Drink to that PUBS OPEN LATE FOR ROYAL WEDDING

PUBS will be able to stay open late to celebrate the marriage of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

Home Secretary Amber Rudd said licensing hours in England and Wales would be relaxed to mark the royal wedding in May.

The move, which was subject to a four-week consultation, means pubs, bars and other licensed premises have been granted an extension the day before the ceremony and again after the couple have tied the knot.

Ms Rudd said: “The royal wedding is a chance for communities across the country to join together and celebrate this momentous and happy occasion for our royal family and for our nation.

“As shown by the support for the proposal to extend licensing hours, it’s clear that the public back the idea of having more time to raise a glass to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on a day of national celebration.”

The couple will marry at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, on Saturday May 19.

Licensing hours will be extended on Friday 18 and Saturday 19 until 1am the following mornings.

The wedding will take place on the same day as the FA Cup final but the Home Office said there had been no “increased disorder” from previous extensions to pub hours which coincided with big football games.

The Home Secretary can make an order relaxing licensing hours for a “celebration period” to mark an occasion of exceptional international,

national or local significance. Since the introduction of the Licensing Act 2003, the power has been used on a number of occasions including the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in 2011, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012 and the Queen’s 90th birthday in 2016.

The latest extension has been welcomed by Brigid Simmonds, chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association.

She said: “We are delighted with the Government’s decision to extend licensing hours for the wedding.

“This will allow the nation to celebrate and raise a glass to Harry and Meghan in a responsible manner, while giving a timely boost to the great British beer and pub sector.”

Harry and Meghan have announced that more than 2,600 members of the public will be invited into the grounds of Windsor Castle to share their wedding day.