, Jeremy Gahagan. "The business is booming," he reports. "Often when they come in, they also ask me for a quote on car or life insurance."

> Major Michael Parker, 33, an antiques dealer and reserve officer, who says lightly: "I like burning things. I am a pyromaniac." Parker is the man directly in charge of what he says will be "the largest firework display in 250 years," a figure that roughly but deliberately recalls the pyrotechnic extravagance that celebrated the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle in 1749. It was for that occasion that Handel composed his Music for the Royal Fireworks, which will also accompany the meteor shower of bombshells, flash reports, bombettes, pirouettes, Catherine wheels, saucissons, serpents and good old-fashioned detonations over Hyde Park on the wedding eve this week. Parker's field lieutenant is an intense 29-year veteran of Paines Fireworks Co., Roly Harrison, who admits that, when the time comes for ignition, the entire display is "essentially a one-man show." He leaves little doubt who that man is. "Roly is like an actor who goes onstage," explains John Decker of Paines. "He's the one who presses the buttons. If Roly isn't feeling up to snuff, he'll put on a lousy fireworks display. It's a fine art. You have to have an artistic flair for entertaining."

With all that flare in the air, and all the strong support on the ground, it is little wonder that the stars of the show seemed, especially during all the weeks of feverish preparation, to have been virtually swept off the stage. Charles still pressed on with his ceremonial schedule, even taking a side trip to Dartmoor Prison, whose inmates presented him with a ball-and-chain paperweight. Lady Diana showed up in the stands at Wimbledon, looking fetching and diverting spectator attention from the antics of John McEnroe on Centre Court. The two also appeared together in public—at a wedding and a film premiere—and managed to seem at ease, both with themselves and their adoring subjects. Lady Diana's youthful radiance stole the show last week at the Queen's garden party. Allowing an elderly blind guest to feel her engagement ring, she joked: "I'd better not lose this before Wednesday or they won't know who I am." Her outright sensual allure has smartened up her fiance considerably.