BRITISH MEN ARE MORE EXCITED ABOUT THE NEW STAR WARS FILM THAN THE ROYAL WEDDING

An estimated 21 million[1] people are due to tune in this weekend to watch Prince Harry marry Meghan Markle, with the world’s attention well and truly glued to Windsor Castle. However, it appears not everyone is feeling the excitement, with recent research suggesting British men are more excited about heading to the cinema to see Alden Ehrenreich take his seat in the Millennium Falcon than seeing the royal couple tie the knot.

The survey, conducted by Best Western Great Britain, asked 2,000 UK adults to choose the event they are most excited about this summer, with options ranging from Wimbledon to the return of the Great British Bake Off. Overall, respondents listed the royal wedding as the second most anticipated happening of the season, beaten only by the FIFA World Cup.

However, this interest appears to lie predominantly within one gender - while more than one in seven (15%) women said the wedding was the thing they were most excited about this summer, just 2% of men felt the same way.

Predictably, the World Cup was the cause of most enthusiasm amongst UK males, with over a quarter (26%) saying the tournament was the thing they were most looking forward to. Major sporting occasions, such as the F.A. Cup Final and British Grand Prix (both 6%) were both listed highly, but noticeably so was the release of the new Star Wars film, due to reach cinemas at the end of May. Double the amount of men said they were most excited about Solo: A Star Wars Story (4%) than those who chose the royal wedding (2%).

Perhaps more surprisingly, however, was the considerable number of events which ranked higher than the wedding, with the event, taking place on the 19^th of May, barely making it into their top 10.

The top ten events British men and women are most looking forward to this summer are:

Regionally, interest in the royal wedding also fluctuated, with only one in twenty (5%) Scots saying they were most excited about the event. Those in the East Midlands appear to be the biggest royal supporters, with 13% of inhabitants listing the marriage as their number one summer event.

Andrew Denton, Director of Communications at Best Western GB, said: “The royal wedding is generating worldwide attention, but it’s interesting to see that closer to home some are still choosing Han over Harry.

“For those who aren’t as excited about the royal wedding, Star Wars or maybe even the FA Cup final this weekend, Best Western Great Britain has a minimum of 30% off summer getaways at its collection of 250 brilliantly different hotels if booked before midnight on Sunday. So maybe use the force and book, while everyone is distracted!”

To find your royal retreat, head to the Best Western website: https://www.bestwestern.co.uk/

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About Best Western GB

Best Western is a brilliantly different collection of independent hotels proudly giving a personal welcome to guests for over 70 years. With over 250 distinctive hotels in Great Britain alone, there is more to explore with Best Western.

Best Western GB is a retained-profit membership organisation that helps hotels maintain their independence. Committed to representing the views of its independently owned member hotels, Best Western GB tackles key industry issues on their behalf, including the effects of Government policies and legislation, industry changes and environmental impact on the heartbeat of the Great British hospitality industry.

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