The Suspiciously Chill Kids in the Royal Wedding Photos Are Smiling Because They Were Bribed With This Candy
It was not voodoo, it turns out, but a trick well known to common people.
The preternaturally poised royals are capable of many things — including pulling in George Clooney as guest bartender, and inspiring Serena Williams to lead a game of beer pong at the royal wedding — but even they have their limits. For one thing, the royal wedding did not actually invent the non-invention known as "bowl food." And it also did not manage to capture a room full of well-behaved, smiling children in a photograph without a little extra help from a source known well to commoners.
It turns out that royal wedding photographer Alexi Lubomirski scored the perfect shot including the 10 kids in the bridal party — six bridesmaids and four page boys — all of whom were under the age of 8, using the assistance of... candy. Specifically, the bribes took the form of Smarties, which aren't like the ones we have in America, but rather chocolate candies manufactured by Nestle and available in the U.K.
“They were being bribed with one Smartie here, one Smartie there,” Lubomirski told Reuters. “As soon as the kids came onto the set, I immediately just shouted out ‘Who likes Smarties?’ and then everybody, hands up, smiles, even some adults put up their hands."
At least the photograph makes more sense now. (But we still have some questions about the "bowl food" concept.)
