Pubs may stay open late for Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's wedding
Pubs could be allowed to stay open later in order to encourage national merriment on the occasion of the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
The government is looking to allow bars and other licensed premises to delay calling time until 1am on 18 and 19 May to allow the nation to better celebrate the nuptials of the 33-year-old prince and his American bride.
The move may also cheer football fans, as the wedding is on the same day as the FA Cup final and the Scottish Cup final, Saturday 19 May.
Harry, who is fifth in line to the throne and will drop to sixth upon the birth of his older brother Prince William’s third child in April, will marry Markle, 36, an actor best known for her role in the US legal drama Suits, at St George’s Chapel in the grounds of Windsor Castle.
(July 1, 2016)
The pair meet in London through friends and begin a relationship.
(October 30, 2016)
News breaks that the prince and Markle are dating.
(November 8, 2016)
Kensington Palace confirms in an unprecedented statement that they are dating. The prince attacks the media over its “abuse and harassment” of his girlfriend.
(November 11, 2017)
Markle is spotted in London amid unconfirmed reports she is enjoying her first stay at Kensington Palace since the relationship was made public.
(January 10, 2017)
Markle reportedly meets the Duchess of Cambridge and Princess Charlotte for the first time in London.
(September 5, 2017)
The engagement looks set when Markle graces the cover of US magazine Vanity Fair and speaks openly about Harry for the first time, revealing: “We’re two people who are really happy and in love.”
(September 24, 2017)
Markle makes her first appearance at an official engagement attended by the prince when she attends the Invictus Games opening ceremony in Toronto, Canada – although the pair sit about 18 seats apart.
(October 19, 2017)
It emerges that the prince has taken Markle to meet his grandmother, the Queen, whose permission they need to marry. They met over afternoon tea at Buckingham Palace.
(October 22, 2017)
The prince’s aides are reported to have been told to start planning for a royal wedding, with senior members of the royal family asked to look at their diaries to shortlist a series of suitable weekends in 2018.
(November 21, 2017)
Markle is spotted in London, prompting speculation she is preparing for an engagement announcement.
(November 27, 2017)
Clarence House announces the engagement, and the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh say they are “delighted for the couple and wish them every happiness”.
Launching a four-week consultation on extending the licensing hours in England and Wales, the home secretary, Amber Rudd, said: “The royal wedding will be a time of national celebration, and we want everyone to be able to make the most of such an historic occasion.
“I hope that this relaxation of the licensing hours will allow people to extend their festivities and come together to mark what will be a very special moment for the country.”
Licensing hours were extended for the wedding of Prince William to Kate Middleton in 2011 and for the Queen’s official 90th birthday celebrations in June 2016.
Brigid Simmonds, chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association, said the extended hours could be worth £10m to the pub trade. “Visitors see the Great British pub as a cultural icon, almost as much as the royal family,” she said.
