PHL among top Google fans of royal wedding

Filipinos are among the most avid watchers of the events leading up to the Royal Wedding of Britain's Prince William and Catherine Middleton on April 29. Google indicated on Wednesday that its search trends ranked the Philippines among the top 10 countries searching for "royal wedding." "While millions will be in London for the big day, it's clear that people around the world have wedding fever. Google search trends show that, in addition to the UK and the US, the top ten countries searching for 'royal wedding' include places like Singapore and the Philippines," the online search giant said in its blog. In terms of regional interest in the wedding, the United Kingdom topped the list with 100 on a scale of 0 to 100; followed by Ireland (70) and New Zealand (35). Other countries in the top 10 in terms of regional interest included:

• Canada (30)
• Australia (28)
• South Africa (28)
• United States (22)
• Singapore (15)
• United Arab Emirates (12)
• Philippines (10)

In the case of the Philippines, Google indicated the searches for "royal wedding" began to increase sharply as early as in March. Google's Insights for Search showed that, as the wedding nears, worldwide top rising searches are focused on the wedding entourage's route. Earlier this month, some searchers focused on anarchists reportedly targeting the royal wedding. Other earlier trends since late 2010 included:

• Prince Harry to be best man at royal wedding
• Wagering on a royal wedding? Britons say you bet
• UK pubs to stay open late to toast royal wedding
• British labor unions warn of surge in strikes 2011, predict action could affect royal wedding

— TJD, GMA News