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Britain's Prince William Marries Catherine Middleton

Britain's Prince William and Kate Middleton exchange rings in front of the Archbishop of Canterbury at Westminster Abbey, London, Friday April 29, 2011.

Britain’s second-in-line to the throne was married Friday in a ceremony that lived up to all pomp and pageantry that the world has come to expect of Britain’s royal family.

The excitement in London was palpable as royal fans cheered Prince William and his bride to the altar.

The service

Prince William wore the red tunic of the Irish Guards. But it was his bride, Catherine, who stole the show with a classic, elegant white and lace dress.

The ceremony

Inside Westminster Abbey, where the church service took place, a hush descended as the bride and her father walked to the altar, where Prince William was waiting.

They spoke their vows solemnly before a congregation of almost 2,000 people.
The bride spoke almost in a whisper but without faltering.

And outside the church the mood was broken by the cheers and excitement of the crow

The kiss

After the church ceremony the newly married couple - now the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge-travelled in an open top carriage to Buckingham Palace, from where they waved to their fans from the balcony and had their first public kiss. And another.

Massive crowds poured into London’s streets, some planted along the route of the royal procession for several days in order to get a glance of the royal couple. Others watched on big screens erected around London.

Public reaction

Royal supporters watch Britain's Prince William kissing his wife Kate, Duchess of Cambridge on a giant screen in Trafalgar Square in central London, after the wedding ceremony, on April 29, 2011.

British flags waved in the air and painted faces, royal hats, frocks, dress jackets swarmed the streets.

Many told VOA of their happiness at being in London for what some have dubbed the "wedding of the century”"

"I particularly liked Kate’s dress. I thought William looked very handsome and I like the choice of hymns as well," said Dale Sharpe, a young man watching the wedding on a big screen in London’s Trafalgar Square.

Judy, an Australian woman, was one of thousands who travelled to Britain from around the world for the wedding. She said it was well worth the trip.

"We’re all part of history. It’s just a wonderful experience," she said.

With their public duties done, the wedding couple were to spend the evening with their friends and family.

And their fans were celebrating well into the afternoon.

"We’re having a few beers and then going and having an afternoon tea party," one woman said as a group headed into a pub.

And so it is that in 2011 Britain is still keeping traditions alive with its pubs, its tea, and the pageantry of its royal family.

A wedding photo album



*For more information on the Royal Wedding, visit our Special Report page

MINUTE BY MINUTE DEVELOPMENTS

**Prince William and bride Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, join hands and follow Queen Elizabeth and their families back into Buckingham Palace, ending the most public aspect of their iconic wedding celebration.

**One was not enough! Prince William leans over and kisses his new bride Catherine on the lips for a second time just seconds before aircraft from the Royal Air Force and the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight roared overhead

**The Kiss: Prince William leans over and kisses his new bride Catherine on the lips in the first public kiss of the new royal couple

**Prince William and his new bride Catherine emerge onto the red-and gold-draped balcony of Buckingham Palace to the cheers of thousands of well-wishers gathered in the streets below

**Cheering crowds filled the streets leading to Buckingham Palace in anticipation of the first public royal kiss between Prince William and his bride Catherine, expected to take place on the palace balcony


**Young girls wearing imitation tiaras, boys wearing crowns, and their parents fill the streets waving flags to celebrate the royal wedding of Prince William and his bride Catherine

**The royal couple arrive at Buckingham Palace, followed by their bridesmaids and page boys. The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh arrive shortly afterward, accompanied by the cheers of the crowds outside

**Cheers and applause ring out over the streets of London as thousands of well-wishers celebrate the new royal couple, Prince William and Catherine as they ride in a white-horse drawn carriage toward Buckingham Palace

**Prince William and his new wife Catherine ride in the 1902 crimson State Landau, drawn by four white horses, waving to the crowds lining the streets, cheering the new royal couple as they travel to Buckingham Palace

**A surge of cheers greet the new royal couple as Prince William and his wife, Catherine, walk out of Westminster Abbey , where a white-horse drawn carriage awaits them

** The fanfare is sounded as the bride and bridegroom emerge from the shrine inside the abbey, Prince William leading his smiling bride by the hand down the aisle to curtsy before the Queen then walk toward the door.

