Looking Back: The 5 Strangest Facts About The Royal Wedding

A guest post by Paul Thompson 

Royal Wedding fever finally seems to be dissipating a little bit. For a few weeks it seemed to be all the Western World could talk about, and with good reason. While the actual political power of the royal family in England is debatable at this point and some argue that the monarchy is obsolete, this family has put forward a classy, sophisticated, and philanthropic image to the world. Princes William and Harry are beloved in part because of the tragic death of their mother Diana, but also because they’ve represented their strange, high-pressure seat in life with dignity, and even, seemingly, with some self-aware amusement. Throw in the fact that a royal wedding means a rich, beautiful gathering of celebrities from all over the world, and it was hard not to get swept up in the proceedings!

Now that we’re a few weeks past the actual event though, it’s fun to take a look back at some of the stranger and more interesting facts that surrounded it. So without further ado, here are five we’ve noticed and enjoyed.

1. Knit Kits Were Sold

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It probably goes without saying that there has been a lot of strange apparel concerning the royal wedding sold. You might have seen Harry and Meghan Halloween masks, cardboard cutouts, or even tee shirts with their faces on them. But what about knitting kits? Apparently a knit your own royal wedding kit was being sold on Etsy, providing material and instruction for knitting (admittedly adorable) fabric figures of the prince and princess.

2. Average American TV Stars Were There

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Celebrity sightings at the royal wedding were no surprise. For instance, George and Amal Clooney were all over the write-ups of the event, and while most probably couldn’t tell you their connection to the royal family, they still seemed to be perfectly in place. The same goes for the likes of Elton John, Serena Williams, and others. But because Meghan Markle is a prominent cast member on a USA show called Suits there were a lot of fairly average TV stars in attendance also. That’s nothing against Suits stars Sarah Rafferty, Gina Torres, and Patrick J. Adams – but let’s just say in any under circumstances their being at a royal wedding would have been bizarre.

3. There Was Betting On Streakers

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It probably won’t surprise you to learn that there was a fairly robust betting market surrounding the royal wedding and all of its fun details: will it rain, what will William wear, etc. But among the betting options was this incredibly strange question: will a streaker interrupt the vows? Apparently the odds surrounding this question indicated that there was roughly a two percent chance that it would actually happen. It certainly would have made for a memorable stunt.

4. The Queen Faxed Her Invites

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This one is actually just kind of adorable. According to some reports after the wedding, Queen Elizabeth II helped to send out invitations to the royal wedding via fax machine. It’s amusingly old fashioned, but hey – more power to her majesty for getting involved at all! Surely she has someone who could have done this for her?

5. The Wedding Was Memed

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This isn’t surprising at all, really, but it is rather strange when you take a step back and think about it. There have been royal weddings going on in England for many centuries, and they’re serious, ceremonial affairs. Yet here we are in the 21st century and a royal wedding is being memed. It contributes to the more lighthearted version of the modern royals – but one wonders what the kings and queens of the middle ages might have thought of all this!

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