Britain’s Prince William and Kate Middleton married at Westminster Abbey yesterday in a sumptuous show of British pageantry that attracted a huge world audience and breathed new life into the monarchy.
One million well-wishers watched military bands in black bearskin hats and household cavalrymen in shining breastplates escorting the beaming couple in a 1902 open-topped state landau carriage after the ceremony.
The newly-weds then appeared on the balcony of Queen Elizabeth’s Buckingham Palace in central London where they sealed their union with two kisses before a jubilant, cheering crowd who waved flags and banners.
“The monarchy is like our Hollywood, the movies, for us,” said Californian Diane Weltz, who treated her daughter Samantha to a trip to London for her 21st birthday.
Middleton, who wore a laced ivory coloured dress with a train for the ceremony, became the first “commoner” to marry a prince in close proximity to the throne in more than 350 years.
The 29-year-old, whose mother’s family has coal mining roots, has brought a sense of modernity to the monarchy and helped restore popularity to an institution tarnished by the death of William’s hugely popular mother Princess Diana in 1997.
Charles Spencer, Diana’s brother who famously excoriated the royals at her funeral in the same abbey, told the BBC the wedding was “very moving”, before adding: “The only downside on a perfect day was Diana not being there.”
Fans from Asia to the United States camped overnight outside the abbey to catch a glimpse of the future king and queen, whose marriage has fuelled a feel-good factor that has briefly lifted Britain from its economic gloom.
More than 8,000 journalists descended on London and the ceremony was streamed live on YouTube, ensuring what experts expect will be one of the biggest global audiences ever.
The crowd entered into the festive spirit on a day when threatened rain failed to materialise by wearing national flags, masks of the couple and even fake wedding dresses and tiaras.
“It should have been me!” shouted nurse Jo Newman, 27, dressed as a bride and clutching a bouquet of plastic roses.
Hundreds of police officers, some armed, dotted the royal routes in a major security operation. Plain clothes officers mixed with the masses who were packed behind rails to watch the couple seal their marriage with one sheepish kiss, then another.
World War Two and modern warplanes flew over the waving royals before they headed inside for a champagne reception for 650 guests in the palace’s 19 opulent state rooms.
The couple made a surprise appearance in an open-top vintage Aston Martin owned by the prince’s father with the licence plate “JU5T WED” trailing balloons to travel the short journey to St. James’s Palace in another informal and crowd-pleasing gesture.
They then returned to Buckingham Palace for a more intimate dinner and party for 300 close friends and family.
Their honeymoon is expected to start today and the venue has been kept virtually a state secret. When that is over, speculation is bound to turn to when Middleton becomes pregnant.
The exuberance of royal fans was not shared throughout Britain. For some, the biggest royal wedding since Diana married Charles in 1981 was an event to forget, reflecting divided opinion about the monarchy.
In the economically depressed northern city of Bradford, for example, businessman Waheed Yunus said: “It’s two young people getting married. It’s as simple as that. It happens throughout the whole world every single day.
“There are much more pressing issues. There are much more important things going on in the world.”
The marriage between William, 28, and Middleton, dubbed “Waity Katie” for their long courtship, has cemented a recovery in the monarchy’s popularity.
A series of scandals involving senior royals, Britain’s economic problems and Diana’s death after her divorce from Prince Charles led many to question the future of the monarchy.
But Middleton’s background, William’s appeal, the enduring adoration for his mother and a more media-savvy royal press team have helped to restore their standing with the wider public.
A Daily Mail survey showed 51 per cent of people believed the wedding would strengthen the monarchy in Britain, compared with 65 per cent who said the marriage between Prince Charles and divorcee Camilla Parker Bowles in 2005 would weaken it.
However, while Queen Elizabeth, 85, exercises limited power, and is largely a symbolic figurehead in Britain and its former colonies, critics question the privileges she and her family enjoy, particularly at a time when the economy is so weak.
The monarchy officially costs the British taxpayer around 40 million pounds ($67 million) a year, while anti-royalists put the figure at closer to 180 million pounds.
