Britons not going ga ga over this royal wedding
Little enthusiasm in Britain for upcoming nuptials of 'minor' princess
LONDON: Five months on from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's fairy-tale nuptials, the time has come for "the other" royal wedding.
But when Queen Elizabeth II's granddaughter, Princess Eugenie, walks down the aisle tomorrow in Windsor Castle to marry Mr Jack Brooksbank, 31, a "commoner" with blue-blood friends, the critics will be out.
For Britain is still gaga over Markle, the glamorous US actress who married the queen's grandson in a Windsor wedding watchedaround the world in May. Some even reminisce about the sunny afternoon in 2011 when Prince William married Kate Middleton, whose grace stirred memories of his mother, the late Princess Diana.
Princess Eugenie of York, 28, along with her 30-year-old sister Beatrice, are by contrast unhappily famous for wearing peculiar hats.
One public petition protesting the wedding's cost - the security bill is estimated at £2 million (S$3.6 million) - dismissed her as a "minor royal".
The BBC reportedly caused a ruckus by refusing to broadcast this wedding live, fearing a ratings flop.
"No comment on whether we did or didn't turn it down," a BBC spokesman told AFP.
The live feed was picked up by the smaller, commercial ITV - but only, according to The Times, after being badgered into it by the Princess' father, Prince Andrew.
There is resentment over taxpayers getting stuck with the security bill.
"A royal wedding is a private, personal event, dressed up as a national occasion," sniffed one protest petition signed by nearly 40,000 people.
The palace will pay for the red velvet and chocolate cake and the post-ceremony brunch for 850 guests.
But Princess Eugenie and her fiance are also planning a horse-drawn carriage parade around town.
Petitioners want the 15-minute excursion scrapped, saving the expense of having to install rooftop snipers and jamming devices that disable drones. The couple are not budging, causing "outrage", "fury" and other strong emotions in the British press. - AFP
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now
