Marvel movie 'Thor' proves a hit, Harry more searched for than William

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Prince Harry, younger brother of Prince William and best man at last week's royal wedding, tops internet searches, and newly released Marvel blockbuster Thor proves a hit around the world.

In total, the royal wedding and associated terms appear five times in the top ten Google searches with the most significant growth worldwide over the last seven days. Given the international coverage the event received, it is not surprising that searches related to the wedding were popular.

What is perhaps more surprising is that it was not the groom but his younger brother and best man Prince Harry who was the subject of the majority of royal wedding-related search terms. This is perhaps due to news of his comedic best man speech, as well as speculation of whether the younger Prince should date the younger sister of Kate Middleton and his sister-in-law, Pippa Middleton.

The recently released action film Thor also proved popular, gaining a 130 percent increase in searches from around the world. According to Google Insights, searches for the term "Thor" largely originated from Singapore, Mexico, mainland Europe, and Oceania.

The film arrived in cinemas around the world  and is so far this year's biggest box office opening, taking around $83 million. It is still due to be released in the US (May 6) and Japan (July 1).

The film is the latest adaptation of the Marvel Comics Universe and stars Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman and Anthony Hopkins. Thor tells the story of the legendry Norse God's exile to earth, subsequent romance and attempt to return to his father in heaven and stop a war. More information about the film can be found via the official site: http://thor.marvel.com/

This week's top search is for John James Audubon. On April 26 Google marked the world renowned American-French ornithologist's 226th birthday with a Google doodle of birds; clicking on the doodle automatically generated related search terms.

Other popular search terms around the world included the "NFL draft," which selects American college football players for the National Football League, and European Football tournament the "Champions League."

The search terms with the most significant growth worldwide in the last seven days as measured by Google Insights, recorded on May 2 at 11:30 AM GMT, are:

01.   john james audubon (breakout*)
02.   prince harry (+850%)
03.   royal wedding (+750%)
04.   the royal wedding (+750%)
05.   prince William (+650%)
06.   kate middleton (+600%)
07.   nfl draft (+600%)
08.   nfl (+250%)
09.   champions league (+200%)
10.   thor (+130%)

*Breakout defines a search term that has experienced a change in growth greater than 5,000 percent.