Y’all know how British people love nothing more than a small-sample poll. Well, the latest British poll making headlines is where 2000 Britons were asked about the “best cultural moments” of the past two decades. Apparently, political moments were not included, so they were trying to get “royal weddings” and “the Jubbly” on the list. Would it surprise you to hear that British people think Prince William and Kate’s wedding was a better cultural moment than Prince Harry and Meghan’s wedding?
Britain’s best cultural moments of the past 20 years have been revealed. A poll of 2,000 adults found that almost a third of the public (28 per cent) believe the coronation of King Charles was the most significant event of the past two decades. Queen Elizabeth’s Jubilees in 2012 and 2022 (27 per cent) and the lifting of Covid restrictions (26 per cent) came second and third respectively. No fewer than six of the top 20 were royal events.
A fifth of respondents (21 per cent) said the marriage of the Prince and Princess of Wales was the most iconic event since 2004. But just eight per cent said the same about the marriage of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in 2018.
Significant sporting events that made it to the top 10 included the Lionesses winning the Euros in 2022, Andy Murray’s Wimbledon victories and Leicester City’s Premier League title win in 2016. Elsewhere, Susan Boyle’s 2009 Britain’s Got Talent audition has proved a mainstay in the British cultural psyche, with 10 per cent of respondents saying that was the most iconic moment.
Other musical milestones included Elton John’s last UK performance at Glastonbury in 2023 (eight per cent), and Liverpool hosting Eurovision (six per cent) the same year.The survey did not consider political events, such as the Brexit vote in 2016 or Boris Johnson’s 2019 general election victory.
King Charles’s coronation being named the top cultural moment is… interesting. I get the historical perspective – most people had never seen a British coronation before, that’s how long QEII had been on the throne. But the coronation itself was so dreary and fussy. It felt like it had such a short gossip half-life too – barely anyone spoke about it days later, and the whole coronation conversation was almost solely about Prince Harry’s brief visit. It’s a wonder the Sussexit announcement didn’t make it onto the list, considering they’re still talking about it years later and it seems to be the defining cultural moment of the past two decades. Which is also why the Sussex wedding was a bigger cultural moment, not just for the UK, but around the world. Also: Andy Murray’s Wimbledon wins should have been ranked higher!
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- Prince Harry and Meghan Markle exchange vows in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle during their wedding service, conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby.,Image: 515241984, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR SEVEN DAYS – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251 Madrid: +34 91 533 4289, Model Release: no, Credit line: – / Avalon
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- Handout photo issued by Clarence House of The Bride and Groom in the throne room at Buckingham Palace, TRH The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge after their wedding. . Picture date: Friday April 29, 2011. Wedding. Photo credit should read: Hugo Burnand/Clarence House NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder. NO MERCHANDISE OR COMMERCIAL USE
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- Handout photo issued by Clarence House of The Bride and Groom in the throne room at Buckingham Palace, TRH The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in the centre with attendants, (clockwise from bottom right) The Hon. Margarita Armstrong-Jones, Miss Eliza Lopes, Miss Grace van Cutsem, Lady Louise Windsor, Master Tom Pettifer, Master William Lowther-Pinkerton. . Picture date: Friday April 29, 2011. Wedding. Photo credit should read: Hugo Burnand/Clarence House NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder. NO MERCHANDISE OR COMMERCIAL USE
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- King Charles III wearing the St Edward’s Crown and Queen Camilla wearing the Queen Mary’s Crown during their coronation ceremony in Westminster Abbey, London. Featuring: Queen Camilla and King Charles III Where: London, United Kingdom When: 06 May 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- Prince Edward, The Prince of Wales kisses his father King Charles III during his coronation ceremony in Westminster Abbey, London. Featuring: Prince Edward and King Charles III Where: London, United Kingdom When: 06 May 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- King Charles III during his coronation at Westminster Abbey, London. Featuring: King Charles III Where: London, United Kingdom When: 06 May 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- Prince Harry and Meghan Markle during their wedding service at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle.
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- Prince Harry and Meghan Markle kiss on the steps of St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle after their wedding.
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- (Left to right) The Duke of Cambridge, the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall, the Duchess of Cambridge, the Duke of York and Princess Beatrice sitting in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle during the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
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- Catherine Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge, with Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, leaving the Abbey in a horse drawn carriage The Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton – The Mall Departures London, England – 29.04.11 Where: London, United Kingdom When: 29 Apr 2011 Credit: Danny Clifford
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- The Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge Westminster Abbey, London. London, England – 29.04.11 Where: London, United Kingdom When: 29 Apr 2011 Credit: WENN **Only available for publication in UK, USA**
It doesn’t surprise me that they think their wedding was a cultural moment over Harry and Meg’s because I’m sure those 2000 British people were hand picked by the powers that be to be very hard core Windsor fans.
