BRITS BRACE FOR ‘THE OTHER’ ROYAL WEDDING
Critics will be out as Princess Eugenie marries Jack Brooksbank tomorrow
FIVE months on from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s fairytale nuptials, the time has come for “the other” royal wedding — the one no one seems to want to pay for or watch.
When Queen Elizabeth’s granddaughter Princess Eugenie walks down the aisle tomorrow to marry Jack Brooksbank, a “commoner” with blue-blood friends, the critics will be out.
For Britain is still gaga over Meghan, the United States actress who married the queen’s grandson in a Windsor wedding in May.
Some even reminisce about the sunny afternoon in 2011 when Prince William, second in line to the throne, married Kate Middleton, whose grace stirred memories of the late Princess Diana.
Princess Eugenie of York, along with her sister Beatrice, 30, are by contrast unhappily famous for wearing peculiar hats, with the flamboyant numbers they picked for William’s wedding making a particularly lasting impression.
Princess Eugenie, 28, is ninth in the long line of succession.
One public petition protesting the wedding’s cost — the security bill is estimated at £2 million (RM10.6 million) — dismissed her as a “minor royal”.
The BBC, which takes royal weddings seriously, reportedly caused a Buckingham Palace ruckus by refusing to broadcast this one live, fearing a ratings flop.
The live feed was picked up by the smaller, commercial ITV — but only, according to The Times, after being badgered into it by Eugenie’s father, Prince Andrew.
Adding to the ignominy, a pub hotel opposite the castle that sold out long in advance for Prince Harry and Meghan was actually discounting rooms for tomorrow night.
The public is focused on who is paying for what and there is resentment over taxpayers getting stuck with the security bill.
The palace will pay for the red velvet and chocolate cake — “traditional, (but) with a modern feel” — and the post-ceremony brunch for 850 invited guests.
But just like the film star and her prince, Eugenie and Jack are planning their own horse-drawn carriage parade.
Petitioners want the 15-minute excursion scrapped, saving the expense of having to install rooftop snipers and jamming devices to disable drones. The happy couple are not budging, causing “outrage”, “fury” and other strong emotions in the press.
The groom mixes in London’s glitzy social circles but is unknown to most outside the celebrity gossip world.
Eugenie’s mother, Sarah Ferguson, said her future in-law works as the European manager for an “ultra-premium” brand of booze co-founded by George Clooney.
“He’ll just hand me the tequila and say, ‘Come on, mother-in-law, down it’,” she told the BBC.
Press reports say Jack, 32, skipped university and became a waiter, working his way up to manage Mahiki, a posh London cocktail bar frequented by royalty.
The couple were introduced in 2010 by friends in a Swiss ski resort, where Jack was waiting tables.