Kate (33 page)

The vows were traditional, but Kate, the modern bride amid so much tradition, chose not to obey but to “love, comfort, honor, and keep.” They had discussed their vows with the Archbishop of Canterbury, who counseled them in the months leading up to the wedding, and both William and Kate agreed they would prefer not to “obey,” which somehow seemed so incompatible with the equality on which their relationship was founded. Upon the bride's “I will,” there was a collective cheer up and down the country and around the world. Close to 2 billion people were watching the ceremony on television, and across the Atlantic many Americans had woken at dawn to witness the couple exchange their vows. On the other side of the world in Sydney, all-night parties were already in full swing to celebrate the royal union.

The couple's choice of lesson from Romans 12, delivered by Kate's brother, James, highlighted the virtues of self-sacrifice, modesty, honesty, and leadership. It was the only reading during the service, and James, who had suffered from dyslexia throughout his life, had learned the verses by heart. The Bishop of London gave a sermon in which he described marriage as a “hope in troubled times.” He asked the
congregation, and the rest of the world, to pray for the couple, adding, “It is good that people in every continent are able to share in these celebrations, because this is, as every wedding day should be, a day of hope.” It was, he reminded them, the festival of St. Catherine of Siena, and touchingly, he spoke of the family that he hoped would bless the couple. He ended his address with a prayer the couple had written themselves in which they thanked God for their families and for “the love that we share and for the joy of our marriage.” Once the Dean of Westminster had blessed the couple, the congregation burst into “God Save the Queen,” and the bride and groom were led to the Chapel of St. Edward the Confessor to sign the register, away from the television cameras.

As William took his bride's hand to leave the abbey as man and wife, the London Chamber Orchestra played William Walton's magnificent “Crown Imperial.” Kate, now a future Queen, curtsied deeply to the reigning monarch. “Amazing,” Queen Elizabeth II declared of the wedding afterward, her single word summing up the mood of the nation.

Outside the great west door, the open-topped State Landau carriage stood gleaming in the April sunshine. As William and Kate stepped into the very same horse-drawn carriage that had taken Charles and Diana back to the Palace after their wedding nearly thirty years earlier, Kate turned to William, “Are you happy?” she asked. “Amazing, amazing,” replied William. “I am so proud you're my wife,” he replied, according to one of several lip-readers who had been tasked with relaying the asides that day. It was a touching moment that perfectly summed up why William adored her. Whereas he was used to all the fanfare, Kate was not, yet her instinct was to ask him if he was happy. He was always her first thought.

Thousands of servicemen and women lined the route back to Buckingham Palace. Soldiers, sailors, and airmen, among them some of William's colleagues from the RAF, each had a part to play, along with the ten-deep crowd, whose applause was a constant and tumultuous roar right up to the Palace gates. “It's mad, it's mad,” William repeated to his bride as he looked out at the forest of upturned flags and past the temporary media village that had been constructed at Canada Gate for the thousands of journalists who were covering the event. The couple was genuinely touched by the public support in advance of the wedding, which they had described as “incredibly moving,” and now, looking at the throngs of people lining the streets, they could only marvel at the loyalty and joy of the British people.

In front of the famous balcony that looks onto the gleaming Queen Victoria memorial, the crowds waited and waited, their cameras fixed on the very same spot where Prince Charles had kissed Diana. Years later, the Duke of York and Sarah Ferguson had followed suit, making the royal kiss something of a tradition.

When William led his bride out through the glass doors and onto the balcony at 1:25
P.M
., the noise was deafening as the crowds clapped and cheered for what seemed like an eternity. “Kiss, kiss, kiss,” they chanted. “Oh wow,” said Kate, who appeared deeply moved by the spectacle. As the bridesmaids and pages, as well as the couple's families, followed onto the balcony, the roar grew into a crescendo. Carole and Michael stood next to Charles and Camilla and waved, not quite believing the sight before them. Pippa said something that made the Duke of Edinburgh smile, while Harry chatted with James. The Queen stood with her hands behind her
back, surveying her subjects and beaming broadly. William and Kate waved. They knew what the crowd was cheering for, and finally, William turned to kiss Kate. It was more of a peck than a kiss, and the crowd cheered for more. William grinned. “Let's give them another one. I love you,” he said as a Lancaster, a Spitfire, and a Hurricane thundered overhead. This time the kiss was longer and the crowd louder, so much so that little Grace Van Cutsem cupped her hands to her ears as she looked down rather grumpily. The Queen took this as a cue to leave and was followed by her family. William and Kate were the last to leave, Kate glancing over her shoulder to bid the crowd one final wave good-bye.