They asked 2000 people on the Brexit mailing list to comment.
Quite, it’s not 23% of the British public, it’s 23% of the 2000 people you carefully selected. I know the point of polls is to extrapolate but you need a sensible sample to make that legitimate.
Really,GirlPluleez. The official numbers during that time does not support what they are trying to say now. HM wedding far exceeded their wedding in viewership and interest. There are receipts.
These folks sure do love pulling’ish from theirrears. They must have been taking pointers fromDjt.
If they say so. No wonder they are willing to spend 500 million GBP per year for the royals.
They really need to leave those poor, old residents of those senior citizens living facilities alone. You just know they only poll Brits over the age of 65 to get their desired results.
Where’s the 2012 Olympics? This poll is bogus.
Totally bogus! The omission of the iconic Olympics opening ceremony is proof of that.
Was it Buckingham palace staff that they did the poll with because there’s no way the coronation was voted top cultural moment. I doubt even devout royalists would rank it that high. I don’t know anybody who watched it, it took place on a rainy day & was very forgettable for a historic moment
Along with Liz and “Bond, James Bond” Daniel Craig “parachuting” into the games? 😄 https://www.youtube.com/shorts/X3NNyZqY1yo
yeah when I first saw this headline I did think “Well maybe” – the wedding of the future king was a Big Deal at the time.
But then I read the rest of the list and I’m just scratching my head. I would actually rank QEII’s death and funeral higher than Charles’ coronation. And is anyone going to remember either the 2012 or the 2022 jubilee in maybe 10 years?
So for me its not that I completely distrust where W&K’s wedding lands, its more that the whole list doesn’t really make a lot of sense.
I agree that the death of the Queen was a bigger cultural moment than anything else in the last 20 years. And in terms of wedding if we stick only to the last 20 years then it was Harry and Meghan’s wedding. The numbers speak for themselves. But really it is the Charles and Diana wedding that has cultural power because it is still remembered despite being in 1981 and ending in divorce.
This!
Charles’ coronation was talked about, here in Europe the news were all about it. We watched it live and then we watched the reruns.
We watch UK royal stuff because of the music, it’s historical! Handel’s hymn is played at every coronation, since he was asked to write it. It’s cool! The choir is also amazing, always. And I don’t remember the wedding dresses, but I do remember the music from both weddings.
Most people in Europe follow their own royals! And most Europe don’t like UK after how they treat other European people in that salty island
Of course, I love the Swedish Royals!
I am European too and nothing absut nothing brought me to watch Cowmillas clowning. Never ever. Laala is not the majority.
In Canada the queens death and funeral had far more impact than Charles’s coronation and he is head of state.
I mean, Kate and Will’s wedding was significant enough for Meghan to write about it in her blog. So..
You seem confused, as I use to read the tig, Meghan was talking weddings and flowers so it’s like they even said anything about those two especially! Tig gave shout to the planner, choir and so on
I would have thought that the Queen’s funeral would have made the top 3. The 24 hr queue, the pomp around her funeral, in Scotland and in England — it was WAY bigger and watched more that the Clowning and the Jubbly.
I agree, her funeral was bigger than any of these moments.
Yeah, I agree with that. But it feels like these polls are meant to assuage both Charles and William’s egos more than anything. William’s wedding over his brothers wedding. Charles’ coronation over the national mourning for his mother.
I was just going to post the same thing. As a cultural moment it was the end of an era. But surveys are tricky – it’s not just the number of people surveyed, but the questions that were asked. Were people asked to pick anything off the top of their heads as long as it wasn’t political? Or were they given a list of options from which to choose?
The thing that sticks in my mind about the funeral is Princess Anne curtseying to her mum’s coffin. I found it touching. I also remember when I was a child in the late 50s a funeral going past and a policeman saluting. I doubt we will ever see that again.
That bloody queue was more iconic than most of the stuff on this list. Also, as mentioned above, the London Olympics. I’d definitely wonder if it was a list of options or did people have to contribute their own thoughts on iconic cultural moments? Reminds me of Huevo and his sexiest Bald Man polling.
1000% agree. The funeral of Elizabeth, the Brit monarch since the 50s is a bigger cultural moment, I don’t know how they did their sampling. The whole globe stopped to watch the multi-day event. And I notice they made their sampling eliminate Diana’s death and funeral. Will & Kate couldn’t compete with that.
I guess it’s no surprise since WanK will be their future monarchs. Maybe the respondents felt they “had” to mention Will and Kate’s wedding.
