The great cool down! Will it rain for the wedding?

It has been a long weekend of packed beaches as Britain continued to bask in balmy temperatures during the hottest Easter for 100 years.

But cooler weather is on its way – and could bring April showers just in time for the Royal Wedding.

The long Easter weekend saw temperatures peak at 82F (27.8C) in Wisley, Surrey, on Saturday, and the prospect of rain feels like it is a long way off as temperatures are still expected to reach 22C (72F) in the south of England for the bank holiday.

A spokeswoman for the Met Office said that while the sunshine would continue for the rest of the week, temperatures will drop to around 61F (16C) by mid-week.

And some weather experts are predicting that a disastrously timed shower could spoil Friday's Royal wedding celebrations.

Asked about a forecast for Friday's Royal Wedding, the Met Office spokeswoman said: 'It is a bit early to say whether it is going to rain. We are thinking a lot cooler than this weekend and a lot cloudier.'

Positive Weather Solutions predicts a scattering of showers on William and Kate's big day, with a one-in-three chance that the capital will get rain at some point.

Street parties nationwide should see some decent weather with a generally cloudy start, with cloud breaking late morning for some afternoon sunshine and temperatures up to the high teens.

But it won't be nearly as balmy as Easter weekend, when parts of the country enjoyed higher temperatures than Mediterranean resorts.

Britain's beaches were packed for the first three days of the long weekend as people enjoyed the sunshine.

Around 10million took advantage of the unusual combination of good weather and a Bank Holiday weekend to take in a domestic break, according to Visit England.

In Bournemouth, 90,000 ice creams were sold over the weekend, and every one of the resort's 16,000 hotel rooms was booked.