Two tiny, softly-spoken words cut the pin-drop silence of a dumbstruck Westminster Abbey and sent cheers ringing from Whitehall to Bucklebury to Papua New Guinea: ‘I will.’
And with that, Catherine Middleton went from ‘Miss’ to future Queen Consort of 16 nations spanning nearly seven billion acres and a large part of the Earth’s surface.
At her side was the young man with, perhaps, a greater burden of expectation than anyone alive. And now, he no longer carries it alone.
Double kiss: The newly-married couple share their first public kiss on the balcony as thousands of screaming well-wishers watch
Prince William emerges from Buckingham Palace in his father's dark blue Aston Martin as the crowd roars. The number plate on the rear said 'Just Wed'
Unexpected: William motors around Buckingham Palace with his new wife in his father's 41-year-old Aston Martin which Charles was given as a gift for his 21st birthday party
Happy couple: The Aston Martin Volante is decorated with balloons and a 'Just Wed' registration plate, as William and Catherine emerge in the soft-top vehicle
Police officers stand in front of royal supporters on The Mall in London, along the Processional Route by the Palace moments before William and Kate emerged to share a kiss
Newly wed: Prince William and his new wife Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, wave as they travel in the 1902 State Landau carriage along the Processional Route to Buckingham Palace
The first glimpse: An assured smile from behind her veil and a wave as she arrives at the Abbey
'You look beautiful': Prince William speaks to his bride Kate as she holds her father's hand at the altar
Newly-wed: Prince William Duke of Cambridge and Catherine Duchess of Cambridge leave Westminster Abbey with her sister Pippa supporting her dress
With his own no-nonsense ‘I will’, Prince William opened a new royal epoch, happily reuniting the Monarchy with those powerful memories of his late mother, all of it in front of half the planet.
Prior to this moment, the most-watched event in British history – perhaps in world history – had been her funeral here 14 years before. How many billions were watching now over supper in Sydney or breakfast in Ottawa; how many eyes prickling, throats tightening as that bravest of adolescent mourners now returned as the happiest man in the land?
The sense of a turning tide was as inescapable as Low Water on the Anglesey shoreline.
In the annals of our 1000-year-old Monarchy, this was a very good day. In the annals of the House of Windsor (created: 1917), it was a very great one.
AFTER SOLVING THE MYSTERY OF THE DRESS, NOW FOR THE SUNSHINE HONEYMOON ...
Now that the mystery of the bride’s wedding dress designer has been solved, speculation is focused on where the royal couple will spend their honeymoon, due to start today.
Sources have privately confirmed the obvious: William and Kate will holiday ‘somewhere hot and sunny’ where they can ‘relax completely and privately’ for two weeks.
Mustique is the odds-on favourite for their romantic getaway. Kate’s family visit the private Caribbean island regularly, and she and William have spent several romantic breaks snorkelling, jetskiing and sunning themselves there.
Another favoured destination is a nostalgic but relatively public sight-seeing tour of Jordan, where Kate lived as a toddler. King Abdullah II is rumoured to have offered the use of his lavish private summer palace in the Red Sea resort of Aqaba.
But a brief sojourn at a UK destination has not been ruled out. A few days in Balmoral, Scotland, would follow in the footsteps of William’s father, who spent both his honeymoons there.
Another mooted destination is Kenya, where William proposed. He has often said his heart is in Africa and he also spent his gap year in Kenya. Tanzania, the Seychelles, Australia, or a cruise have also been suggested as likely choices.
Prince William greets Australia's Prime Minister Julia Gillard and her partner Tim Mathieson at Buckingham Palace in London after his wedding to Catherine
STATS OF THE DAY: KATE AND WILLIAM'S FAIRYTALE WEDDING
- Prince Charles' bioethanol 41-year-old Aston Martin runs entirely on wine. It was converted in 2008
- The cake contained 17 different types of flower made from sugar paste, each one picked by Kate for their meaning or symbolism
- The cake had 900 sugar paste flowers in total
- An estimated one million people lined the streets - and two billion were watching around the globe
- 10,000 canapes were prepared by 21 chefs for the Buckingham Palace reception
- Wedding mentioned 268,777 times on Facebook during the ceremony
- More than 5,000 police officers were on duty to ensure event ran like clockwork
- 1902 state Landau that carried William and Catherine to Buckingham Palace for the reception was used by Charles and Diana on their wedding day 30 years ago
- 10,000 people were crammed into Trafalgar Square to watch the ceremony on a big screen
- More than 1,300 armed forces personnel played a role in the wedding
- Kate Middleton's bridal train measured two metres and 70cm
- A huge surge in electricity demand marked the end of television coverage of Kate and William's procession to Buckingham Palace. The 2,400 MW boost as cameras switched back to television studios at 12.40pm was equivalent to nearly one million kettles being boiled at once
- The top three surges in demand are: 2,800 MW at the end of the penalty shoot-out for England's World Cup semi-final against West Germany in 1990; 2,600 MW after a 1984 episode of The Thornbirds; and 2,570 MW surge at half-time during England's semi-final match against Brazil in the 2002 World Cup.
