The public holiday for the Windsor/Middleton wedding, together with the effects of the Japanese earthquake, knocked 0.5 per cent off the growth in the economy in the first quarter, according to the Financial Times. The wedding day was declared a public holiday in a move by the Windsor clan and its supporters to boost support for the feudal institution of monarchy.
The opposition Labour Pary has declared its support for the hereditary right clamed by the Windsors saying that “the Monarchy must continue to play a vital role in the affairs of our nation in this new century”.