the palace won’t want to be seen as downgrading it
James’ Palace, the offices of Princes William and Harry, stressed that the Middletons and the royal family would pick up the bill for the wedding – the flowers, the reception, the honeymooninformal ivory wedding dresses – everything apart from security and transport costs. The couple say they are mindful of the country’s tough times.
However, the family earns millions a year from its vast land and property portfolios. Prince Charles’ large estate, the Duchy of Cornwall, earned him 17 million pounds ($29 million) last year. The royal family pays millions in tax on its earnings.
But while all parties involved in the wedding want to ensure that a balance is struck between an enjoyable day and current budget woes, analysts such as Patrick Jephson, longtime private secretary to the late Princess Diana, say the austerity argument “doesn’t cut it.”
“This is a future king and a future queen, this is the most famous young royal in the world, and it will indubitably be compared to his mother’s wedding. So for all these reasons, the palace won’t want to be seen as downgrading it,” Jephson said.
He wondered what aspects of the pageantry of a royal wedding could be cut without disappointing masses of people.
“What do you want to lose?” he said. “The number of bridesmaids? The ride in the coach? The mounted escort? The Beefeaters? You can do it, but you’ll regret it, and people around the world will be disappointed.
“This is about making people happy, not about wearing a hairshirt,” he said.
There’s no charge for the venue, but there will be competition for space. Many of the abbey’s seats will be allocated for diplomatic and protocol reasons, leaving relatively few for the people William and Kate really want to invite.
People around the world are awaiting the spectacle, including Reza Mohammadkhani, 41, from Los Angeles, who was outside the historic church on Tuesday.
“I love the whole kingdom thing,” he said.
The abbey has centuries of royal history. Queen Elizabeth II was married there, as was her mother.
But the newlyweds-to-be also have to confront a host pleated wedding dressesof difficult memories associated with the abbey. William was 15 when he walked behind his mother’s coffin at Diana’s funeral in the abbey in September 1997.
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