** Prince William and Catherine Middleton are the new royal couple! The congregations sings the British national anthem "God Save the Queen" and the royal couple moves to the most sacred part of the abbey to sign the marriage register.

** Prince William and his bride Catherine Middleton kneel before the high altar as the congregations prays the traditional "Our Father"

** The Lord Bishop of London addresses the congregation gathered in Westminster Abbey to celebrate the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton. The new royal couple sit next to each other in red chairs, on the right facing the altar.

**The wedding service begins, with the choir singing the anthem, "This is the Day" written by John Rutter.

*Prince William places the wedding ring on Catherine Middleton's finger with the words, "With this ring, I thee wed, with my body I thee honor"

*Prince William and Catherine Middleton exchange their wedding vows

*Prince William says "I will". Catherine Middleton says "I will"

The royal wedding ceremony begins: "We are gathered here ..." Catherine Middleton's veil has been lifted as she and Prince William stand next to each other

** Bride Catherine Middleton, her hand placed above that of her father Michael Middleton walks down the aisle of Westminster Abbey to the singing of "I Was Glad". Behind her are four bridesmaids, Lady Louise Windsor, 7, the Hon. Margarita Armstrong-Jones, 8, Miss Grace van Cutsem, 3, Eliza Lopes, 3, William Lowther-Pinerton, 10, and Tom Pettifer, 8.

**The dean of Westminster welcome bride Catherine Middleton as she prepares to walk down the aisle to marry Prince William.

** The bells of Westminster Abbey ring out, as bride Catherine Middleton steps out of the Rolls Royce, waving to the crowds, holding a small bouquet of white flowers, her veil held in place by a tiara

** Bride Catherine Middleton, accompanied by her father Michael Middleton, arrive at Westminster Abbey.

** Thousands of people burst into cheers as Catherine Middleton, the future Princess, waves from a Rolls Royce on her way to Westminster Abbey.

* Catherine Middleton is ushered into a Rolls Royce Phantom VI, the clouds of the white train of her dress folded gently into the car around her. Middleton's face is covered in a long white veil

**The Dean of Westminster welcome a smiling Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh to Westminster Abbey as the bells ring out over London. A royal fanfare by the state trumpeters announces the queen's arrival.

**The Queen, dressed in yellow, and the Duke of Edinburgh depart for the Abbey amid a surge of cheers as the excitement builds along the streets of London

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess Cornwall, traveling in their Rolls Royce, head toward Westminster Abbey to the cheers of thousands of fans waving flags

Members of the extended British royal family, including the Duke of York, Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice, the Duke and Duchess of Kent, and Princess Alexandra, arrive as the bells peal out at Westminster Abbey.

In the Abbey, members of different royal families, from Norway and Denmark to the Netherlands to Serbia, have joined the list of some 1,900 invited to attend the royal wedding

The bride's mother and brother are on their way to Westminster Abbey in a Jaguar, with a motorcycle escort.

Prince William and his best man Prince Harry walk down the aisle of Westminster Abbey, lined with trees brought in for the occasion

Prince William, dressed in red and gold, with black trousers, and Prince Harry arrive at Westminster Abbey, as the bells of the Abbey ring out

Crowds burst into cheers as Prince William is Driven to Westminster Abbey

The Royal Cavalry, dressed in red and black finery, await to escort Prince William to Westminster Abbey, as excited crowds waving Union Jacks start chanting "We want Will!"

Prime Minister David Cameron arrives at Westminster Abbey, holding hands with his wife. Elton John and his partner David Furnish are seated together, smiling. John sang at Lady Diana's funeral in 1997.