From the Serbian magazine BLIC
By Marija Mijatovic
Impressions from the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton have been adding up, the event that has been followed by almost third of a world population on TV last Friday. Crown Prince Alexander Karadjordjevic and Crown Princess Katherine talked to Blic about their impressions, who were delighted by the organization of the event, decorations at Westminster Abbey, as well as the bride and groom, who are very much in love, according to them.
What are your impressions from the wedding of Prince William and Princess Catherine?
It was an amazing wedding and huge. My wife and I were very impressed. We enjoyed the whole event and we were so impressed by the incredible feeling of the public for Prince William and Princess Catherine who now have the title Their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. We were told one million people were lining the route to Westminster Abbey, the exact same place were I was christened, my godmother was Queen Elizabeth II and my Godfather her father King George VI. The first event was Friday a wonderful lunch hosted by the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester. That evening we went to a wonderful dinner given by Lady Elizabeth Anson, the Queen's cousin, at the Mandarin Hotel. My Godmother Queen Elizabeth II was there and so where all the foreign royals and close friends. It was a wonderful opportunity to catch up with relatives.
How did the wedding go?
The next day Friday, the day of the wedding, we met with the other royals at Lancaster House, next to Clarence House the residence of Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall, where we had coffee. We were greeted by the Deputy Prime Minister Mr Nick Clegg and his Spanish wife, and the Foreign Secretary Mr William Hague. We had a warm conversation with the two politicians and other members of the family. We were then put into mini buses and taken to Westminster Abbey.
You are a father of three sons, would you like to see them married and to organize wedding for them in a near future? Would you organize that wedding in Serbia?
Of course, Serbian is our home and our beautiful country.
What do you think about organization of the wedding?
The organization was superb and went very well. The timings were excellent. I noted that security was high and that there new measures such as putting the royals and the Commonwealth Prime Ministers in mini busses. I was struck that the route was lined left and right every 8 metres with a person with a submachine gun. Consequently the whole wedding went very smoothly without any significant security event. The security forces should be very proud of their alertness and everyone was very impressed by their organization.
For all of us that we were not able to attend the wedding, could you please describe the atmosphere in Westminster Abbey?
We were struck by the nice decoration when we entered Westminster Abbey. The lighting was good, but not overpowering. The first thing we noticed in front of us was the tomb of the unknown soldier surrounded by red flowers and ahead left and right beautiful green trees, a very nice arrangement. Walking forward towards the front of the Abbey we saw several friends and just before we sat down with other royal family members we noticed Prime Minister David Cameron and his wife who acknowledged us. The general atmosphere was very warm and happy.
What do you think about the bride and groom? In your opinion they seem more popular than Charles and Diana was?
Prince William and Princess Catherine are a lovely couple and very much in love. Prince Williams handshake is firm and he looks one straight in the eye. Princess Catherine is very sweet and she kissed us in Buckingham Palace at the reception following the wedding. Prince Charles should be proud of Prince William and his bride. This was the day of the newly weds. The popularity of 1981 and 2011 was the same, but I think due to the Internet more information was dissipated across the world.
What benefits this wedding brought to Great Britain?
Royal weddings have always been an important social and historical event, but the marriage of Prince William to Miss Kate Middleton is a fantastic example of the positive image, tourist and marketing boost it will provide the United Kingdom. Analysts predict that the Royal Wedding will benefit the United Kingdom economy by nearly one billion pounds (1.6 billion dollars), mainly through retailers, hotel bookings, shopping , etc. Tourism experts predicted an extra 600,000 tourists from the United Kingdom and abroad gathered in London to celebrate the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton pushing the total number of visitors up to over 1.1 million. These admirers are forecast to spend around £50 million (57 million Euros or $82 million) just on the day of the wedding, as they party on the streets of the capital. However, the real prize for the tourism industry is arguably the estimated two billion people who will watch Prince William and Kate live around the world on television. This royal wedding will certainly strengthen the image of United Kingdom as a great destination with a rich culture, history, architecture and tradition, but will also raise the profile of the Royal Family.
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