LONDON – Thousands of people lined up in the streets of Windsor in Englandto get a glimpse of the so-called royal wedding between Prince Harry and USactress Meghan Markle amid criticism over the extravagant spending.
The ceremony was held Saturday at Windsor Castle, the favored residence ofHarry’s grandmother Queen Elizabeth II, West of London, presstv reported.
More than 2,000 members of the public attended the celebrations. However,many Britons are upset about the huge money involved in the ceremony,especially for maintaining security by snipers, undercover police, militarytechnology, and security drones.
The wedding has been estimated to cost British taxpayers a staggering $45million (32 million pounds) by wedding planning service Bridebook andAmerican news website Business Insider.
A recent YouGov poll showed 57 percent of respondents wanted the royalfamily to pay for such costs.
The wedding came as the country is facing multiple crises, includinga sharp rise in the number of rough sleepers.
About 1,000 protesters arrived Friday in Windsor on the eve of the weddingto take part in a rally aimed at raising awareness of homelessness inBritain.
Recent reports of police removing belongings from homeless people nearWindsor Castle have sparked criticism, with many on social media callingthe approach “shameful”.
The Windsor homeless population controversy made national headlines inJanuary when Windsor city council leader Simon Dudley warned beggars andhomeless could paint the town in a “sadly unfavorable light”.
There has been a rapid rise in homelessness in Britain. The number ofpeople living on the streets of the UK has increased by 134 percent sincethe Conservative Party came to power in 2010, according to the NationalAudit Office.