Inside, the 650 guests who had been invited to the champagne reception were served canapés. “Many of the guests were on the other side of the Palace and couldn't actually see what was happening on the balcony, so they watched on televisions,” recalled Lady Elizabeth Anson. William and Kate spent close to an hour greeting their guests, some of whom they had never met before. Along with the ceremony, this was the formal part of the day and the newlyweds were required to meet the heads of the Commonwealth and the visiting royal families. After the cutting of the cake—a traditional two-tiered fruitcake adorned with English roses, Scottish thistles, Welsh daffodils, and the Irish shamrock, made by the British cake maker Fiona Cairns—Charles gave a short speech in the Picture Gallery, against the backdrop of one of the world's greatest collection of Old Masters. He welcomed his daughter-in-law into the family, telling guests, “We are lucky to have her.” He also reminisced about William's childhood, saying, “It feels like only yesterday I was building houses out of chairs in the living room for William. On one occasion I bought a pedal car for him so he could
drive around the garden. I told him he could drive around the old cedar tree, but he must not bump into the cedar tree. William drove round once, twice, and then crashed into the cedar tree. Well, that was the end of the pedal car.” Unable to resist poking fun at his elder son, he also cracked a joke about William's thinning hairline. William, who took to the stage briefly to thank everyone for coming, retaliated with a joke about his father's expanding waistline. There was much merriment and laughter, and a toast to the bride and groom's happiness.

Carole and Michael mingled easily with the guests and seemed impressively relaxed with their new in-laws. The Queen had invited them for lunch at Windsor Castle the week before the wedding so that there would be no awkwardness on the big day, and according to courtiers, the date had been a resounding success.

Touchingly, William introduced Kate as “Mrs. Wales” when he addressed the wedding party, even though the couple was now officially the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, titles bestowed on them by the Queen that morning as a wedding gift. “Prince William had changed into a more comfortable military coat, and he was laughing. It was rather wonderful; they had managed to have what felt like a family wedding in a most extraordinary setting,” recalled Lady Elizabeth Anson. “Prince Charles's speech was very warm and loving and very funny. The reception was remarkably relaxed and really felt like a family affair.”

By 3:30
P.M
., guests were asked to make their way to the garden to wave the couple off. William had asked his father if he could borrow his treasured blue Aston Martin Volante, Charles's twenty-first birthday present from the Queen, to
drive down the Mall to Clarence House. The car had been polished for the occasion, and much to William and Kate's surprise Harry had it decked out with “L” plates, a ju5t wed registration plate, and “W-and-C”–themed balloons. For good measure, a Sea King helicopter swooped down from the sky to escort them home. For the prince, there was something symbolic about driving his wife home, even if in the excitement of it all, he had forgotten to release the emergency brake.

Back at the Palace, the couple couldn't wait to run through the events of the day together. Careful not to crush her bridal gown, Kate changed into a fluffy terry cloth robe and they jumped like excited children onto the bed. They had recorded the televised ceremony and couldn't wait to watch it on playback. Harry joined them, and the three of them sat watching together. Kate was still wearing the Queen's priceless tiara. “It was lovely to see them so relaxed and happy. You could see how excited and in love they were,” said James Pryce, who arrived at the Palace to arrange Kate's hair for the evening. “Kate was still wearing her tiara in the evening. We took it out and blow dried her hair.”

Sarah Burton had created a second dress for Kate for the evening reception, a strapless floor-length ivory satin gown with a diamante sash. Teamed a white angora wool bolero to ward off the evening chill, Kate looked every inch a fairy-tale princess. This was the part of the day they were most looking forward to—a sit-down dinner with three hundred of their friends and family and a party that would go on until dawn. The Queen and Prince Philip had already left the Palace by the time the couple's guests arrived. William's cousins Zara and Peter Phillips, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, and Earl Spencer's daughters, Kitty, Amelia, and Eliza, were among
the first to be driven into the courtyard at 7:00
P.M
. They were greeted by bagpipers in the candlelit courtyard and taken through to the champagne reception. Carole and Michael, who had gone back to the Goring Hotel to see their guests after the wedding reception, had changed into their party clothes, as had Pippa, who had caused quite a sensation in her figure-hugging bridesmaid gown. Unbeknownst to her, she was now a global superstar—her name was trending on Twitter, and by the end of the day, Facebook groups dedicated to her derriere had thousands of followers. People wanted to know all about Kate's younger sister and how close she was to Prince Harry. The cameras had picked up on them leaving the abbey arm-in-arm and later, sharing asides on the Palace balcony. In fact, Pippa's date for the wedding day was her boyfriend of nearly a year, a handsome former Etonian and city financier, Alex Loudon, who had quietly become an intimate addition to the Middleton fold.

