Turns out the prince is a bit of a jester. Just before the ceremony at the Westminster Abbey altar, William leaned over to his father-in-law, Michael Middleton, and quipped, “We were supposed to have a small family affair.”
This “Royal Wedding” paid off. The aptly named thoroughbred, a 4-1 shot, raced at Fontwell yesterday, holding off “Take A Mile” to win by 12 lengths. “It’s been the plan to run for about two months and we are delighted it’s all worked out,” trainer Nick Gifford said. “I’m delighted and a bit relieved he won after we’ve had so much publicity.”
The only people happier than William and Kate may be the electric company. Britain’s National Grid said it recorded a 2,400-megawatt jump in demand during the wedding – equivalent to 1 million tea kettles being switched on.
COMPLETE ROYAL WEDDING COVERAGE
The Internet was nearly overloaded by the royal “webbing.” Millions followed the affair in live streams on their computers, all the while commenting on social-media sites. A firm that delivers 20 percent of the world’s Internet traffic said global page views peaked at nearly 5.4 million per minute – the sixth largest amount of traffic for a single event ever.
Kate Middleton’s got great titles. Until yesterday she was just a commoner, but now her official designation is 16 words long: Her Royal Highness Princess William Arthur Philip Louis, Duchess of Cambridge, Countess of Strathearn, Baroness Carrickfergus.
Her husband’s is twice as long: His Royal Highness Prince William Arthur Philip Louis, Duke of Cambridge, Earl of Strathearn, Baron Carrickfergus, Royal Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, Master of Arts.
No official figures for the wedding’s costs have been released, but palace officials insist the total bill will be only in the six figures. The monarchy already employs the caterers and chefs – and using Westminster Abbey was free of charge. Taxpayers will be picking up the $11 million tab for the massive security operation.
Queen Elizabeth may have taken a page from Rip Van Winkle. The monarch seemed to snore through part of the ceremony, according to some observers. “The royal wedding is kind of boring,” tweeted one wedding watcher. “Is Queen Elizabeth sleeping?”