The Prince of Wales and Camilla
Parker Bowles are finally man and wife and on honeymoon - more
than 30 years after their romance first began
More than 20,000 people cheered as they arrived at Windsor's Guildhall
for their small private civil wedding
Afterwards they returned to Windsor Castle for a service of blessing
led by the Archbishop of Canterbury
About 800 of the couple's family and friends attended including
the Queen and Prince Philip
The Prime Minister, other political figures, diplomats, church
leaders, showbiz personalities were among the congregation in
St George's Chapel
Prince Charles and the new Duchess of Cornwall entered arm-in-arm
to make their solemn vows
The Duchess had worn an oyster silk basket-weave coat and chiffon
dress for the civil ceremony, but changed into a porcelain blue
silk dress for the blessing of her marriage
During the service the couple promised to be faithful to each
other for the rest of their lives
After the ceremony, the couple walked around and chatted to members
of the public gathered outside the chapel
They then made their way to a reception, hosted by the Queen,
at the castle's State Apartments
There the Prince and Duchess mingled with their guests who were
offered egg and cress sandwiches, mini Cornish pasties and scones
They included all the senior British royals, invited foreign royals,
eight governors-general, leaders of opposition parties and a host
of celebrities
Charles's biographer Jonathan Dimbleby, broadcaster Sir David
Frost, musicians Phil Collins and Jools Holland and actors Rowan
Atkinson, Edward Fox, Kenneth Branagh, Joanna Lumley, Richard
E Grant and Prunella Scales were all there
Following the reception, the newly-wed couple departed for their
honeymoon at Birkhall in Scotland
'Just married'
Princes William and Harry had decorated the Bentley which drove
the couple away from the castle
The words "Prince" and "Duchess" were sprayed
on either side of the windscreen and "Just Married"
written on the back windscreen
Bunches of red, white and yellow metallic balloons had been tied
to the couple's car
Earlier Camilla became the most senior female member of the Royal
Family after the Queen - when Prince Charles slipped a wedding
ring crafted from Welsh gold onto her finger
As the couple left the Guildhall, Prince Charles mouthed "Thank
you very much" to the cheering crowds
Among the well-wishers was Vivienne Reay, 53, from Staines, Middlesex
She said - "It's brilliant, I think it's really nice that
they're married, they've waited long enough and I'm just really
pleased for them"
Security was extra tight around Windsor with marksmen on rooftops,
officers mingling in the crowd and police with sniffer dogs patrolling
the route
However, the only public disturbance was a streaker who broke
away from the crowd and was quickly apprehended by police
Troubled romance
The wedding brings to a conclusion a relationship between Charles
and Camilla that began when they met at a Windsor polo match in
1970, a year before the prince joined the Royal Navy
They became great friends but there was no proposal and Camilla
married cavalry officer Andrew Parker Bowles
Charles married the then Diana Spencer 24 years ago in 1981
Diana, Princess of Wales, famously referred to Camilla as one
of the contributing factors in the breakdown of her marriage to
Charles
