The second royal wedding and the £2 million security bill, but who should pay?

Jack Brooksbank and Princess Eugenie Credit: PA

Given there has been very little publicity about the second royal wedding of the year, there are a surprising number of things to talk about.

The question I get most often is: “Why is this wedding costing the taxpayer £2 million?”

Closely followed by: “Does anyone care?” and then: “Why are they doing it in the same year as Harry and Meghan?”

It would be wrong to criticise Princess Eugenie and her husband-to-be Jack Brooksbank for falling in love, and wanting to get married in the same year as Prince Harry and Meghan.

Harry and Meghan married at St George's Chapel in May. Credit: PA

Nor should she be criticised for choosing the same venue.

Windsor is her home, she played in the grounds of the Castle, and the chapel in which she will get married on Friday is, said the Dean of Windsor to us on Thursday, “like her parish church”.

And as for the guest list? Well, when granny is the Queen and you’ve hung out with a particular social circle for much of your life, you’re going to keep pretty good company.

The Dean of Windsor said St George's Chapel is like Princess Eugenie's 'parish church'. Credit: PA

Perhaps the most valid point of tension centres on the cost.

Not the cost of the ceremony – which is being met by the Royal Family – but by the cost of policing.

You have to feel for Thames Valley Police, this is their second royal wedding of the year, plus they had Donald Trump pop in for tea over the summer, and Windsor hosted the 53 leaders of the Commonwealth at a summit in the spring.

The force can only ask for compensation from the Home Office if the event exceeds one percent of their annual budget.

If the Government is in a helpful mood, it should consider all these events together rather than as separate and single events.

The budget for Harry and Meghan’s wedding has yet to be finalised but it was estimated to be £2.08 million.

Eugenie’s and Jack’s is likely to be lower, if only a little, but either way – the taxpayer (national or local) will pick up the bill.

The cost of Princess Eugenie's wedding is not thought to be much less than Prince Harry's. Credit: PA

A petition calling for "no taxpayer funding" by the campaign group Republic (which wants to abolish the monarchy) has reached 45,000 signatures.

But it raises a wider point.

Should we therefore demand the Labour Party pays for the policing of its conference in Liverpool, or the Conservatives pay for theirs in Birmingham?

And what about pubs paying for policing the city centre streets on a Friday night? Or the A&E costs?

It’s difficult to know where to draw the line.

There will be police officers from 20 different forces on duty in Windsor on Friday.

Given the much smaller interest in this wedding – the bigger question is perhaps whether those officers will have very much to police.