Bermuda’s reactions to the Royal wedding ranged from ecstatic to indifferent when The Royal Gazette took to the streetsy.
Wayne Furbert, 45, shrugged when asked about the union of Prince William and Catherine Middleton.
He said he had forgotten all about the impending wedding until he came into town on Friday morning.
“I only remembered when I saw all those people watching it on TV in Washington Mall.”
Mr Furbert said the lavish scale of the wedding seemed out of step with his personal financial difficulties.
“I just don’t care about it, not in this economy. I’ve got a whole lot more serious things to think about.
“People are struggling financially on this island right now, and something like this just looks like a huge waste of money. They’re splurging with all their money and almost rubbing it in peoples’ faces, to tell you the truth.”
Mynta West, of Hamilton Parish, said she tuned in to the Royal wedding simply because someone she knew was involved in the event.
“I actually didn’t sleep last night because of the wedding. I loved what I saw of it, but I ended up falling asleep during the critical parts, so I’ll have to watch it again.
“It wasn’t a big deal to me. I just got into it because of my friend’s involvement, although I wasn’t able to see them on TV.”
Ms West said she wasn’t able to talk about her friend’s role, however.
Lexy Boudreau, of Pembroke, said: “I did get up with my kids to watch it. My boys go to Saltus, and the school made a big deal out of it they went in early to watch it with their teachers, and the boys got to wear red, white and blue clothes.”
Originally from the US, Mrs Boudreau said she enjoyed pageantry, and remembered waking up early to watch the 1981 wedding of Prince Charles and Diana. “I thought it would be cool to do the same thing with my own daughter,” she said. “I watched it at home with my four- and six-year-old.”
She added: “I think my husband was a bit appalled. He didn’t think making a big deal about the Royal wedding was any way to teach our daughter how to be a strong woman.”
For Matthew Viney, 21, of St George’s, the Royal nuptials were a non-event.
“Too much of a big deal was made of it,” he said. “It’s just a wedding. I knew it was out there but I didn’t have it marked on my calendar. I don’t know them personally, so it’s not something I paid much attention to.”
Conrad McKenzie said his British heritage felt more important to him, but he only noticed the wedding in passing.
“I did think it looked great. I’m British by birth, too. But I didn’t have time; I missed it. I’m sure I’ll be able to watch it again. I was pretty interested just to hear about the number of people glued to their sets for it.”
Daniel Baker, 23, told us: “I thought it was fantastic. I woke up at 5am but I dozed off again. I had my alarm set for 6.30am just in time for the royalty.
“I have to say I really enjoyed the whole event. The bride’s dress reflected her true character. It wasn’t so glamorous as people had expected, which said something about her.
“They both looked very relaxed and they enjoyed it. I was happy to see such a high turnout.”
Mr Baker said he had wanted to watch history.
“It’s an event you don’t see too often. I do know some of the history of the monarchy, and I think it could be a breath of fresh air, having the perfect couple suitable for the throne. The fact that she’s an ordinary person is also a big plus.”
For Esther Lewis, who enjoyed her day with friends, the Royal wedding was not a pressing event. “I don’t think about it,” she said.
“I did see a little bit of it on TV. I thought she was a beautiful girl, and she looked like a princess. I hope they’re happy together.”
Clarissa White, from Maryland, said she was on a week’s holiday with friends and had “stayed up all night” with them.
“I love the Royal family,” she said. “I remember all these events from when I was a little girl. This was another one.
“I thought the groom and his brother were both very handsome, the bride’s dress was stunning, and the Queen looked perfectly beautiful.
My favourite of them is Prince Philip. What a handsome man.”
Kyle, 22, of Warwick, was one of the many who checked in on the ceremony online.
“Somebody sent me a link so I checked it out for a few minutes before work. YouTube was hosting a special channel for the wedding, streaming it . I watched simply because it’s a historic event. This is the first time a Prince has married a commoner in quite some time. The cathedral looked great and the bride looked beautiful, I caught about ten minutes, but that was it.”
Others we spoke to were less enamoured of the event.
“I didn’t see much,” Josh Masters, 27, said. “The Queen’s outfit looked like Jim Carey’s suit from ‘The Mask’. Bright yellow. I thought it looked weird.”
“I’d probably have been more into it if I’d been given the day off,” said Brian Steinhoff, who works in Allied World. “My girlfriend left the TV on and I watched some of it just to see what the other third of the world was watching. Supposedly two billion people were watching it. It’s obviously historic, even though it’s got no significance to me.”
A companion threw in: “I woke up at 7.30am. My wife had been up since 5.30am. The women were definitely more into it.”
A woman sitting nearby, dressed in a UPS uniform, identified herself as VP from Devonshire. “It didn’t mean anything to me, or to anybody else in my family,” she said. “None of us were interested. I don’t know her.”
