Royal watchers make an impact on electricity demand

WATCHING THE CEREMONY:EIRGRID said television and web viewers caused a noticeable change to electricity demand in Ireland yesterday. The company, which manages Ireland's electricity grids, said demand fell as viewers gathered together to watch the wedding and stopped using other electrical appliances.

The reduction was in the region of 120 megawatts, equivalent to the electricity demand of 78,000 average homes.

Almost 30 million people in the UK may have watched yesterday’s royal wedding, according to preliminary figures from the national grid, who tracked the electricity needed to boil millions of kettles after the vows were exchanged.

The British electricity supplier reported that demand peaked at 2,400 megawatts in the minutes afterwards, far higher than the figures recorded 30 years ago when Prince Charles married Diana Spencer – downplaying suggestions that royalty is losing its appeal to the British public.

Yesterday’s surge in electricity demand is the fourth highest on record, though some way behind the 2,800mw that had to be produced after England’s 1990 World Cup dreams ended in a penalty shoot-out with West Germany.

The interest of viewers was highest when Kate Middleton emerged from her car at Westminster Abbey finally to reveal her dress, the exchange of vows during the ceremony itself and the subsequent kiss for the cameras on the Buckingham Palace balcony.

Several thousand street parties were held throughout the UK, though they were concentrated in rural areas of England, with Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales hosting just a fraction of the total.

Since official TV viewing figures are not yet available, it is not known if the wedding will match the 28.4 million wedding viewers of 30 years ago.

Meanwhile, former Labour Northern Ireland secretary of state Peter Hain landed in trouble with his own party after he complained in a Twitter message that the BBC, which provided the TV service for all channels, had deliberately ignored party leader Ed Miliband.

In a brief message, Mr Hain said: “Loads of TV coverage of Cameron and Clegg at wedding but none of Ed. BBC airbrushing Labour like the palace?”

However, in the face of protests he quickly added a second line to say: “Congratulations to the happy couple – a great occasion.” Labour MPs had been irritated by Buckingham Palace’s decision not to invite former prime ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown to the wedding.

Despite fears that the day would be marred by trouble on the streets, the event passed off peacefully. Last night, police said that they had arrested 52 people, including 10 at a “Right Royal Orgy” protest in Soho Square, which was quickly broken up – though it led to complaints that the police action was heavy-handed.

Thirteen people were detained at Charing Cross station, near Westminster Abbey, carrying climbing equipment and anti-monarchy placards. Four others were arrested on Thursday night in south London after it emerged they planned to behead two effigies. Friends of those involved say that it was meant to be street theatre.

Meanwhile, Muslims Against Crusades, who had been barred from holding a demonstration outside the abbey, called off plans to hold another outside the security zone imposed around Westminster, with the group’s leader, Anjem Choudary, saying that there was “a high likelihood” of attack on the wedding parade by Muslim extremists. Last night there was speculation that Mr Choudary’s remarks might have been designed to lower the turnout from Muslims.