Royal wedding could mean extra day's holiday

Britain's Prime Minister has floated the idea of celebrating Prince William's wedding with an extra public holiday.

David Cameron said there should be another bank holiday to mark the royal wedding next year of Prince William and Kate Middleton, AFP reported.

Cameron told a parliamentary committee he would support a national day off - known as a bank holiday in Britain - to celebrate the occasion.

"If it's in the middle of the week it would be a very good idea to have a bank holiday and even if it's the weekend ... I think there would be a great temptation to have a bank holiday, a day of national celebration," he said.

No date has yet been set for the nuptials but the couple indicated support for the proposal.

A St James' Palace spokesman told the Press Association: "Prince William and Catherine Middleton are grateful for the Prime Minister's comments. They also support the idea of a bank holiday but recognise this is very much a matter for the government."

Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer's wedding in 1981 was also marked with a bank holiday.

Britain has fewer public holidays than most European nations but has laws which allow the government to declare holidays to celebrate special occasions.

- NZHERALD STAFF