LONDON (Reuters/AP) – Before a flawless exchange of vows, a veiled Middleton wearing a laced dress with a long train, the first “commoner” to marry a prince in close proximity to the throne in more than 350 years, walked slowly through the 1,900-strong congregation.
As they met at the altar William, second in line to the throne, whispered to her, prompting a smile. The Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams declared the couple married with the words: “I pronounce that they be man and wife together.”
Tens of thousands of people thronging the streets outside cheered when they heard the words, and again as the newlyweds left the abbey in a 1902 open-topped state landau carriage bound for Buckingham Palace, the queen’s London residence.
Huge cheering crowds strained to catch a glimpse of the beaming couple as well as the military bands in black bearskin hats and cavalrymen in shining breastplates who escorted them to the palace where they were expected to kiss on the balcony.
Middleton’s dress, the subject of fevered speculation for months in the fashion press, was a traditional ivory silk and satin outfit with a lace applique and train.
It was designed by Sarah Burton of the Alexander McQueen label, named after the British designer who committed suicide.
The bride wore a tiara loaned by the queen and the diamond and sapphire engagement ring that belonged to William’s mother Princess Diana, who was divorced from Prince Charles in 1996, a year before her death in a car crash in Paris aged just 36.
Middleton, the 29-year-old whose mother’s family had coal mining roots, is a breath of fresh air for the monarchy, which has in the past been accused of being disconnected from ordinary Britons. She is seen as having the common touch.
The royals’ cool reaction to Diana’s 1997 death contrasted with an outpouring of public grief and marked a low point for the family. Some questioned whether the institution, a vestige of imperial glory, had outlived its unifying role in a modern state divided by partisan politics and regional separatism.
Sealed with a kiss
Thousands of people from around the globe were outside the abbey, many of them camping overnight for the best view of the future king and queen and fuelling the feel-good factor that has briefly lifted Britain from its economic gloom.
“People watching this at home must think we’re completely mad, but there’s just no comparison,” said 58-year-old Denise Mill from southern England. “I just had to be here.”
The crowd entered into the festive spirit on a day when threatened rain failed to materialize by wearing national flags and even fake wedding dresses and tiaras.
Hundreds of police officers, some armed, dotted the royal routes in a major security operation. Plain clothes officers mixed with the crowds who were packed behind rails.
A large gathering is expected outside Buckingham Palace to cheer on the couple as they appear on the balcony for the much-anticipated public kiss.
For some, however, 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.”
‘Waity Katie’
About 5,500 street parties will be held across Britain, in keeping with tradition, although they will be more common in the more affluent south of England than in the poorer north.
Church bells rang out throughout the country in celebration.
The marriage between William 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 ongoing 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 percent of people believed the wedding would strengthen the monarchy in Britain, compared with 65 percent who said the marriage between Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles in 2005 would weaken it.
However, while the queen, 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 antiroyalists put the figure at closer to 180 million pounds.
History and pomp
Bells pealed loudly and trumpets blared as 1,900 guests earlier poured into the historic abbey, coronation site for the monarchy since William the Conqueror was crowned in 1066.
Queen Elizabeth, other royals, Prime Minister David Cameron, David and Victoria Beckham, the footballerpop star couple, and singer Elton John were among famous guests at the abbey.
They joined 50 heads of state as well as charity workers and war veterans who know the prince from his military training.
Middleton has been given the title Her Royal Highness, The Duchess of Cambridge after the queen made her grandson William the Duke of Cambridge to mark the marriage.
William could face a long wait for the throne. His grandmother Queen Elizabeth shows little sign of slowing down at 85 and his father Charles is a fit and active 62-year-old.
2-B people watch
Some 2 billion people across the globe were believed to have tuned in as the future king and queen of England started their lives as husband and wife with the two simple words “I will.” The couple looked nervous but happy and recited their vows without stumbling before Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams.
A million well-wishers – as well as some protesters – flooded into the areas surrounding Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey and other London landmarks. Crowds were up at dawn waving flags for television cameras under steely gray skies and cool temperatures.
