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Pubs Will Stay Open Later The Weekend Of The Royal Wedding

Pubs Will Stay Open Later The Weekend Of The Royal Wedding

It's been announced that we'll be able to stay in the pub until 1am on the weekend of the Royal Wedding

Mischa Pearlmen

Mischa Pearlmen

We might not be getting an extra bank holiday for this year's royal wedding - unlike 2011, when Prince William and Kate Middleton got married - but we will get a bit more time before last orders.

According to The Mirror, ministers have given the go-ahead for pubs and bars to extend their opening hours the weekend that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle get hitched - they will be able to stay open until 1am on both Friday the 18th and Saturday the 19 May.

Apparently, a four-week public consultation seeking the views of the police and licensing authorities has begun today, although quite what it's going to take four weeks to find out we're not sure, as the answers seem pretty obvious.

Do you want an extra couple of hours to get pissed? Yes. Will pubs be happy about that? Yes. Will it mean paying more to have extra police on the streets? Yes. Will hangovers be worse that weekend? Most definitely.

beer
beer

Still, Amber Rudd, the Home Secretary, said that if we're not going to get an extra day off work we should at least be able to get more pissed than usual. Though that's not quite her wording, obviously.

"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," she said.

"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."

In response to the news, the British Beer and Pub Association issued a statement that said: "This is great news. Visitors see British pubs as a cultural icon almost as great as the Royal Family."

Prince Harry and Meghan
Prince Harry and Meghan

There's so much to unpack in that last sentence. Tourists definitely do have a thing for the Royal Family, as well as a tipple down the local pub, but to equate the two seems a little far-fetched.

To be perfectly honest, we're pretty sure it'll mostly be English people making the most of the extended hours. Especially as it's also the day of the FA Cup Final. That on top of the wedding should really qualify for an extra bank holiday, but we'll take what we can get. There's always the option of calling in sick on the Monday anyway...

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: UK News, Royal Wedding, Pubs

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