Britons eagerly await biggest royal event in 30 years (News Feature)

By Anna Tomforde Nov 17, 2010, 16:56 GMT

London - After learning that Prince William finally popped the question during a romantic safari holiday in Kenya, royalty fans in Britain and around the world are eagerly awaiting the date on which he and Kate Middleton will walk down the aisle.

Will it be a spring or summer wedding? Will it be a lavish bash or an austerity ceremony? March, May, July or August have all been named as possible wedding months. While British bookmakers favour a later date, the bride-to-be is said to be contemplating a spring wedding in March.

Certainly, judging by the speed with which William and Kate, the new 'dream couple' of British royalty, got down to detailed planning with royal aides at St James' Palace in London on Wednesday, suggests the wait may not be too long.

British media unanimously hailed the upcoming event as cause for national celebration - regardless of the cost in economically hard times.

Supporters stressed the 'feel good factor' that would result from what would be the biggest royal event since the marriage of Prince Charles and Princess Diana 30 years ago.

'It should be remembered that this is a potentially massive event which will command not just the attention of Britons, but potentially most of the world,' said retail researcher Neil Saunders.

Although times had changed since 1981 when Charles and Diana had their 'fairytale wedding,' retailers would rush to capitalize on the merchandising opportunities, said Saunders.

He expected that next year's royal wedding could provide a consumer spending boost of more than 600 million pounds (955 million dollars) to the British economy from tourism and wedding-related souvenir sales.

'This wedding is a showcase to the world. We want it to be the best of British. We want Kate to be an iconic bride,' said Sarah Hayward, a trader in bridal accessories.

Critics, meanwhile, accused the 'British establishment' of planning to use a 'lavish, pompous' royal wedding to distract the population from the rigours of the economic downturn.

'The British establishment is toying with the idea, at least, of trying to distract everyone with these bread and circuses,' Stephen Haseler, professor of government at London's Metropolitan University, told the BBC Wednesday.

However, there were strong indications Wednesday that William and Kate have their own firm ideas of how they wish to project themselves - and the British monarchy - on their wedding day.

They would be 'very hands-on' and involved in organizing the event, a spokesman for St James Palace said.

'They will make the decisions all the way through - they want the day to be enjoyable for everybody,' said the spokesman. They would also be 'mindful of the economic situation' in their planning.

The openness and relaxed self-confidence displayed by William and Kate during their first formal public media appearance late Tuesday reinforced the impression of them as a modern, down-to-earth young couple determined to do things their own way, media commentators said Wednesday.

Their flawless, relaxed and 'completely' natural performance was, furthermore, proof that the royal household had learnt the lessons from the relentless string of scandals and public relations disasters of the 1990s.

'We are both very, very happy,' William confessed with a broad smile in front of the world TV cameras Tuesday, as Kate teased him for having a 'romantic side.'

It was reported Wednesday that the prince took his bride by helicopter to a remote lake on the slopes of Mount Kenya to make his wedding proposal three weeks ago.

By contrast, 30 years ago, William's father, Prince Charles, caused dismay by evading the question of whether he was in love with his bride, the then 19-year-old Diana.

'Whatever love means,' he answered, while Diana replied with an embarassed giggle: 'Of course.'

Unlike Charles and Diana, and many royal couples before them, William and Kate have chosen to live in a cottage in North Wales, not far from the Royal Air Force base where William will be stationed as a search and rescue pilot.

After eight years together, Kate and William had the advantage of having gotten to know each other well, said Jules Knight, a former student flatmate of the couple at St Andrew's University.

'They had the time to be really good friends, they had no pressure really on them, it happened very naturally and they really fell in love,' Knight said.

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