William, Kate unite in fairy-tale wedding

The romantic and regalnuptialsof Britain's Prince William and Kate Middleton played out under breezy and sun-spotted skies Friday,with thecouple exchanging vows before 1,900 guests at Westminster Abbey andthe world soaking in the pageantry of the highly anticipated union.

Thirty years after the wedding of William's parents Prince Charles and Diana, later the Princess of Wales the dashing princetook the hand of Kate, a commoner with wealthy roots, as up to a million people lined the streets of London and an estimated two billion worldwide television viewers watched.

Kate and William, who is second in line to the throne,met in 2001in an art history class atthe University of St. Andrews in Fife, Scotland. They were engaged in November 2010.

The wedding day began whenthe couple, nowto be known asthe Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, made their way separately to the historic London church.

Outside,thousands who had been camping out for days in hopes of catching glimpses of royalty and celebrated guests screamed and waved as William arrived first, accompaniedby his brother and best man, PrinceHarry.

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The princeswere soon followed byKate,who emerged from aRolls-Royce wearing a classic fitted white V-neck gown, with a long-sleeved lace overlay and nearly three-metre train held by her sister and maid ofhonour, Pippa Middleton.

The elegant number was designed by Sarah Burton, creative director at the British fashion house of the late Alexander McQueen.

Replay

Miss the ceremony? Click here to watch:

• The buildup
• The guests arrive
• The ceremony
• Balcony kiss
• Highlights package

Katealso wore a 1936 Cartier "halo" tiara, a loan from her grandmother-in-law the Queen, under a veil as she was walked up the aisle by her father, Michael Middleton. The historic walk was performed tothe strains of I Was Glad, composed by Sir Charles Hubert Hastings Parry for the coronation of King Edward VII in 1902. (The same anthem was sung at the wedding of William's parents as well.)

William, 28,wore the red uniform of Colonel of the Irish Guards, an honorary title granted to him inFebruary. The uniform's features include a gold and crimson sash. His hat bore an inscription of the regiment's motto, Quis separabit Latin for "Who shall separate us?"

Katedid not promise to "obey" her new husband in her vows, but insteadsaid she will"love, comfort, honour and keep" William. Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams then pronounced them husband and wife.

Crowd content with 'glimpses'

CBC's Adrienne Arsenault, on the streets near Buckingham Palace,said manyoutside onlookerswere able to hear the event, which was pumped through loudspeakers,but could not see anything because of"the royal bottleneck."

"You get a little glimpse of somebody's elbow," she said, adding that nobody complained.People sang along with the hymns and took pictures of each other.

At the historic church,chimesrang out for more than three hours after the end of the ceremony.A peal of more than 5,000 chimeswas planned,which is only used on special royal or national occasions.

After signing the register in a private room, thecouple walked out of the abbey and rode in an open carriage, the 1902 State Landau, from the church to Buckingham Palace.

Before a throngof cheering well-wishers, the couple finally emerged on the balcony there, surrounded by both families including Prince Charles; his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall;and the Queen andallthe children inthe wedding party.

William and Kate gave their jubilant followers exactly what they had hoped for andmorenot just oneroyalkiss,but two.

SevenRoyal Air Forceplanes, both vintage and modern,also performed a flyover during their balcony appearance.

The Queen, the last to arrive at the wedding beforethe bride,wore an Angela Kelly-designed single crepe wool primrose dress with hand-sewn beading at the neck in the shape of sunrays, as well as a matching double crepe wool tailored primrose coat, according to the official royal wedding website.

Among the friends, dignitaries and celebritieswho attended the ceremony and who were dressed in colourful hats and formal morning coats werePrince Harry's on-again, off-again girlfriend, Chelsy Davy; British music legend Elton John and his partner, Canadian David Furnish; and soccer star David Beckham and his wife, Victoria.

Other guests included Charles Spencer, the brother ofWilliam's latemother; as well asformer British prime minister John Major and Canadian Gov.-Gen. David Johnston, whotweeted Friday morning that William would wear the Canadian Forces Decoration at the wedding ceremony. The decoration is normally awarded to Canadian Forces memberswho have completed12 years of service.

"A special relationship with our regiments," the tweet said.

Queen's lunch

Some of the canapson Buckingham Palace's lunchtime menu:

• Cornish crab salad on lemon blini.
• Pressed duck terrine with fruit chutney.
• Quail eggs with celerysalt.
• Bubble and squeak with confit shoulder of lamb.
• Scottishlangoustines with lemon mayonnaise, pressed confit of pork belly with crayfish and crackling.

Following the balcony appearance, the Queengave a lunchtime reception with 650 guests from the wedding service's congregation. The lunch included 10,000 canapsprepared by a team of 21 chefs.

The royal couple left the palace in a dark-blue Aston Martinconvertible loaned by Prince Charles, before attending an evening reception and dinner hosted by Prince Charleswith 300 guests.

As they arrived for the event, Kate spoke briefly with a photographer saying "I am glad the weather held off. We had a great day."

Prince Harry wastohost a party afterward that he hoped wouldstretch to 6 a.m. local time.

William and Katewere tospend theirfirst night asnewlyweds in the palace's BelgianSuite.

Thecouple's newtitles of Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were revealed by Buckingham Palace a few hours before the ceremony.

The palace statement said William was also named the Earl of Strathearn and Baron Carrickfergus, making Middletonthe Countess of Strathearn and Baroness Carrickfergus.

Baron Carrickfergus is a little-used titlethat refers to one of the oldest towns in Northern Ireland. Strathearn ties William and Middleton to Scotland, where the pair met and fell in love.

Zoom in on the crowds

Take a closer look at the celebrations and the ceremony by selecting the image below.