Surprising poll reveals two-thirds of Brits aren’t interested in the royal wedding
In the months that have followed Prince Harry and Meghan Markle‘s engagement announcement, the media circuit has worked tirelessly to predict everything from the couple’s exclusive guest list to the all-important wedding dress.
But it turns out, most Brits aren’t even that interested in the upcoming royal wedding.
In a YouGov poll commissioned by anti-monarchist group, Republic, findings indicate that 66 percent of British citizens are not looking forward to Harry and Meghan’s nuptials.
According to the surprising findings, 60 percent of respondents will have a normal weekend on May 19 despite predictions that Windsor will be jam-packed with well-wishers.
Not only have 1,200 members of the public been invited to the grounds of Windsor Castle but over 100,000 royal fans are expected to fly in from across the globe to greet the newlyweds with confetti and cheers.
And as a consequence to the big day, a major security operation is already underway. Expected to cost between £6-8 million, it’s not surprising that the poll also indicates that 57 percent of Brits believe that not only should the royal family pay for the royal wedding but they should also foot the bill for policing costs.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s 2011 nuptials came with a similar price tag, as the nation was charged £6 million in security costs with £3 million worth of taxes spent on policing overtime costs alone.
The Metropolitan Police estimated that one million people gathered in London to celebrate and 55 arrests were reported in total. And despite Harry and Meghan’s smaller nuptials, the royal wedding is expected to be one of the UK’s biggest security operations to date.
Graham Smith, chief executive of Republic, said: “This YouGov poll shows a very clear picture of a nation disinterested and apathetic about the royal family.”
He added, “We’re not a nation of republicans yet – but we’ve stopped being a nation of royalists. Seven years of major royal events has left the British people deeply unimpressed.”
But there is no denying that royal wedding mania has reached fever-pitch and Americans are sure to tune in on the big day. It is estimated that 23 million US viewers watched the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge tie the knot which follows closely behind the 24 million Brits who tuned in on April 29.
And the upcoming royal wedding is the first time an American woman has married into a royal family since Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier III of Monaco’s 1956 ceremony so excitement across the pond is likely to outweigh support for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s nuptials.
With pub’s expected to extend their opening hours and over 8,000 street parties set to take place across the nation, we’re sure a couple of people will change their mind this weekend whether they like to admit it or not…
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Read more from Yahoo Style UK:
From Ralph & Russo to Alexander McQueen: The names tipped to design Meghan Markle’s wedding dress
From afternoon tea to rooftop screenings: The best ways to celebrate the royal wedding
From condoms to life size cutouts: The most weird and wonderful royal merchandise to shop now
