Almost 15 million people want a royal wedding this leap year

Almost 15 million people would like to see Kate Middleton get down on bended knee and propose to Prince William this leap year, according to research from Friends Provident, FTSE 100 life and pensions company.

The nation’s favourite high street princess, Kate Middleton, beat the likes of A-List celebs Angelina Jolie, Kate Moss and Sienna Miller as the public’s favourite female to pop the question and have a fairytale wedding.

If Kate succumbs to public pressure and pops the question on 29 February, it might surprise the Prince if he’s one of the 30% of men who doesn’t know that women can switch the traditional roles and propose to men in a leap year.

However, even these men can’t fail to notice that Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. Half the population are true romantics at this time of the year, with 50% of people planning to send their loved one a card. And one in 10 (11%) Brits plan to hedge their bets and send more than one card this year! Men will be the most generous with their affection, with one in seven (15%) sending out multiple cards, compared to 9% of women.

The research also found that there could be at least seven million smug faces come 14 February from people receiving cards that they didn’t expect. Almost half (48%) of those surveyed admitted that they will be disappointed if they don’t receive any cards on Valentine’s Day.

More than one in four people (42%) plan to make their partners happy by giving gifts with their cards this year. 38% of gift-givers have decided to organic or fair-trade gifts will be on their Valentines shopping list, with the most popular choices being Fairtrade chocolates (13%) and Fairtrade roses (9%). And there will be some ecstatic women, as 5% of men plan to lavish them with conflict-free diamond jewellery. And while a third of Brits (34%) plan to do presents on the cheap and not spend a penny, a generous 3% plan to splash out more than £100 on their loved one.

Julia Dreblow, socially responsible investment marketing manager at Friends Provident, said: “With Valentine’s Day followed closely by a leap year this February, romance is more on the nation’s mind than ever. With so many cards and gifts being purchased, it’s encouraging to hear that more people are thinking ethically when it comes to their choice of gift.

What many people don’t know is that the tradition of women proposing on a leap year began in the fifth century in Ireland when St. Bridget complained to St. Patrick that the sisters in the nunnery were in despair because they wanted to marry but had to wait for men to ask. St. Patrick permitted women to propose once every four years on a leap year, but when St. Bridget proposed to him, he turned her down!