Cheers erupted as huge television screens began broadcasting at Trafalgar Square and Hyde Park.
“Will, it’s not too late!” said one sign held aloft by an admirer dressed as a bride.
Middleton’s ivory wedding gown with lace applique was designed by Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen, while her hair was half-up, half-down and decorated with a tiara. William wore the scarlet tunic of an Irish Guards officer, sending a strong signal of support for the armed forces and reinforcing his new image as a dedicated military man.
Against all odds, the sun came out as Middleton emerged from the Rolls-Royce in her wedding gown.
Duke and Duchess of Cambridge
William and Kate received their first royal wedding present from the queen on Friday: the titles Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
There’s more: The palace statement said William was also named the Earl of Strathearn and Baron Carrickfergus.
Middleton will take those titles as well, becoming Countess of Strathearn and Baroness Carrickfergus when she says: “I will.”
Strathearn ties William and Middleton to Scotland, where the pair met and fell in love. Baron Carrickfergus is a little-used title which refers to one of the oldest towns in Northern Ireland.
All three titles were bestowed by William’s grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, to mark the prince’s marriage and were announced early Friday via Twitter, by email, and on the royal wedding’s official website.
Because Middleton was not born royalty, she will not officially become Princess Catherine – although the public may choose to call her that, or even “Princess Kate,” in defiance of protocol.
Royal watchers called the bestowal of the title Duke of Cambridge a personal mark of esteem from the queen. It refers to the history-steeped university town that is a symbol of British prestige.
The dukedom’s history stretches back to Medieval times and has for 300 years been associated with royalty.
Maid of honor Pippa Middleton wore a simple column dress and naturally styled hair, while best man Prince Harry was dressed in formal military attire. The flower girls, in cream dresses with full skirts and flowers in their hair, walked down hand-in-hand with Pippa.
The iconic abbey was airy and calm, the long aisle leading to the altar lined with maple and hornbeam trees as light streamed in through the high arched windows.
Plumage of Amazonian variety filled the cavernous abbey as some 1,900 guests filed in, the vast majority of women in hats, some a full two feet (.6 meters) across or high.
Some looked like dinner plates. One woman wore a bright red fascinator that resembled a flame licking her cheek. A BBC commentator noted there were some ``very odd choices’’ in fashion walking through the abbey door.
Most men, however, looked elegant and suave in long tails, some highlighted by formal plaid pants and vests.
Others wore military uniforms.
All the clamoring over every detail – the wedding dress, her hair, their titles, the romantic kiss on the balcony, the honeymoon – was finally being answered.
But the biggest question won’t be resolved for years: Will this royal couple live happily ever after?
Will their union endure like that of William’s grandparents – Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, now in its 64th year – or crumble in a spectacular and mortifying fashion like that of his own parents, Prince Charles and Princess Diana?
Recent history augurs badly: The first marriages of three of the queen’s four children ended in divorce. But William and Kate seem to glow with happiness in each other’s company, and unlike Charles and Diana they’ve had eight years to figure out that they want to be together.
Still, the fate of their marriage depends on private matters impossible for the public to gauge, since any wedding is fundamentally about two people. Will their lives together, starting with such high hopes, be blessed by good fortune, children, good health, productive work?
Much will depend on whether 28-year-old William and 29-year-old Kate can summon the things every couple needs: patience, love, wit and wisdom.
But they face the twin burdens of fame and scrutiny. Money, power, beauty – it can all go wrong if not carefully nurtured.
These are the thorny issues upon which the fate of the monarchy rests, as the remarkable queen, now 85, inevitably ages and declines.
After the church ceremony, the royal-couple will travel from the abbey to Buckingham Palace in an opentopped carriage for two parties, one hosted by the queen for 650 guests, and an evening dinner dance for 300 close friends.
Queen Elizabeth II and her husband Prince Philip have promised to go away for the evening, leaving the younger royals free to party the night away – and Harry to make his best man’s speech away from his octogenarian grandparents’ ears.
source: mb.com.ph
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