It will be the second royal wedding of the year, as Princess Eugenie prepares to tie the knot with Jack Brooksbank at Windsor Castle in October, but there are already grumblings about who is paying for the “minor royal’s” lavish nuptials.
According to The Sun, the wedding is set to cost UK taxpayers a whopping £2 million (AU$3.5 million) as security is ramped up due to the 28-year-old’s status as ninth-in-line to the throne, and her high profile guests including grandmother Her Majesty the Queen.
However this pricey prediction has caused outrage, with many people questioning why Princess Eugenie should have access to any public funding to help cover the cost of her big day, despite Prince Harry and Meghan’s wedding in May coming with an eye-watering alleged price tag of £26 million (AU$45 million).
One disgruntled subject took to online forum Gransnet to express her anger over the news, writing: “Am I being unreasonable to think that we should not have to pay the security costs for Eugenie’s wedding?
“Apparently she carries out no royal duties at all. I read that the money will come from local councils that apparently cannot afford money for car for the elderly, potholes etc. Really do feel that that particular branch of the Royal Family are not particularly good value and that is putting it very politely!”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BlayVw2gTPc/?taken-by=princesseugenie
And it seems the peeved woman isn’t alone in her thoughts as many people replied to the post, expressing their own outrage over the estimated security costs of the Princess of York’s special day.
“Absolutely agree,” one user commented. “I have nothing against the girl, but I think it is time she and her father realised that she is a Z list royal and nobody, apart from some passing tourists, is interested in her or her nuptials.
“Like the rest of us, her wedding is, hopefully, a time of celebration and happiness for her family and friends and very important to them, but to nobody else.”
Another suggested Eugenie and her family – parents the Duke and Duchess of York and sister Princess Beatrice, 30 – should “take a leaf out of Anne’s book” and live a life out of the public eye.
They said: “Wish Andrew and family would take a leaf out of Anne’s book. Princess Anne and family work hard, keep a low profile and certainly don’t take advantage of their heritage.”
While another wrote: “I think its quite repulsive that anyone should pay anything towards her wedding.”
However not everyone agreed, with some suggesting that the security costs are actually due to other high ranking royals attending the wedding, such as Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles and the Cambridges, whose three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, are third, fourth and fifth in line to the throne respectively.
“From what I understand the security costs are for the other members of the Royal Family,” one person responded. “Not specifically for Eugenie. Tax payers are not paying for Eugenie’s wedding. Whether we agree or not is immaterial to be honest.”
And another said she should not try to emulate the hype that surrounded Prince Harry’s wedding earlier this year, writing: “As senior royals will be there I don’t have a problem with it other than the carriage ride. If she wants to have the same limelight as Harry who is closer in line to the throne then they should pay for it themselves.”
Earlier this year Princess Eugenie announced that she’d be following in her cousin Prince Harry’s footsteps, and welcoming members of the public inside the castle grounds.
She announced the news on Instagram, writing: “Jack and I are excited to be able to invite people to watch our wedding inside the Precinct of Windsor Castle.”
Eugenie will become Her Royal Highness, Mrs Jack Brooksbank, when she says ‘I do’ to her tequila brand ambassador beau on October 12, at the same venue where Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, got hitched on May 19.
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