Royal reception: The Queen arrives at Buckingham Palace, left, after the wedding. Right, Kate's engagement and wedding rings on her finger
Kate, who has been given the title The Duchess of Cambridge, meets Governors-General and prime ministers at Buckingham Palace
The Royal Family has acquired a new recruit capable of great grace and poise under the most extreme pressure imaginable. What’s a garden party – or even a State Opening – after that 318ft walk to the Abbey altar?
Two short words, and Kate sent a cheer around the world
What is a plaque-unveiling or a state visit after getting ‘William Arthur Philip Louis’ crystal clear, unquavering and in the right order?
Prince William, likewise, showed supreme unflappability as he gently fought with an obstreperous band of Welsh gold, as he proudly steered his future Queen into the daylight before a dazzled world already running out of superlatives.
Wheely delightful: The Verger cartwheels down the aisle after the wedding
Off to Clarence House: Catherine and William drive off from Buckingham Palace to Clarence House
A Spitfire, Hurricane and Lancaster from the Royal Air Force Battle of Britain Memorial Flight fly over Buckingham Palace as William and Kate emerge on the balcony
Salute to their friend: A Sea King helicopter hovers above the Victoria Memorial as Prince William drives his wife in the Aston Martin to Clarence House
Lip-reading viewers may have spotted what happened next. ‘Are you happy?’ asked the new Duchess of Cambridge as they climbed into the State Landau. ‘It was amazing, amazing,’ replied the Duke. ‘I am so proud you’re my wife.’
The most striking aspect of the whole occasion was the simplest of the lot: the sight of two people so confident and comfortable with each other that you can already hear them finishing each other’s sentences. They were even doing it on the Palace balcony. ‘Are you ready?’ asked Prince William. ‘Okay, let’s ...’ She finished that one with a kiss.
Westminster Abbey began the day with the flavour of a rather grand country wedding – lots of intergalactic hats, handsome chaps in uniform and exuberant flowers, all capped by several maples and hornbeams from the Highgrove garden. Trees in the Abbey? ‘Unheard of’, said one orderly. Yet also inspired.
EIGHT-TIERED CAKE WITH 900 FLOWERS
The eight-tiered wedding cake proved too much of a temptation for some of the bridesmaids.
One guest revealed they began picking some of the 900 individually iced flowers from Fiona Cairns’ creation before their parents stepped in. The stunning cake had 17 different flower designs, all with their own individual meaning, including a daffodil representing Wales and new beginnings.
The cake was actually made from 17 individual fruit cakes – 12 of which formed the base. A garland design around the middle matched the decorations in the Picture Gallery in Buckingham Palace. The cakemaker would not reveal all the ingredients she used but said it contained a range of dried fruits and French brandy.
Guests were also able to enjoy a multi-tiered chocolate biscuit cake at the request of Prince William, who is said to have developed a soft spot for the treat as a child.
The newlyweds commissioned McVities to craft the creation as an alternative to the official wedding cake. It was decorated with white chocolate water lilies and milk chocolate leaves.
£7,500 EACH FOR THOSE ANGELIC VOICES
The choirboys whose radiant young voices filled the Abbey were basking in adulation for a job well done last night.
But the youngsters can also expect a windfall of about £7,500 each in royalty payments thanks to broadcasting rights which were sold around the globe.
None of the choirboys and adult singers of the Westminster Abbey Choir and Choir of the Chapel Royal took part in the day for anything other than honour and pride.
But while choristers normally get paid a basic fee of £85 for singing at the Abbey, they are in line for a bumper payday on the back of this wedding.
The Choir of Westminster Abbey is made up of 30 boys who attend the Abbey’s dedicated Choir School, and 12 professional adult singers, known as Lay Vicars.
The Choir of the Chapel Royal was made up of ten schoolboy choristers and six so called Gentlemen-in-Ordinary, who are professional singers.
The boys all attend £4,350-per-term City of London School.
