With fanfare and flags under cool, gray skies, Prince William and his longtime girlfriend, Kate Middleton, were married Friday in one of the largest and most-watched events in decades — an interlude of romance in a time of austerity and a moment that will shape the future of the British monarchy. Prince William and his bride Kate overcame any wedding nerves as they sailed through their marriage ceremony with a polished, well-rehearsed and regal performance. William has in the past compared the couple to a pair of ducks – calm on the surface but with little feet paddling away furiously beneath the water. That spirit seemed in evidence as they calmly got through their vows with 1,900 guests watching on in Westminster Abbey, including all the senior royals and several foreign leaders, not to mention billions watching worldwide. Having waved to the crowds lining The Mall in front of Buckingham Palace, William and his best man, brother Prince Harry, seemed in jovial mood as they arrived at the abbey. Plain old Kate Middleton, as she was then, drew huge cheers as she drove from her hotel through the London streets. Steadily guided by her father Michael, she walked slowly and calmly up the aisle ready for the eagerly-awaited ceremony to begin. Harry, rocking on his feet in his military uniform from the Blues and Royals regiment, turned to look as they made their way through the choir towards the altar. William sounded nervous when he spoke for the first time to say “I will”. As Kate said her vows in a quiet voice, William seemed to be fighting back a smile. With the service relayed to the crowds outside the abbey, huge cheers erupted each time they spoke. Back inside the abbey, Kate slightly swallowed one of William's middle names, Arthur. However, garbling a royal groom's lengthy names is a British royal tradition, with Diana getting Prince Charles's in the wrong order at their wedding in 1981. When William put the ring on Kate's finger, he struggled at the knuckle despite his steady hands. The bishop was in his element as he spoke from the pulpit towards the newlywed couple, telling them: “This is a joyful day.” William was listening intently, but his concentration was broken while the Duchess of Cambridge, as Kate will be known with her new title, exchanged a cheeky glance with him, a smile breaking across William's lips. Picture perfect Some 40 minutes after her husband-to-be, Middleton rode to Westminster Abbey to offer a first glimpse of her wedding dress — a creation by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen in white and ivory, with a two-meter train, that had been the object of furious speculation. She wore a delicate veil with intricate lace on the neckline and a diamond tiara lent for the occasion by Queen Elizabeth II, and traveled in a Rolls Royce limousine with her father, Michael Middleton. The train and bodice were adorned by delicate lace applique flowers, in a design that incorporated the rose, thistle, daffodil and shamrock – the four floral emblems of the United Kingdom. Workers from the Royal School of Needlework helped make the dress, washing their hands every 30 minutes to keep the lace and threads pristine, and the needles were renewed every three hours to keep them sharp. Her earrings, made by Robinson Pelham, were diamond-set stylised oak leaves, in reference to the Middleton family's new coat of arms, which includes acorns and oak leaves. They were a gift from her parents for her wedding day. Inside, her groom Prince William showed his appreciation, mouthing: “You look beautiful.” Diana missed For some, their relationship has been haunted by comparisons with the travails of Diana, who died in a car crash in Paris in 1997, a year after her glaringly public divorce from Charles. Her brother, Earl Spencer, was among the guests on Friday at Westminster Abbey. When the royal family announced the wedding plans last November, William gave Middleton the sapphire and diamond ring that his father had given his mother for their engagement, saying it was “my way of making sure my mother didn't out on today and the excitement.” Royal protocol The early arrivals — queens, kings, dukes and emirs arrived later — filed into the abbey under the soaring columns supporting its 102-foot-high Gothic vault, treading carefully along a red carpet, many of the women wearing bright, broad-brimmed hats. As the morning progressed, the bride's family and junior members of the royal family traveled to Westminster Abbey. A little over one hour after they arrived at the abbey, the newlyweds emerged on a red carpet onto the streets to a peal of bells to step into a 99-year-old, open, horse-drawn carriage. They had started the ceremony as a prince and what the British call a commoner. They emerged as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, their new titles granted earlier Friday by the queen. Their open landau was closely followed by a closed carriage for the queen and her husband, Prince Philip.
