The engagement between The Prince of Wales and Meghan Markle was announced in late November last year. However, with the wedding coming up on May 19 in Windsor, is all that money really going to good use or could it be going elsewhere, perhaps to the 300,000 homeless people in Britain?
Bridebook has revealed that the royal wedding is estimated to cost £31,969,873, with £30,000,000 alone for security. Compared to William and Kate’s security costs for their wedding in 2011 consisting of £6,350,000, this is a dramatic increase.
On average, U.K. couples spend £17,913 on their wedding, under 1% of what Prince Harry and Meghan will be spending on their wedding.
Since the engagement was announced, petitions have been running in support of the many homeless people in Windsor. It was discovered that the council leader of Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, Simon Dudley, was demanding police use legal powers to clear the area of homeless people by May 19, conveniently the same date as the royal wedding.
The Independent also revealed that people sleeping rough in Windsor could be fined up to £100 under proposed measures to reduce the visibility of homelessness in the Windsor and Maidenhead borough ahead of the royal wedding. Windsor and Maidenhead Council want to ban people from begging and leaving their belongings on the street.
Holly Fishwick launched the online petition to the council leader to stop the moving of rough sleepers. Holly stated on her Change petition page, “I’m calling for this demand on the local police force to be withdrawn, and for people who are homeless not to be removed. Instead the council and local authorities should offer a suitable long-term solution for these people, including safe and secure accommodation and health advice and support.”
The money could be put forward to accommodate homeless people, provide their essentials and get them on track to rebuilding their lives. It’s very easy to automatically judge a homeless person, but many are out there of no fault of their own. Nobody should be begging for their next meal especially whilst a golden royal carriage is traveling past following a £32,000,000 wedding.
Instead of wedding gifts, Prince Harry and Meghan have requested for well-wishers to donate to one of them chosen charities including Crisis, a national charity for homeless people. It helps individuals directly out of homeless, working with thousands each year to help rebuild their lives.
Jon Sparkes, Chief Executive of Crisis, stated, “We are hugely grateful that Prince Harry and Ms. Markle are asking the public to support Crisis as they celebrate their wedding. Homelessness is one of the most urgent issues of our time, but at Crisis we know what it takes to end it.”
Homeless – Credit: Tom Parsons
