Is this a coincidence, or what? Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have chosen the homeless organization Crisis as one of the seven charities to which wedding guests can make donations in lieu ofĀ wedding gifts.
And in recent months, homelessness has been a very talked-about issue in Windsor, the town where the wedding will take place.
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One can argue itās been a hotter topic than what dress Markle will wear or what guests will be invited, and the big day itself could lead to homelessness being out in the forefront more than ever imagined.
A Facebook-event called āRoyal Sleepoverā has been created, withĀ more thanĀ 1,000 people responding, saying they will join homelessĀ the night before the May 19 wedding, by resting in sleeping bags just outside Windsor Castle to support the transient population.
On the day of the wedding, another Facebook event called āNo Jacket Requiredā has been created, where a people are encouraged to ācome as you areā near the site of the wedding and protest homelessness.
On Twitter, more support is being directed towardĀ the homeless with a #RoyalSleepover hashtag.
So, how did this firestorm get started? Letās go back to just before the ball dropped to start 2018.
Simon Dudleyās crusade
In late December, Simon Dudley, the leader of the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, stated that he was going to request that policeĀ clear the area of homeless people and beggars before the royal wedding in May.
Sadly there is an epidemic of rough sleeping and vagrancy in #Windsor @RBWM. I will be writing to @StansfeldPCC copying @TVP_Chief @Bhupinderrai70 at @ThamesVP @TVP_Windsor asking for them to focus on dealing with this before the #RoyalWedding
— Simon Dudley (@MrSimonDudley) December 27, 2017
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Dudley suggested that police use their powers under the 1824 Vagrancy Act, whichĀ criminalizes sleeping on streets and begging.
On Jan. 2, Dudley wrote a letter to Anthony Stansfeld, the police and crime commissioner for Thames Valley saying that āhomelessness is completely unacceptable in a caring, compassionate community such as ours,ā that homelessness is a āvoluntary choiceā because the homeless are choosing to reject social services, and that the belongings of homeless people that are left on the street are posing security concerns.
This led to an angry backlash against Dudley.
Just two days later, Prime Minister Theresa May said she "did not agree"Ā with Dudleyās stance, and Dudley ended up having to sweat through two unsuccessful votes of no-confidence that came against him in January and would have led to his ouster.
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One was from his own group of Conservatives, which dubbed it a āback-him-or-sack-him motion."
The motion ultimately didn't sack him.Ā
A few weeks later, Dudley faced a vote of no-confidence within his own council at a special Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead meeting, which ultimately failed by a vote of 43-9.
Murphy James, of the Windsor Homelessness Project, was another person livid at Dudleyās stance, saying to The Guardian: āNo one does this from choice. We shouldnāt be demonizing theseĀ people, but asking them what we can do to help.ā
Dudley's request was ultimately withdrawn.Ā
Dudley tried to clear up his commentsĀ to the BBC, but that did little to quell the outcry.Ā
Cause emboldened
By the middle of February, 275,000 people had signed a petition urging that Dudleyās request to have the streets cleared of homeless people withdrawn.
Homeless people in Windsor became more inspired to stay as a result, with some pitching tents yards away from the wedding site, according to an article in the Daily Mail.
According to the story, one homeless person said, āAt least Iāll have a front-row seat on the royal wedding. I wonāt be moved.ā
Recent government reports have stated that the number of homeless people in England has more than doubled since 2010.
Itās an issue thatĀ is of great concern to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, evidently, since they made it a focus of wedding donations.
Authorities might still do their best to clear away the streets and convince homeless people to find temporary housing at shelters or elsewhere.
But with so many on social media already pledging to be on hand the night before and the day of the wedding in support, homelessness might end up being the prominent theme of this royal wedding.
It might even make talk of what dress Markle will wear obsolete.
All images courtesy of GettyĀ