Looking out of the window today, the prospect of the upcoming back-to-back four-day weekends is a particularly delightful prospect if the weather stays this way.

That's a personal viewpoint. I don't own a business or employ anyone.

But as our special report on the impact of the government's oh-so-generous gesture to grant an additional bank holiday for the royal nuptials makes clear, for many business owners it has presented a right royal headache.

Of course it's easy to be oh-so generous when it's other people's money. I loved the quote from one PrintWeek reader who has dubbed it 'the most expensive wedding in history' once the total cost to UK business is taken into account. And it's apparent that many print bosses have been left in an invidious position because of it.

I'm unconvinced Wills' and Kate's big day will provide a boost to the UK economy commensurate with the cost, though ice cream sellers will do very nicely if it's as hot as it is today. Meanwhile, we're awash with Chinese-made tat in the shape of mugs, plates, tea towels, key rings and similar tacky items. Possibly featuring the wrong prince. That said, I'm quite taken with the idea of a royal wedding garden gnome...

Here at PrintWeek we have found evidence of some genuine print-related benefits, of which more in next week's issue, but nothing of a magnitude that could justify such a munificent gesture by the government.

As I have pointed out to my colleagues and anyone else who'll listen, if we employees had all been told that we were required to allocate a day of our holiday entitlement for the royal wedding, people would have gone NUTS.

Why indeed couldn't William and Kate have opted to get married on a Saturday like anyone else? Then any extra business would have been a genuine boost.