As
bridesmaid Grace van Cutsem, left, covers her ears, Britain’s Prince William
kisses his wife Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, on the balcony of Buckingham
Palace after the Royal Wedding in London Friday, April, 29, 2011. (AP
Photo/Matt Dunham)
Paisley Dodds
London (AP) - With not one but two kisses and tender
whispered words, Prince William and Kate Middleton smiled and blushed Friday
as they started their life as future king and queen. A day of seamless
pageantry inspired hopes that this royal couple might live happily ever
after.
They appeared at ease throughout their wedding day, with
William fighting back giggles at times, while Kate’s smile lit up television
screens, especially when her new husband leaned over to say, “You look
beautiful.”
Their intimacy stood in sharp contrast to the lack of
chemistry between a wooden Prince Charles and Diana Spencer 30 years ago
when they began a marriage that ultimately collapsed in embarrassing tabloid
headlines and turned many Britons against the monarchy.
Kate
Middleton waves as she arrives at Westminster. (AP Photo/APTN)
A million people lined the procession route from
Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace, many crying with joy. Cheers went up
as the couple exchanged the traditional kiss on the balcony, followed by
chants of “One more kiss!” The couple waved and smiled and, to a frenzy of
delight, obliged.
An estimated 2 billion people tuned into the live
broadcast in what may have been the most-viewed event in history.
Britain’s Prince William, accompanied by his brother Prince Harry, arrives
at Westminster Abbey ahead of his wedding to Kate Middleton. (AP Photo/Steve
Parsons-pa)
The security operation was the largest since Charles and
Diana’s 1981 wedding, and the day went off without a hitch. Police dispersed
scattered protests from anti-monarchists and anarchists and arrested 55
people for offenses including drunkenness, breach of peace, and theft, but
the mood was overwhelmingly celebratory.
“Everybody’s happy, everybody’s united,” said 61-year-old
Sabry Darwish, who was in the crowd watching the parade route. “Everybody is
behind the bride and groom.”
Many praised the couple’s rare combination of humility,
humor and grace. Kate was a commoner from a wealthy but middle-class family
who actually worked for a living after university; William has long had his
mother’s touch in connecting to the public, and surprised fans who slept on
the pavement overnight by personally thanking them Thursday for braving the
cold.
The 28-year-old prince even displayed a quality almost
never seen among royalty: humor. Surveying the 1,900 guests filling the
abbey in their wedding finery, he turned to his father-in-law, Michael
Middleton, and quipped: “We’re supposed to have just a small family affair.”
Britain’s Prince William, left, places the ring on the finger of his bride,
Kate Middleton, as they stand at the altar at Westminster Abbey. (AP
Photo/APTN)
Then after a reception at Buckingham Palace, he took his
new wife for a spin, driving a dark-blue Aston Martin Volante festooned with
ribbons, bows and balloons - and a license plate that read “JU5T WED.”
It was the kind of display that made some wonder whether
the couple just might bring the British monarchy back from the abyss.
“It’s a real turning point for the royal family,” Nicki
Hookings, 47, said at one of thousands of street parties across Britain to
celebrate the national holiday.
For much of the world, the wedding was a dramatic
reaffirmation of 29-year-old Kate’s beguiling star power. Despite the
pressure, she carried the day with an easy smile, youthful exuberance and a
sense of decorum that matched the event. And when it was over all over, she
curtsied easily before Queen Elizabeth II, comfortably sharing the stage
with the woman who has reigned since 1952.
Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II and Britain’s Prince Philip ride back to
Buckingham Palace after the Royal Wedding. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)
Crowds from Australia to Zimbabwe clasped Union Jack
flags and donned hats - and wedding gowns - to show their enthusiasm.
“It’s one happy event in the world right now,” said San
Francisco attorney Laura Claster, who traveled to London to be with the
crowds. “It gives us a day of celebration to forget the troubles in the
world.”
In a statement, the White House offered congratulations.
“On this occasion, the American people extend heartfelt congratulations to
the peoples of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth and share in their
hopes for a bright future for the Royal couple.”
Britain’s Prince William, left, and his wife, Kate, the Duchess of
Cambridge,
walk down the aisle together at Westminster Abbey. (AP Photo/APTN)
The day was a visual feast for fashion enthusiasts.
Guests wore extravagant hats, some costing more than 1,000 pounds, but all
eyes were on the bride’s dress, the best-kept secret of the day.
