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Pubs Set To Open From 7am For FA Cup Final And Royal Wedding

Pubs Set To Open From 7am For FA Cup Final And Royal Wedding

Super Saturday.

Josh Lawless

Josh Lawless

Britain is set for a festival of drinking this coming weekend as pub licensing laws have been extended to celebrate the FA Cup Final and the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

Landlords are already calling for a 'Super Saturday' of revelry, which is now legally allowed to begin as early as 7 am, with pubs given special dispensation to open early.

They will also be allowed to stay open later on Friday night, will closing time knocked back until 1 am.

"Pubs have always held pride of place for national celebrations like royal weddings and great sporting events for Brits," Lawson Mountstevens, Managing Director of Star Pubs & Bars, which operates 2,900 venues across the country, said.

"We predict it will be the busiest day of the year."

John Perry, landlord of the Queen Charlotte in Windsor, close to where the Royal Wedding will be held, predicted a busy day as well.

He told the paper: "We've got people coming from as far away as Australia and America.

"We'll be switching over to the Cup Final at 5pm. It's going to be full on, all day."

Image: PA
Image: PA

Estimates are that as many as 50,000 Americans will travel to Windsor for the ceremony, which is expected to draw huge crowds.

Richard Quest, a TV presenter with CNN News, predicted that the number of viewers for the Royal Wedding on Saturday will outstrip that of the 23 million that tuned in to watch Harry's older brother William marry Kate Middleton

"Harry may be a more distant heir to the throne but he's extremely popular in the US, and never more so since he chose to marry an American," he said.

The FA Cup final between Manchester United vs. Chelsea will kick-off at 5:15 pm, which could cause a rush for William.

He is standing as his brother's best man at the wedding in Windsor, but is also due to present the cup to the winners of Saturday's match at Wembley in his role as President of the Football Association.

Image: PA
Image: PA

It is not yet known whether he will attempt to race the 23 miles in time for the presentation.

"We have not gone into the timing of the wedding but made it clear that the wedding and the FA cup final will not clash," said a spokesperson for Kensington Palace.

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Topics: Football News, Chelsea, Football, Manchester United, FA Cup