Kate village thrilled, but disappointed by lack of tourists
SARJU KAUL
Villagers in Berkshire village of Bucklebury, the home of princess-to-be Kate Middleton, are excited by “one of their own girls” joining the royal family. However, the Middleton connection has only attracted journalists from all parts of the world and no tourists as yet.
The village, with a population of about 2,000, is barely five miles from nearest towns of Newbury and Thatcham. The sole grocery store, a SPAR franchise, is owned by Kenyan-born and Indian origin shopowner Hashmukh Shingadia.
He and his wife Chandrika, who are called locally Hash and Chan, have been invited to the royal wedding along with local butcher Martin G. Fidler, postman Ryan Naylo, and John Haley, the landlord of Prince William and Kate’s favourite local country pub Old Boot Inn. The constant media attention is fraying nerves of the villagers, used to more peace and quiet of country life.
“We have had crews from America, Germany and Australia this morning,” said Mr Fidler behind the counter of his Bladebone Butchery shop as he refused interviews without a prior appointment. With journalists from Japan, the Philippines and local television channels like ITN waiting to get some good quote for the day, Mr Fidler, who is attending the wedding ceremony with his wife Sue, complained, “There was so much media on the day that Kate and William’s engagement was announced that I had close the shop for business for two days.”
Equally exasperated is Chandrika Shingadia who claimed that she refused an offer of £1,000 from a team of Japanese journalists for an interview. Her shop is the only grocery store in the village and the constant inflow of journalists is disturbing her customers. “I haven’t even had time to break for lunch today, if this continues, I don’t know how I can handle this,” said Chandrika, known as Chan locally, who is planning to wear a sari that she recently bought from Rajkot in Gujarat to the wedding.
The popularity of the village has not led to a tourist trail and only an enterprising tour company cashed in on the interest to run coach tours of the village in March, only to realise that they had attracted the interest of journalists only.
“I am yet to see some tourists, I know there have been a few bus tours, but they just drive past and go beyond. I think possibly (we will get some), but we are not inundated at this time,” said Lynda Tillotson, owner of L Interiors, a home design shop at Chapel Row in Bucklebury.
The villagers are very reticent with any information about the couple and even the Middleton family. “We have seen them walking around together quite often. They go down to the woods, they go down to the pub. They are left alone, that’s what they need to be, left alone,” said Mr Fidler, who has known Kate’s mother Carole for over 30 years now. The only personal titbit about the couple is revealed by Hash Shingadia, who bought the shop 13 years ago. He revealed that Kate and Prince William come to his shop regularly and William is very fond of Viennetta ice-cream and buys that a lot. He described William as “always cracking a joke” and Kate as more reticent of the two. The popular consensus in the village is that Kate is “a very polite girl.”