London:
Special:Royal Wedding
Friday's Royal wedding has caught the imagination of many people across the world, but not everyone in Britain is so enthused, particularly the hundreds of thousands who have lost jobs and Indian traders who have lost much of their business in the wedding season.
Most royal weddings in the last century were held during difficult times for Britain, and this time is no different.
The country has embarked on a major spending cuts regime to balance the books, hitting the retail industry among many sectors.
The blanket media coverage of the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton has also put off many readers and viewers.
Many have just left the country for a holiday abroad, taking advantage of the Easter breaks, weekends and Friday being declared a national holiday.
The recession-induced job losses, rising cost of petrol (1.40 pounds per litre), a weak pound and other difficult economic conditions have adversely affected Indian jewelers and others catering to the Indian wedding season in towns with large concentrations of Indian and Asian origin people.
Rues Shashi Pancholi, who works at jewellery and sari shop Bahurani Collection in Leicester: "The wedding season has started this month, but I haven't seen the increase in business I'd expect. We're making less money in the shops because there isn't much demand".
The other side of the all-too-apparent frenzy over the royal wedding is the fact that many Britons simply do not want to join the party.
Many are either opposed to the institution of monarchy or do not care about the marriage of two strangers amidst a crippling recession.
Officially, it has been made clear that the royal family, with a private contribution from Kate Middletons family, will pay for all those aspects of Friday that constitute the wedding (the Abbey service, flowers, dresses, carriage procession, reception and dinner).
The government and other bodies will pay for costs that are consequential to the wedding, such as security. A recent poll indicated that while 35 per cent of the British public intended to watch the wedding ceremony on television, an equal proportion were determined to ignore it altogether.
People opposed to monarchy or those simply not interested in the royal wedding have planned alternate parties for Friday.
The pressure group Republic, which campaigns for an elected British head of state, is staging a series of outdoor events in London, Manchester, Cardiff and Edinburgh.
Its initial plans for a bash in Londons Covent Garden area were turned down by Camden council. It now hopes to stage the event in nearby Red Lion Square.
Republic's Graham Smith told the BBC that it will look like any other street party, with stalls, entertainment and plenty of union flags to counter what he says is the "misconception" that republicans are unpatriotic.
He says: "We want to counter these stereotypes. What counts is that there's a visible, alternative view. It's going to be positive and fun."
Other alternative wedding parties are being staged on London's South Bank and in Bristol's Trinity centre.
Friday's Royal wedding has caught the imagination of many people across the world, but not everyone in Britain is so enthused, particularly the hundreds of thousands who have lost jobs and Indian traders who have lost much of their business in the wedding season.
Most royal weddings in the last century were held during difficult times for Britain, and this time is no different.
The country has embarked on a major spending cuts regime to balance the books, hitting the retail industry among many sectors.
The blanket media coverage of the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton has also put off many readers and viewers.
Many have just left the country for a holiday abroad, taking advantage of the Easter breaks, weekends and Friday being declared a national holiday.
The recession-induced job losses, rising cost of petrol (1.40 pounds per litre), a weak pound and other difficult economic conditions have adversely affected Indian jewelers and others catering to the Indian wedding season in towns with large concentrations of Indian and Asian origin people.
Rues Shashi Pancholi, who works at jewellery and sari shop Bahurani Collection in Leicester: "The wedding season has started this month, but I haven't seen the increase in business I'd expect. We're making less money in the shops because there isn't much demand".
The other side of the all-too-apparent frenzy over the royal wedding is the fact that many Britons simply do not want to join the party.
Many are either opposed to the institution of monarchy or do not care about the marriage of two strangers amidst a crippling recession.
Officially, it has been made clear that the royal family, with a private contribution from Kate Middletons family, will pay for all those aspects of Friday that constitute the wedding (the Abbey service, flowers, dresses, carriage procession, reception and dinner).
The government and other bodies will pay for costs that are consequential to the wedding, such as security. A recent poll indicated that while 35 per cent of the British public intended to watch the wedding ceremony on television, an equal proportion were determined to ignore it altogether.
People opposed to monarchy or those simply not interested in the royal wedding have planned alternate parties for Friday.
The pressure group Republic, which campaigns for an elected British head of state, is staging a series of outdoor events in London, Manchester, Cardiff and Edinburgh.
Its initial plans for a bash in Londons Covent Garden area were turned down by Camden council. It now hopes to stage the event in nearby Red Lion Square.
Republic's Graham Smith told the BBC that it will look like any other street party, with stalls, entertainment and plenty of union flags to counter what he says is the "misconception" that republicans are unpatriotic.
He says: "We want to counter these stereotypes. What counts is that there's a visible, alternative view. It's going to be positive and fun."
Other alternative wedding parties are being staged on London's South Bank and in Bristol's Trinity centre.