Pippa Middleton and Prince Philip share a joke on the Buckingham Palace balcony after the wedding
A very public kiss: William and Catherine share a special moment on the Buckingham Palace balcony as thousands watch on
The smiling bride: An unveiled Kate Middleton. An estimated two billion people tuned in for her wedding
Prince William and Kate Middleton exchange rings in front of the Archbishop of Canterbury during the ceremony
Bride-to-be Kate Middleton arrives at Westminster Abbey this morning for what has been billed as the wedding of the century
Kate Middleton arrives with her father Michael Middleton to join Prince William and his best man Harry at the altar
Thousands of people wave Union Jacks as the couple are taken to Westminster Abbey in their open-topped carriage. An estimated one million people lined the streets
The Victoria Memorial outside the Palace is filled with well-wishers celebrating the wedding
Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, emerge from the church after the wedding ceremony with Prince Harry and Pippa Middleton in the background
An estimated 10,000 people were packed into Trafalgar Square to watch the ceremony on a giant screen
Guests gaily tested the patience of the Abbey ushers as they kept leaping out of their seats to ‘Mwa-Mwa’ or shake hands with an old chum from the Army or St Andrews or a royal charity.
At one point, there was aisle gridlock. I spotted Earl Spencer trying to lead a trio of young Spencer belles through a yacking standstill, his path blocked by people shaking hands with the film director, Guy Ritchie, and the Lord Great Chamberlain, the Marquess of Cholmondeley. Progressing through the throng beneath a blue 45-degree Philip Treacy hat was It-girl and royal chum, Tara Palmer-Tomkinson, escorted by her novelist sister, Santa, and historian brother-in-law, Simon Sebag-Montefiore.
Morning coats were the general order of the day, regardless of an invitation offering a ‘lounge suit’ option. The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, declared that he had rented his from Moss Bros – suggesting that he must have lost or outgrown the tails he wore for five years at Eton.
Buckingham Palace: Helped by her new husband, Catherine steps out of the carriage as it arrives at the Palace. Minutes later they shared their first kiss on the balcony
The happy couple hold hands during the wedding service at Westminster Abbey which was conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams, centre
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, and Prince William wave to the vast crowds as they travel to Buckingham Palace in a 1902 State Landau
Prince William and Kate Middleton sit down during the service after he put the wedding band on her finger
William appeared to have a moment of difficulty in slipping the ring onto Kate's finger... But the ceremony went without a hitch
David Beckham had embellished his traditional wedding kit with a wing-collared shirt and his OBE, despite the dress code specifically advising against decorations for civilian guests. He was wearing it on the wrong side, too. Few seemed to notice. All eyes were on Mrs Beckham, not his gong.
I found myself seated deep in Middleton country, just behind Michael Middleton’s proud cousin, Cambridge geo-physicist, Penny Barton. She was delighted by news of the new Dukedom of Cambridge. ‘Maybe, William will be the next Chancellor of Cambridge University,’ she suggested. Prince Philip’s retirement does, indeed, create a vacancy.
Less relaxed were the official guests, all those ambassadors and Governors-General and Cabinet Ministers knowing that they must be on best behaviour lest a camera spot an injudicious yawn.
I spotted a very chuffed-looking Ralph Gonsalves, prime minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines, one of the Queen’s 16 realms (the one which includes royal Mustique). Could this be the same ‘Comrade Ralph’ who staged a referendum on abolishing the Monarchy just 18 months ago? It was just as well he lost the vote, then, or he would not have had the call-up yesterday.
Vast crowds gather along The Mall and around the Queen Victoria Memorial as the Royal Air Force perform a fly over as Catherine and William share a kiss on the balcony
The royal carriage glides past the deep crowds after the Royal Wedding at Westminster Abbey today
William and his wife Kate wave to onlookers as they leave Westminster Abbey after the wedding
Not amused: Kate waves to the crowds from the Buckingham Palace but three-year-old bridesmaid Grace Van Cutsem is not amused by the noise
Kate Middleton and her father, Michael, travel in a Rolls Royce to Westminster Abbey
Kate Middleton waves as she arrives with her father Michael Middleton and her sister Philippa Middleton to the West Door of Westminster Abbey in London for her wedding
A team put the finishing touches to the cake that was prepared for William and Catherine at Buckingham Palace today
Suddenly, the bonhomie vanished as the groom arrived with his best man. The queue for the loos just behind William Shakespeare in Poet’s Corner vanished. Someone had flicked a switch from fun family event to living history. Prince William and Prince Harry had caused pan-generational hysteria on the streets, these two young blades in their magnificent uniforms – waving at the people, saluting the Cenotaph, prompting countless thoughts of ‘How proud their mother would have been ...’
