The UK comes to a standstill tomorrow, Friday 29th of April, to celebrate the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. There’s no denying that the country will be in a celebratory mood.
With television networks from ABC to ITV pulling out all the stops to telecast the royal wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton live across the world, a whopping 2 billion people are expected to tune in for the mega event. Dubai One will air live the coverage of the Royal Wedding tomorrow from 11am local time. The channel is the only free-to-air outlet to have full live Huw Edwards BBC One exclusive coverage of the wedding and festivities of the big day. Dubai One programming over the next one week is being tailored for the special event.
But do Kate and Wills’ nuptials have any impact on the UK as a brand?
Brand Britain on a roll
“The eyes of the world will be watching Britain on April 29th, as the much anticipated Royal Wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton takes place. It’s an event that is set to build huge emotional ties to Brand Britain both at home and away, providing the ideal lead up to the 2012 Diamond Jubilee of the Queen and London’s hosting of the Olympic Games.â€
“Amidst the economic downturn, rising costs, cut backs and unemployment, the Royal Wedding (and the bank holiday) provides an emotional uplift and longed for boost to the country as people have the chance to come together and celebrate as a nation. In both the short and long term this will be a boom for UK tourism as it demonstrates the strength of our culture, history and tradition, the main reasons according to Visit Britain, Britain’s national tourism agency, that make the country such an attractive destination.â€
Participating in the experience – at home and abroad
The British community in UAE is also gearing up to celebrate the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton. Apart from private parties, a lot of people are expected to head to the official Royal Wedding event at the British Embassy in Dubai where families from the British community will witness the televised ceremony at ‘traditional street party’ on the Embassy’s lawns. A specially erected VIP Majlis will be spread out for the guests.
Guy Warrington, Consul General for the British Embassy commented that this is going to be a memorable day for the large British community in Dubai.
“Thirty years ago, almost a billion TV viewers watched the wedding of Prince Charles and Diana. The union of their eldest son could well exceed this as it’s being broadcast through every imaginable communications channel with Clarence House launching a website, Twitter, Flickr and YouTube accounts to live stream the event. As a result, it’s a party that the whole world is in on and a one-off event reaching a truly global audience.â€
A new take on a traditional fairy tale
“The story of William and Kate is a new take on the fairy tale romance: Prince marries middle-class girl. It reveals a more democratic, meritocratic Britain, no longer in thrall to the upper classes and royal elite. The couple’s relationship is a compelling brand story that engages people from all walks of life and is impossible to ignore, highlighting a thoroughly modern Britain.â€
“The embracing of social media highlights that this is indeed a thoroughly modern couple and a symbol of a Royal household that has moved into the 21st century and is now more progressive, responsive and receptive than ever before.â€
A boost for all things British
“Whilst the Royal Wedding provides huge promotional potential for UK tourism, hospitality and leisure brands, it’s also a great opportunity for food and retail brands all over the world to capitalise on or manufacture their quintessential Britishness.â€
“With limited edition products ranging from Special Edition Prince William champagne, Haribo Hearts and Rings and special edition biscuit tins, it’s hard to escape the surge in the William and Kate merchandise. However brands need to be careful of jumping on the Royal Wedding bandwagon; and there is a real danger of some going down the tacky tat route, losing their integrity and telling a brand story that bears no relevance to them.â€
From elite polo clubs to street food hawkers, the British royal wedding is spelling big bucks in Dubai. The eagerly-awaited wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton appears to be spawning a mini industry with business brisk in stores selling the royal themed merchandise.
The Dubai Equestrian and Polo Club is taking the lead with special screening of the event following which guests get to watch Royal Wedding Polo Club matches. A Royal wedding six-tier cupcake with English roses as adornment from Sugar Daddy’s and prizes for the woman in the best hat and best dress comes as a top-up.
Entrepreneurs in several Dubai malls, mostly specializing in bakery and souvenirs, have come up with special products to mark the occasion. The famous ‘House of Cakes’ cake shop at Jumeirah Lake Towers is baking Royal Iced Wedding Cakes to cash in on the wedding hum.
The Royal Raffles Roast is going to be a special themed version of the popular Friday Raffles Roast, a quintessentially British roast with all traditional trimmings at Raffles Dubai. Guests would be treated to a lively TV screening, complete with classics such as pie and mash and traditional British drinks. The Raffles botanical garden is being spruced up in celebration of the occasion.
As hotels and restaurants brace up in anticipation with plenty of deals on the offing, the biggest party in the town is being held at the British High commission in Dubai. The official royal wedding event will see an ensemble of British expats and locals get together for the big-screen nuptials. The pomp and ceremony is expected to include street plays and a royal-themed British cuisine.
