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British-themed parties hosted across Sydney as polls suggest majority now against Australia becoming republic
A few hundred hardy revellers braved drizzle and cold conditions to watch the royal wedding on a huge television screen by Sydney harbour – although some Australians said they would rather be watching the football.
"It's all about the fairytale princess and the dress," Melanie Keech, a 23-year-old who was sporting a plastic tiara, said. "We weren't around for Charles and Diana's wedding, so we've been so excited to see this one."
Paul Giardullo, 38, was employed as the event's organiser to inject some royal cheer, but – dressed in a guard's uniform and a bearskin hat – even he admitted: "Personally, I'd rather be watching a game of football on a Friday night."
Sure enough, one of the main TV networks had switched to football coverage before the royal carriage carrying the newlyweds had hit the Mall.
But there has been wedding fever all week, with major commercial television networks presenting their breakfast, daytime, evening news and current affairs programmes from outside Buckingham Palace.
Australia's two biggest women's magazines printed special souvenir editions, while many others devoted their front pages to the event.
The time difference meant it was Friday night in Australia by the time Kate Middleton said: "I do", and several venues took the opportunity to run royal wedding events.
In Liverpool, on Sydney's south western outskirts, the Mounties club ran competitions for the best "stiff upper lip" and the best "pommie tan". It served Beefeater gin and Pimm's, with big screens showing the wedding coverage.
One of the city's most exclusive ballrooms hosted a gala black tie dinner dance for 300 revellers paying $200 (£130) a head.
For those – mostly expats – who were holding parties at home, decorations had been hard to come by. Treats from Home, a shop specialising in British memorabilia in the centre of Sydney, had sold out of all its royal wedding stock well before Friday.
"We sold out of everything, from union jack bunting to teaspoons," Anne Liddle said. "People who have been in here have said they can't get anything British anywhere." . Ninety per cent of her customers had been expats, she said.
Millions watched the wedding from home, with blanket coverage across all television networks.
Kirsten Delaney, 38, took her two young daughters, dressed in their best party frocks, to her sister's house to enjoy a British lamb roast before watching the wedding. The wedding has also reignited debate about a republic – but this time a majority is against dumping the Queen.
An opinion poll showed the number of Australians in favour of getting rid of the monarchy has fallen by about 10% in a decade to 41%. But if Prince Charles were king, 64% of those polled were in favour of a republic, with 58% in favour if William were king.
The prime minister, Julia Gillard, a republican, has said she believes there will not be a republic until after the Queen's reign. In 1999, a proposal to become a republic was defeated in a referendum.
David Donovan, of the Australian Republican Movement, said the royal wedding might have had a small effect on views in the short term, but would not have a long-term impact.
"I think the royal wedding is largely about celebrity rather than about people's interest in our future constitutional state of affairs," he added.
The big Australian winner from the wedding was the Royal Flying Doctor Service, the only Australian charity on William and Kate's gift list. The Australian government's official present to the couple was a $25,000 donation to the charity.
With contributions from two other Australian states, it was enough to train four flight nurses in midwifery.
"It's a fantastic endorsement for our organisation to be nominated as one of the charities, and a great honour," an RFDS spokesman said. Prince William visited a flying doctor base during his tour of flood-hit Queensland last month. The RFDS provides medical care to more than 275,000 rural Australians each year.