Inside the Abbey, after brief chit-chat with assorted Spencers and Mountbattens, they disappeared to St Edward’s Chapel to wait. By now, the focus had shifted to the Goring Hotel where Miss Middleton and her father appeared to be smothered by a deluge of silk pursuing them into the Rolls-Royce. Michael Middleton’s good-natured calm and infectious pride throughout this entire engagement have made him a hero figure to Dads up and down the land. Here was the finest hour in any father’s life. Might he finally crack?
On the Abbey steps, Catherine reached out for his reassuring hand one last time and he grasped it. But this was no timid bride stepping forth into the unknown. Together, they strode. Inside, it was the Windsors and Middletons who were setting the example, holding it together. Around them, lesser mortals sniffled and dabbed their eyes and gulped as Charles Hubert Parry’s ‘I Was Glad’ came forth brilliantly. Glad? Here were 1,900 people ready to cartwheel.
He's here: Prince William, left, arrives at Westminster Abbey next to his proud younger brother and best man Harry with two billion people watching
First glimpse: Prince William gets out of his Bentley and walks into the Abbey - and waits for Kate
Proud father: Prince Charles arrives with William's stepmother Camilla
Mother of the bride: Carole Middleton, mother of Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, waves as she travels with Britain's Prince Charles and Camilla to Buckingham Palace after the wedding
Showbiz royalty: David Beckham, wearing his OBE on his lapel, centre, and his wife Victoria arrive at the west door of Westminster Abbey as guests arrive for the 11am ceremony
The Royal procession make their way down The Mall to Buckingham Palace after the wedding ceremony
THE COMMONER BECOMES A DUCHESS ON HER WEDDING DAY
The Queen has made William the Duke of Cambridge to mark his wedding day and Kate Middleton a Duchess, Buckingham Palace announced.
William also became the Earl of Strathearn and Baron Carrickfergus, which means Kate will become the Countess of Strathearn and Baroness Carrickfergus.
As well as a duchess, Miss Middleton is also technically Princess William of Wales.
According to protocol, she is not officially Princess Catherine as she was not born a princess in her own right.
Instead she adopts her husband's first name, in the same way as Princess Michael of Kent, who married the Queen's cousin Prince Michael of Kent.
All titles are in the gift of the Queen and it was up to the monarch to choose which one to bestow on her grandson and his new wife.
But William's thoughts will also have been taken into account by the royal matriarch in a private discussion between the Prince and his grandmother.
Tradition dictates that royal men receive a title on their wedding - and often more than one.
As the bride came into view, beneath Prince Charles’s trees, Prince Harry turned and murmured in his brother’s ear: ‘She looks beautiful. I can tell you that.’ Moments later, William saw for himself and whispered: ‘You look – er, you are beautiful.’ He even had a little joke for Mr Middleton: ‘Just a small family wedding.’
Pippa Middleton marshalled her little team with the panache of the professional party organiser that she is.
Later on, younger brother James, would read from Romans 12 with polished gusto. For mother, Carole, elegant in a (Cambridge) blue Catherine Walker suit, it must have required huge reserves of reserve not to blub all morning. The Middleton clan, it must be said, has done this country proud. Even Naughty Uncle Gary was immaculate in his dark morning coat in row three.
No future Prince of Wales could marry without the great Welsh favourite, Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer. Musically, this goes down as one of the great royal weddings, the unapologetic emphasis on British music – Parry, Elgar, Walton – proving entirely justified.
The twin choirs of Westminster Abbey and the Chapel Royal were a sublime double act, even if it was impossible to look at them without spotting the odd awkward-looking Cabinet face berthed just behind them. Has Kenneth Clarke ever looked so angelic?.
Against the Archbishop of Canterbury’s booming tones, the couple’s vows seemed more poignant, humble even. On the bride’s ‘I will’, a disembodied roar could be heard ringing around outside the Abbey. It was like walking past a football ground when a goal goes in.
The Bishop of London – an old chum of the Prince of Wales – reminded us that ‘every wedding is a royal wedding’. A good marriage, said Dr Richard Chartres, should ‘transform’ not ‘reform’ man and wife. And he raised a shy smile on the face of the new Duchess as he talked of the ‘family life’ which lies ahead.
Perhaps the most touching part of his sermon were words which the couple had written themselves – a prayer for the day. ‘God our Father, we thank you for our families,’ it began.