I mean if we’re talking about British cultural moments…it was two Brits getting married vs a Brit and an American😂. I’m just saying the people responding to this poll are probably people who voted for Brexit so they’d be all about keeping any foreigners out of their top cultural moments.
It shows how biased they are now because the watching figures for Harry and Meghan’s wedding were much higher. Globally one wedding had far more impact. But really the wedding with the most reach was Charles and Diana and that was before social media.
As a Brit I personally found Harry & Meghan’s wedding had far more warmth and charm.
It was more about what the bride and groom wanted and different from past royal weddings. It introduced many of us to a different culture as well. Far more interesting. Surely being introduced to different cultures is one of the things that culture is about.
Very true.
And a lot of what we witnessed in that beautiful chapel showed people’s true characters.
Instead of comparing the cultural effect of Wank’s V Harry & Meghan , perhaps what would more useful or relevant today is talk about how both marriages are faring ?
I think they know the answer but don’t want to face the reality hence this silly poll.
As someone living in Europe: this isn’t entirely weird. For lots of those events listed, people got time off, there were unusual trinkets being sold, lots of television coverage that everyone talked about with each other, etc. Some things might be missing, but I understand it. I’m sure many British people know where they were when Diana’s eldest son got married or how odd it was to have a king.
This poll is ego boosting for the left behinds.
Yup! Just more effort put into the embiggening of the biggest scam that is the BRF! Diana’s Funeral, QEII’s funeral, the 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony and H&M’s wedding were the most memorable events that we watched! We didn’t even watch W&K’s wedding!
I am embarrassed for them.. 🤦🏼♀️ these ridiculous puff pieces trying to make these two into something they will never be are getting old and extremely transparent, it is just gross. It just screams how useless, pathetic and insecure these people are.
I’ve regularly gone to church here in Southern England from 2011 to 2020 and just the odd times since because it’s not inclusive. You need to realise we’re asked to pray for the Monarch and the Royal family at every service.
People in higher circles also have the shortest of memories. I heard, including the Church of England churchwarden, refer to Charles as the patriarch of our country, our dignified leader, a mirror image to his mother, and I chocked as Camilla was referred to as the country national treasure! Queen Elizabeth has been buried / forgotten in too many people’s minds.
Locally, people went mad about William’s wedding, but I live in rural Tory England with big Farage/far-right voters. I refused to watch the ceremony. As I don’t have a TV, I booked a table at a popular local pub to watch Meghan and Harry’s, cried copiously. However, no-one else showed up, when they showed up for William and football ⚽ but it only reflects to a small part of England
“A fifth of respondents (21 per cent) said the marriage of the Prince and Princess of Wales was the most iconic event since 2004.”
What exactly was iconic at that event?
Harry’s brother being visibly hungover?
Pippa’s ass of lies?
The bride’s boob darts and her raccoon-inspired make-up?
“Happy now”?
Compare and contrast that with Big Red being *very* emotional, “Stand by me”, or Sheku Kanneh-Mason, among other things.
Well, it’s the Torygraph, after all, so they only report what’s expected of them.
They have to cap it at 2004 because the Charles and Diana wedding has proven to be more iconic, despite how it ended.
I wold think Princess Diana’s death / funeral would be the biggest culturally defining moment, both for the UK and the world. It changed the way people saw the British monarchy and in its own way, forced a change in the British Monarchy. Things were different after that. Just like post 9-11 and post-Covid. Something about these events changed society in some way.
Add to that Elton John’s singing of his special rendition of Candle in the Wind at the funeral. (As opposed to singing at Glastonbury.)
They made the sampling cover only the last 2 decades because there’s not a chance W&K’s wedding was a bigger cultural moment than the UK mourning Diana.
@Totoro – very well observed.
Does Harry carrying his hanger count as an iconic cultural moment because it should, it was the only memorable thing about the coronation
What sprang to mind was the attention that Pippa’s ass got at that wedding .. maybe that’s what they were referring to.
I’m sorry to say (not really) I was not impressed and didn’t understand all the commotion.
This is a throw back article BBC on Workshy Willy from 2017
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-39280761
Notice the photos of him and his wife when they looked relaxed in each other’s company and he is even giving her a festive glance in one!
If the death of the Queen doesn’t rank higher than the coronation of Charles, the poll has no value.
In 50-100 years, almost every one of those items on that list will be completely forgotten!
Of course it was! The mania was huge – remember how many stupid made for tv movies were made about William and Kate? The interviews with them? It will always be remembered. That said, do people STILL care about it? That’s the part up for debate, but despite how much we might hate Will and Kate, you can’t deny their wedding and/or the birth of their first child wasn’t a HUGE pop culture moment. Come on.
how sad for them