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
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.
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 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
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
After weeks of rehearsals, the ceremonial guards perform prior to the Royal Wedding today
Earl Spencer (Princess Diana's brother) talks to guests inside Westminster Abbey where guests were mingling ahead of the 11am ceremony
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
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
The Royal procession make their way down The Mall to Buckingham Palace after the wedding ceremony
The Cake
A team put the finishing touches to the cake that was prepared for William and Catherine at Buckingham Palace today