BILLIONS watched on TV across the globe, millions celebrated in London and around the UK and two kisses on the world’s most famous balcony. The Royal Wedding was an amazing day, with a beautiful mix of tradition and modernity.
Tonight, Prince William and Kate Middleton, now known officially as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will be attending a party hosted by Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace. It completes a day that will be looked back on as a truly perfect day for the nations new Prince and Princess. Prime Minister David Cameron described it afterwards as a day that ‘Britain was at its best.’ He was most definitely right.
The ceremony itself at the historic Westminster Abbey was a grand occasion. William and his best man, Prince Harry arrived at 10am, 90 minutes after the doors opened to the many hundreds of guests invited to the wedding of the century. They included Prince Albert of Monaco, the Australian Prime Minister and many leaders from the Commonwealth. David Beckham, Sir Elton John, amateur jockey Sam-Wahey Cohen and former Prime Minister John Major were amongst the celebrities in attendance, as were current political figureheads Cameron, Nick Clegg, George Osbourne and the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson. Former leaders Tony Blair and Gordon Brown were surprisingly not included on the guest list however. Also in attendance were close friends of the happy couple.
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| BEAUTIFUL: Kate heads into the Abbey in her stunning dress |
An hour after Prince William arrived, Kate Middleton turned up in the back of a black car. The blushing bride was escorted to the aisle by her proud father, Michael. After huge anticipation and weeks of speculation, the wedding dress was simply spectacular. Designed by Sarah Burton; the successor to the late, great fashion designer Alexander McQueen, it was a dress that bought back memories of Grace Kelly’s dress on her wedding day to Prince Rainier of Monaco in 1956. The thin veil could see every single delightful expression of Kate. Choosing Burton as her designer for the big day will also be a big boost to the British Fashion Industry. It also celebrated the legacy of Alexander McQueen – who was a legend in his fashion showcases until his death last February. The dress was well-executed and there can be no doubt that it was made fit to look like and be worn by a Princess.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams produced the service impeccably, to the happy couple. They looked very relaxed throughout, although the way William did struggle to get the ring on Kate’s middle finger did suggest the understandable and traditional nerves. There was no stuttering on the vows, unlike when Princess Diana married Prince Charles in 1981. The whole service was simply perfect, with a highlight being when ‘Jerusalem’ belted out in the church.
An hour later and ‘Crown Imperial’ played out as the couple returned from signing the registers in the private residence of St. Edward’s Chapel in the Abbey. There was a clear seal of approval from the expectant crowd outside, as it managed to deafen out the loud chiming Westminster Bells. They may have arrived in cars, but the trip back to Buckingham Palace was via the traditional transport in these occasions of horse and carriage. There were an estimated 1 million people on the processional route from the Abbey to the Palace. This was followed by some official photographs, lunch for 600 people courtesy of the Queen and then the traditional balcony appearance infront of the crowd outside The Mall. The crowd got their wish as William and Kate kissed for the millions of people and the worldwide media. If that wasn’t enough, they kissed again shortly afterwards in a fairytale moment.
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| TREAT: The happy couple head back to Clarence House |
The final treat for the crowd was a real surprise, as William and Kate pulled out of the Palace gates after lunch. William driving Prince Charles Aston Martin with ‘JUST WED’ on the license plate and an ‘L’ plate on the front of the car back to Clarence House for some brief respite this afternoon. It was specially decorated by Prince Harry and other close members of the Royal Family.
This was the day when a broad smile appeared on the nation and that is down to William and Kate. They have given us the opportunity to share their happiness and with the scenes seen today, there seems to be clear genuine affection for the new Royal couple. The weather was good as well and improved as the day went on, despite the initial forecasted showers. As soon as the champagne began flowing on The Mall at 8am this morning, the party begun and it will continue long into the night and probably, throughout this extended Bank Holiday weekend. All the doom and gloom of worldwide economic uncertainty, death in Afghanistan, conflicts in Libya and Syria and natural disasters that have devastated Brazil, New Zealand, Australia and Japan this year, it was so nice and fitting to see something jolly today. The world watched this global event, with celebrations ranging from Australia and Paris, to Shanghai and Russian and American astronauts toasting their success on the International Space Station. With an estimated TV audience of 2 billion worldwide, it is likely to be the biggest audience in TV history with only the 1966 World Cup final and the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997 likely to rival that in the British audience stakes. 400 million are believed to have watched it live on YouTube!
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| CELEBRATION: Kate' hometown of Bucklebury salute their girl |
Across the country, there were thousands of parties held in celebration for the Royal Wedding. Many streets closed on this national day of celebration. The happiest places include St. Andrews University in Scotland, where William and Kate met as University students a decade ago and in Bucklebury – the hometown where Kate grew up. Before today, Chris Tarrant was their only claim to fame. Now they have the new Princess to take that mantelpiece. William and Kate have travelled a long road since meeting at University, which has included a trying separation four years ago. However, they now live together in Anglesey in Wales and although recent Royal marriages haven’t been very successful, there is real optimism that this is a marriage that will go the distance.
This was the perfect day and a special day that all of us will remember for generations to come. Congratulations to William and Kate and thank you for giving us such a unique moment, I wish you a very happy, prosperous and successful future together.
