It finally seems like all the fuss and ceremony over the royal wedding is beginning to die down at last. Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are now married, and for now, at least the paparazzi has decided to give them some much-deserved privacy. However, the event itself was particularly spectacular, and the lavish ceremony at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle was attended by a number of celebrity guests.
However, what you might not have realised is that another royal wedding is taking place today, between Princess Eugenie of York (and ninth in line to the British throne) and her fiancé Jack Brooksbank - European brand manager for Casamigos Tequila. Their engagement was first announced by Buckingham Palace on 22 January, 2018, and the couple has reportedly been dating for the last seven years after meeting at a ski trip in Verbier, Switzerland.
However, after a recent report by Thames Valley Police into the cost of security for the couple's nuptials, a number of British taxpayers have baulked at the extortionate costs. Security inside Windsor Castle, where the ceremony will take place, is going to be handled by diplomatic protection officers, with backup provided by Thames Valley Police's local constabulary. Anthony Stansfeld, Thames Valley Police commissioner, reportedly told BBC reporters that policing the venue would cost "between £2 million and £4 million." However, this is far less than the £6.35 million was spent by the Metropolitan Police Service on security for Prince William and Kate Middleton's 2011 wedding.
A petition launched by Republic, an anti-monarchist organisation, is campaigning to urge the government to commit no public money to the wedding, stating: "The Palace claims the wedding will be funded by the royal family, but royal funding blurs the lines between private income and public money. So, whether it's the cost of policing paid for directly by us, or costs of the wedding ceremony, paid for by the royals, the taxpayer still ends up paying. If the royal family funds another wedding through the ill-gotten gains of a broken system of royal funding, then we have a right to know where that money is coming from and what it’s being spent on."
However, pro-monarchists have claimed that the majority of the costs will be funded privately by the royal family and that the tourism which the royal family provides the British Isles with more than recoups the costs.
The wedding's guest list reportedly comprises more than 850 people, including representatives from the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, and charities like the Teenage Cancer Trust, the Salvation Army and the UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women - all organisations supported by Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank. Residents of Windsor Castle and Royal Household staff are also in attendance, and the event is to be covered live by a number of British news outlets, such as ITV and Sky News, among others. Live updates are also due to be provided by the Royal Family and the Duke of York’s social media channels.