Royal wedding: Taxpayers should not foot the bill
Upcoming royal wedding will cheer the nation but not at public's expense, newspaper poll says
London: The royal wedding will be a boost to the monarchy but the public is adamant that costs should be kept down and the royal family should foot the bill, a poll for the Daily Mail reveals.
More than 80 per cent of those interviewed sent a strong message saying taxpayers must not be asked to fund the occasion.
The results came as Prince William and Kate Middleton gave "firm direction" on arrangements for funding the multi-million-pound wedding, St James' Palace said.
They are expected to ask Prince Charles and the Queen to cover much of the cost to avoid a national backlash.
The couple, both 28, finally settled on a date and venue on Friday afternoon and are awaiting the green light from their families, the Church, the government and the police.
Enthusiastic support
The poll, carried out by Harris, shows the young couple can count on warm and enthusiastic public support. A clear majority think the wedding will cheer the nation and that the marriage will strengthen the monarchy.
More than two thirds think William will make a successful king and, although they know very little about Kate, fewer than 10 per cent say she will not make a good queen.
Only 18 per cent believe we would be better off without a royal family — compared with 28 per cent in a Daily Mail survey published ahead of Charles and Camilla's wedding in 2005. There is widespread pleasure that the young prince is marrying a "commoner" and two thirds say the wedding should be celebrated with a bank holiday.
A substantial majority — especially of women — are touched by the fact that William presented Kate with his mother's engagement ring.
Two thirds of women and 46 per cent of men believe the sapphire-and-diamond design is "stylish and elegant".
However, at a time of austerity, the survey also strikes a note of caution about the scale of the wedding, and the degree of grandeur surrounding it.
Most people believe it should be a relatively modest affair, that a conspicuous show of opulence could make people resentful of the gap between rich and poor and above all — that the taxpayer should not be asked to foot the bill.