Kate Middleton arrives at Westminster, adorned with trees, as the congregation sing
Prince Charles and Camilla followed by Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip walk down the red carpet at Westminster Abbey
Cameras click as Kate Middleton arrives and walks into Westminster Abbey
An estimated 10,000 Royal wedding fans crowded into Hyde Park to watch the couple marry on a big screen
Kate walks up the aisle, holding her father's hand, with Maid of Honour Pippa Middleton supporting her dress
Royal arrivals: Princess Eugenie, blue dress, and Princess Beatrice arrive at Westminster Abbey (right) while Prince Charles and Camilla smile as they walk in for William's wedding
Celebration: Royals fans in Hyde Park watched the wedding on a big screen
Those families held back – Prince Harry arm-in-arm with Pippa Middleton, Prince Charles escorting Carole Middleton and so on – as the bride and groom processed into the world. But not before the ritual bow and curtsey to the Sovereign. The Queen, in primrose, has seen more royal weddings here than anyone else alive. ‘Amazing,’ was how she would describe it later.
All down the aisle, the guests who had merely smiled on the way in now bobbed and bowed to the new Duke and Duchess on the way out. In the open air, the crowds hit a new pitch of delirium. After this, the procession and the balcony appearance would be a doddle. Even the groom’s speech to the 600 reception guests - full of self-deprecating gags about his hair – was no great ordeal.
Ever since this engagement was announced, there has been an inevitable tendency to compare this betrothal with previous Windsor weddings – notably that of the groom’s parents or the austerity era union of the Queen and Prince Philip.
Wedding guests: Chelsy Davy, wearing a green outfit, leaves her home to head to the Royal Wedding, left, and Tara Palmer-Tomkinson walks into Westminster Abbey, right
Pippa Middleton arrives with the bridesmaids and pageboys ahead of the wedding
They came in their thousands: Royal fans lining the route cheer as guests arrive before the wedding of Britain's Prince William and Kate Middleton
Bridesmaids and page boys: Tom Pettifer laughs as he arrives with Master William Lowther-Pinkerton, Lady Louise Windsor and Margarita Armstrong-Jones
The Queen and Prince Philip take their seats
The day is here: A military band perform as they march on the Mall this morning hours before William and Kate marry at Westminster Abbey
Pippa Middleton walks into Westminster Abbey with three bridesmaids and two page boys
The nation's grandmother: The Queen arrives at Westminster Abbey for the Royal Wedding
Waiting time: Prince William and his brother Harry walk into the Abbey to wait for the commoner bride Kate Middleton to arrive
Samantha Cameron, centre, wearing a figure-hugging green outfit stands next to her husband Prime Minister David Cameron, left, and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, right
Wedding greetings: Prince William and his best man brother arrive at the Abbey
After weeks of rehearsals, the ceremonial guards perform prior to the Royal Wedding today
Earl Spencer talks to guests inside Westminster Abbey where guests were mingling ahead of the 11am ceremony
But yesterday’s great occasion also evoked a different sort of royal landmark, another occasion when a jaded country suddenly, unexpectedly found itself pleasantly overcome by an explosion of benign royal euphoria.
If anything, the mood among the million-strong crowd drifting away last night was reminiscent of 1977 and the Silver Jubilee – a reminder of the power of Monarchy to send the self-esteem of a troubled nation soaring.
Perhaps we can now put to bed those preposterous grumbles about the cost of it all. If we go with the upper estimate of £20million being tossed around by the moaners (all police bills, not dresses or cake), it is still less than half the £42million cost of the basketball arena for next year’s Olympics. And that structure will be demolished a fortnight later. Enough said.
Yesterday’s scenes will be played out for years to come. This has all the makings of one of the great royal unions. There is no question. Britain and its best-loved institution have won gold.
Princes William and Harry arrive in Westminster Abbey for the wedding
Nick Clegg and his wife Miriam, wearing a dazzling polka-dot dress, arrive at Westminster Abbey, right. Inside, left, some guests mingle
Early start: Spectators line the route the royal carriage will take from Westminster Abbey to the Palace later. There will be 1,900 guests at the ceremony
Huge support: Royal supporters wait along the processional route hoping to catch a glimpse of the couple as they make their way to the Abbey
First people arrive: The 1,900 wedding guests are arriving at Westminster Abbey ahead of the service scheduled for 11am
Arrivals: His wife Sally towering above him in her high heels, House of Commons speaker John Bercow arrives at Westminster Abbey, right. left, Ben Fogle and Marina Fogle
Family arrive: Kate's uncle Gary Goldsmith leaves his west London home in a £280,000 Rolls Royce Phantom convertible, left, and Miss Middleton's brother James leaves the Goring hotel, right
Security operation: A man is restrained by police officers outside Westminster Abbey this morning as a huge ring of steel is thrown up around the capital
Tent city: 5,000 people slept on The Mall to guarantee the best spots along the wedding route, including this man curled up in his sleeping bag
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