We are ALL getting this present on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding day

It's no bank holiday but it's probably the next best thing...

(Image credit: Geoff Pugh/REX/Shutterstock)

It's no bank holiday but it's probably the next best thing...

The countdown to the royal wedding is officially on, with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle set to wed on May 19th at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.

The past few months have been consumed by what we can expect from a Prince Harry and Meghan Markle wedding, with updates on everything from who will be Meghan Markle’s dress designer and how the couple are deciding on their seating plan to who will be performing at the reception - it’s looking like Elton John.

In fact, we know so much about how the royal couple and their guests will be spending the day that we’ve completely forgotten to work out how we will be marking the occasion ourselves.

When Prince William and Kate Middleton married on Friday 29th April 2011, the day was declared a bank holiday as a result, allowing us all to celebrate with street parties up and down the country. It seemed plausible therefore that we might get a day off work for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's nuptials.

kiss

Unfortunately, for, well, everyone, the couple have chosen to get married on a Saturday so there's no chance of a day off or a bank holiday, but as a consolation the government has decided to give us all a present to make celebrating easier.

According to the Independent, Home Secretary Amber Rudd has announced that pubs across the UK will have their licensing hours extended over the royal wedding weekend - giving us more time to ‘join together and celebrate’.

‘As shown by the support for the proposal to extend licensing hours, it’s clear that the public back the idea of having more time to raise a glass to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on a day of national celebration,’ she announced.

Well that's something we suppose.

Jenny Proudfoot
Features Editor

Jenny Proudfoot is an award-winning journalist, specialising in lifestyle, culture, entertainment, international development and politics. She has worked at Marie Claire UK for seven years, rising from intern to Features Editor and is now the most published Marie Claire writer of all time. She was made a 30 under 30 award-winner last year and named a rising star in journalism by the Professional Publishers Association.