From Downing Street:

The Cabinet confirmed that the wedding on Friday, April 29 next year will be an official bank holiday. The day falls at the end of Easter week and is the day running into the May Day bank holiday weekend. As a result, it will create two consecutive four-day weekends.

From Business link, the official government website, (via Brussels!):

The Cabinet has agreed that the marriage of Prince William and Catherine Middleton on Friday 29 April 2011 will be marked by a public holiday.

However, the announcement of an extra bank holiday does not increase any entitlement to holiday under the Working Time Regulations, so whether an employee will benefit from the additional bank holiday will be entirely dependent on the wording of their contract.

Clarissa December
16, 2010 at 13:34

I recall when we were granted an extra bank holiday at the Golden Jubilee,
HR at the company I was with at the time sent an e-mail confirming that we
were to be allowed the extra day off.

Actually, there were two e-mails as the first retrospective applied it to
the Silver Jubilee…

Longrider December
15, 2010 at 22:46

This self-employed person will be doing no such thing. I avoided watching
the last one, I’ll avoid watching this one, too.

John77 December 15, 2010 at 18:52

And the self-employed will, at their spouse’s/children’s insistence, watch
and then go home and work until midnight to make up for it.

Richard B December
15, 2010 at 18:42

In my contract, there are 8 Bank Holidays specified as part of my holiday
entitlement, and I can be required to work any of them. To be fair, you can’t
man a 24/7 /52 operation any other way. The actual dates are stated in the
contract, so I imagine my employer will disregard this extra day.

Not that I give a monkey’s either way.

Peil December 15, 2010 at 18:21

Correct Michael, you are entitled to 28 days P.A.

“The 5.6 weeks is a minimum entitlement – you can choose to offer more.

You can count any days off for public or bank holidays towards a worker’s
statutory holiday entitlement – but only as long as you pay them for that day
off.”

Peil December 15, 2010 at 18:18

Funnily enough I have already had this conversation with my HR lot.

Not only do I loose a days public holiday by being a Scot, working in
Scotland but employed by a company based in London, but HR have said that if
we want that day off it comes out of our standard holiday allowance.

Michael December 15, 2010 at 18:17

I seem to remember that companies are not obliged to offer _any_ bank
holidays under the terms of the working time directive? I’m sure someone will
correct me if I’m wrong…

Ray December 15, 2010 at 17:43

That is, companies are entirely within their rights to make employees take
a days annual leave out of their allowance that day, rather than giving an
extra day off.

Zaphod December 15, 2010 at 17:17

Eh?