LONDON – Harry, Queen Elizabeth’s grandson and fifth-in-line to the throne,will tie the knot with Markle on May 19 at Windsor Castle, the royal palacehome of British kings and queens for almost 1,000 years.
According to the Office for National Statistics, the wedding of Harry’selder brother William to wife Kate in April 2011 led to an increase of350,000 visitors to the UK compared to the same month the year before andbusiness valuation consultancy Brand Finance predicted a similar surge inMay.
In total, it estimates the nuptials will generate some 500 million pounds ($680 million).
“We think approximately 200 million pounds will come from tourism, travel,hotels,” the company’s chief executive David Haigh told Reuters.
About 150 million pounds would be spent on people having parties andcelebrating with 50 million coming from people buying T-shirts, hats andother commemorative items, he said.
The wedding would also be worth about 100 million pounds in freeadvertising for Britain around the world, he added.
Businesses in Windsor are already gearing up to take advantage of theworldwide interest in the couple, with Harry, 33, one of the most popularmembers of the British royal family and Markle, 36, best known for herstarring role in the TV legal drama “Suits”, providing some Hollywoodsparkle.
“It’s going to be a massive boost for the economy, it’s going to be greatto see so many people here for the wedding and actually to host the weddingitself,” said Andrew Lee, manager of the Harte and Garter hotel oppositeWindsor Castle.
British tourism bosses are already predicting 2018 to be a bumper year forthe industry, aided by a fall in the value of the pound since the 2016 voteto leave the European Union which has attracted visitors and deterredBritons from vacationing abroad.
VisitBritain, the national tourism agency, estimates that 41.7 millionvisits from overseas will be made to the United Kingdom in 2018, generating26.9 billion pounds in the process.