LONDON — A cartwheeling church caretaker’s televised display of joy after the royal wedding may have brought smiles to thousands worldwide, but it appears not everyone is so amused Sunday, amid British media reports that both he and the broadcaster of the footage are in hot water.
The verger, named by British media as Ben Sheward, was captured Friday doing cartwheels down the aisle following the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, in what appeared to be a demonstration of sheer delight that the ceremony had gone so smoothly.
The scene was captured by the ITV network’s cameras and beamed to millions of viewers around the globe, and then went viral. But Westminster Abbey was reportedly displeased that the footage was made public.
A source told The (London) Sunday Times that the abbey would be in touch with the network to make its disapproval known.
However ITV denies that any understanding was breached. “We believe the cartwheeling verger caught the happiness of the whole occasion,” Jonathan Munro, the editor in charge of coverage, told The Sunday Times.
Meanwhile, the verger faced a scolding of his own, with Britain’s Sunday Mail reporting that Sheward was feeling “fairly chastened” and had been warned not to speak publicly about the incident.
The jubulation of the verger — who is a church official who acts as caretaker and attendant — was not the only one still attracting attention Sunday, with the antics of a police officer also sparking delight.
The officer, Steve Giles, was caught on film encouraging laughs and cheers from crowds with an impromptu slapstick routine on the thoroughfare The Mall on Friday.
“I think [the crowd] loved it. They enjoyed seeing a policeman letting his hair down a little bit,” the 53-year-old officer told Sky News.