The royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle is just a few days away. On Saturday, the two are due to be wed in a blaze of glory. However, there has been some controversy – particularly among republicans (people who denounce the monarchy) – over the fact that the taxpayers are funding the ceremony. I had the pleasure of speaking to human rights activist and noted republican Peter Tatchell in order to get his thoughts on the wedding.

Peter Tatchell: ‘This is a private wedding’ the public should not have to pay for

Tatchell said, “I wish the couple well but this is a private wedding and the public should not be [footing] any of the bill.

Harry and Meghan are living an exceptionally privileged lifestyle, with wealth and opportunities that are denied to most young people. They will have their own luxurious home and access to six royal palaces. Most people their own age have no prospect of ever owning their own home. Royalty is an outdated, feudal, anti-democratic institution that should be consigned to history.”

Tatchell is best known for his advocacy work in the realm of LGBTQ rights. He is an Australian activist who has held British nationality since 1989. Over the course of his controversial career, he’s run into trouble with Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, the UK government under Margaret Thatcher, and when he campaigned for gay rights in Russia, the Neo-Nazi movement of Moscow. He is also the founder of the Peter Tatchell Foundation, which fights for human rights across the world.