The ivory-and-white satin gown, with its dramatic
neckline, sheer lace sleeves and eight-foot train, was designed by Sarah
Burton at Alexander McQueen and reminded some of the wedding dress worn by a
princess from another era, the late Grace Kelly of Monaco.
Kate wore her hair down and pulled back from her face,
covered with a lace-edged veil and a diamond tiara on loan from the queen.
Her dramatic oak-leaf-shaped diamond earrings were a gift from her parents.
In a
pious moment during the wedding ceremony, William and Kate kneel at the
altar in Westminster Abbey. (AP Photo/APTN)
William, second-in-line to the throne after his father,
wore the scarlet tunic of an Irish Guards officer, reinforcing his image as
a dedicated military man. Maid of honor Pippa Middleton wore a simple column
dress, while best man Prince Harry chose formal military attire.
The sighting of the wedding gown prompted swoons of
admiration as Kate stepped out of a Rolls-Royce with her father at the
abbey. Against all odds, at that moment the sun broke through the steely
gray skies.
The long aisle leading to the altar was lined with maple
and hornbeam trees as light streamed in through the high arched windows. The
soft green foliage framed the couple against a red carpet as they recited
their vows flawlessly before Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams.
After a
ring, vows, “I will” and “I will,” William and Kate walk back down the
aisle. (AP Photo/Suzanne Plunkett, Pool)
After a ceremonial drive around London in an open-topped
horse-drawn carriage, the couple appeared with the queen and their wedding
party on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, where the highly anticipated
first - and second - kisses brought screams of delight from the crowd.
It was then that photographers from around the world
captured one of the day’s most memorable images: As the couple locked lips,
3-year-old bridesmaid Grace van Cutsem held her hands over her ears and
scowled as she tried to block the sound of Royal Air Force planes screaming
overhead.
Earlier in the day, the queen had bestowed upon the
couple their first royal wedding present: the titles of the duke and duchess
of Cambridge.
There has been speculation that William, his popularity
only enhanced by his new wife, should step ahead of his father to become the
next king. Many consider the 62-year-old Prince Charles stuffy and
disconnected from ordinary people.
But that’s unlikely to happen. Many in Charles’ inner
circle say he’s waited too long to step aside - even for his son.
In Bucklebury, the sprawling village where Kate grew up
50 miles west of London, jubilant crowds filled the streets to celebrate the
hometown girl who could be queen. Some of its residents were at the wedding,
including the town butcher and baker.
“These are two young people very much in love,” butcher
Martin Fidler said outside the abbey.
John Haley, owner of the Old Boot Inn who knows the bride
from her visits to the pub in the nearby village of Stanford Dingley, said
he teared up as he caught her eye during the ceremony.
“It was unbelievable,” he said. “It was just fabulous and
more than I expected.”
The palace was holding two parties: one in the afternoon
for 650 guests, and a dinner dance for 300 close friends.
Arriving for the latter, Kate pronounced it a “great
day.”
“I am glad the weather held off,” she said, appearing
radiant in a strapless white satin evening gown with a circle skirt and
diamante embroidered detail around the waist, another Sarah Burton creation.
Ben Fogle, a friend of the couple and television
presenter, said the mood was relaxed during afternoon festivities at
Buckingham Palace with “very funny and heartfelt speeches.”
The flag went down as the queen and her husband left the
palace for the younger royals to party the night away - and for Harry to
make his best man’s speech away from his grandparents’ ears.
It was rumored that Harry planned a “British fry-up”
breakfast for those still standing at dawn.
The couple has been living in a modest house in Wales
near the base where William serves as an Air Force search and rescue
helicopter pilot, and will continue to do so after their honeymoon, which
remains shrouded in secrecy. The prince “really is one of us,” said Sgt.
Keith Best, a paramedic on William’s team.
The
crowd stands in front of Buckingham Palace, waiting for a kiss between
Britain’s Prince William and his wife, Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge. (AP
Photo/APTN)
Britain’s Prince William, right and his wife, Kate, the Duchess of
Cambridge, ride in an open carriage toward Buckingham Palace during the
Royal Wedding in London. (AP Photo/APTN)
Britain’s Prince William, right, and his wife, Kate, the Duchess of
Cambridge, kneel at the altar at Westminster Abbey. (AP Photo/APTN)
