Apr 29
Royal Wedding: William and Catherine
Prince William married Catherine Middleton at Westminster Abbey. 2 billion watched worldwide. The dress, the kiss, the balcony — a global event. The monarchy felt popular again.
🇬🇧United Kingdom · 10s
The Riots and the Royal Wedding
William married Kate, cities burned again, and Adele rolled in the deep.
What happened
5 milestones of 2011
Aug 6-10
England Riots
Riots erupted across English cities after police shot Mark Duggan in Tottenham. London, Birmingham, Manchester and other cities saw looting, arson and violence. 5 people died. Over 3,000 were arrested.
Civil unrest — acknowledge systemic causes alongside criminality
Jul 7
Phone Hacking Scandal — News of the World Closes
The News of the World was shut down after revelations it had hacked murder victim Milly Dowler's phone. The Leveson Inquiry followed. Rupert Murdoch's empire was shaken. Press regulation was reformed.
May 2
Osama bin Laden Killed
US Navy SEALs killed Osama bin Laden in Pakistan. The architect of 9/11 and 7/7 was dead. The 'War on Terror' had its most significant moment. Britain had lost 456 personnel in Afghanistan.
Targeted killing — present factually
Oct 15
Occupy London
Anti-capitalism protesters set up camp outside St Paul's Cathedral as part of the global Occupy movement. The camp lasted four months. 'We are the 99%' challenged austerity and inequality.
What was playing
70% local · 30% international
What was in cinemas
The King's Speech
Tom Hooper — Colin Firth stammers. Geoffrey Rush teaches. 4 Oscars.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
David Yates — The saga ended. 'Always.' Biggest UK box office of the year.
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Tomas Alfredson — Gary Oldman as Smiley. Cold War espionage. Slow-burn brilliance.
The Inbetweeners Movie
Ben Palmer — Four idiots in Malia. Highest-grossing comedy in UK history.
We Need to Talk About Kevin
Lynne Ramsay — Tilda Swinton. Every parent's nightmare. Scottish director, stunning.
What was on TV
Downton Abbey
2010-2015 — Julian Fellowes' period drama. Dame Maggie Smith. Global phenomenon.
Black Mirror
2011-present — Charlie Brooker's tech dystopia. 'The National Anthem' shocked everyone.
Great British Bake Off
2010-present — Mary Berry, Paul Hollywood, soggy bottoms. Britain fell in love with baking.
Game of Thrones
2011-2019 — HBO fantasy. British cast. Winter was coming.
Riot Coverage
Aug 2011 — 24-hour news coverage of burning cities. Social media spread faster than police.
How much things cost
Currency: GBP
Pint of milk46p
Loaf of bread£1.14
Pint of bitter£3.00
Average house£166,861
Litre of petrol£1.32
Cinema ticket£6.50
Inflation: 4.5%
Austerity biting. Public sector cuts. Living standards squeezed. Inflation outpacing wages.
Then vs. Now
Inflation-adjusted values
Pint of milkONS
2011 (GBP)
46p
→
Today's value (£)
--
Loaf of breadONS
2011 (GBP)
£1.14
→
Today's value (£)
--
Pint of bitterBBPA
2011 (GBP)
£3.00
→
Today's value (£)
--
Average houseONS
2011 (GBP)
£166,861
→
Today's value (£)
--
Litre of petrolAA
2011 (GBP)
£1.32
→
Today's value (£)
--
Cinema ticketBFI
2011 (GBP)
£6.50
→
Today's value (£)
--
Technology
iPad 2
Tablet computing became mainstream — Apple dominated.
Snapchat
Disappearing photo app launched — teen communication changed.
Spotify growth
Music streaming replacing downloads — CDs nearly extinct.
4G trials
Super-fast mobile internet being tested in the UK.
Social media and riots
BBM and Twitter used to organize — and police — the riots.
Pop Culture
Fashion
Royal wedding inspired formal fashionFestival fashion — wellies, shorts, flower crownsOnesies became a thing — inexplicably
Slang
Banter— Teasing (still overused)
Swag— Cool confidence
YOLO— You only live once
Behavior
- The riots exposed deep inequality and alienation in British cities
- The Royal Wedding offered escapist joy during austerity
- Adele's 21 became the soundtrack of heartbreak for a generation
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