After vintage rose champagne from the Palace cellars, dinner was served at 8:00
P.M
. At Kate's request, the room had been lit by hundreds of candles and every table set with nineteenth-century solid gold plates and cutlery dating back to the reign of King George III. The couple had named the tables, which were adorned with white roses, after some of their favorite places, among them St. Andrews; Lewa Downs; Rhoscolyn, one of their favorite villages in Anglesey; and Tetbury, the Gloucestershire village near Highgrove. They had spent hours on the seating plans and deliberately mixed up their friends and family so that everyone could get to know each other. The supper menu, created by one of William and Kate's favorite chefs, Anton Mosimann, comprised organically sourced crab from Wales, lamb from Highgrove, and a
trio of miniature trifle, chocolate fondant, and homemade ice cream. Charles had helped to select the white Mersault burgundy and Pomerol claret. Shortly after 9:30
P.M
., once coffee and petits fours had been served, Harry, who was acting as master of ceremonies, switched roles to deliver a hilarious best-man's speech. Adorning a fez, he recounted how he and William played soldiers as little boys, a game that always ended with him being beaten up by his older brother. There were jokes about William's bald patch and his long-standing inability to keep up with Harry during drinking games. Referring to the newlyweds as the “dude and the duchess,” he said, “William didn't have a romantic bone in his body before he met Kate.” A great mimic, Harry impersonated his brother, calling Kate “baby” to much laughter, but the mood changed when he spoke movingly of his love for his sister-in-law and how lucky his brother was to have found a woman who loved him unconditionally. Chelsy, who was back together with Harry and was sitting at the next table, looked momentarily downcast, while Kate brushed away a tear or two. There were more tears when William stood up and described Kate as his “rock” and said how much his mother would have loved her. There were tears of laughter as Michael recalled the unforgettable moment when William landed his Chinook in the back garden. “I knew things were getting serious when I found a helicopter in my garden. I thought,
Gosh, he must like my daughter
. I did wonder how William was ever going to top this if they ever got engaged. I just thought,
What will he do?
You can't get much better than that, and we are certainly not used to princes landing helicopters in the garden!” He credited his “beautiful daughter” for her nerve and steadiness as they walked down the aisle and thanked the royal family for welcoming his family so warmly.

There was more laughter when William's two best school friends, Thomas van Straubenzee and James Meade, delivered a witty sketch about the prince, including references to his wild partying and the drunken occasion during which he wore a ladies' thong. There were jokes about the fact that Kate beat William “at everything—especially sports.” Then, when the speeches came to an end, Harry announced that all the guests were to make their way to the Throne Room for the surprise that he and Pippa had been planning for weeks. It was perhaps just as well that the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh were not there. The priceless chandeliers had been covered up and in their place were strobe lights, glitter balls, and a giant dance floor, which dominated the 120-foot long room. The dais, where the thrones usually had pride of place, had been replaced by a disco booth and a cocktail bar. Pippa had arranged for the room to be scented with Kate's favorite candles and for bowls of Haribo candies to be placed on the surrounding tables. The bar served a variety of drinks, including Boujis-inspired Crack Baby cocktails, a blend of champagne, vodka, passion fruit, and Chambord raspberry liqueur. William and Kate had been involved with the music and had asked the British singer Ellie Goulding to perform her chart-topping song “Starry Eyed” as their first dance. “It was an amazing honor to be asked. The atmosphere was incredible and it is a night I will never forget,” Miss Goulding said afterward. She sang a number of covers, and Charles and Camilla took to the dance floor to her version of Elton John's “Your Song.” Later on, a DJ took over, and Carole requested one of her favorite songs, the 1986 Jermaine Stewart song “We Don't Have to Take Our Clothes Off,” as she and Michael bowed out of the party, leaving William and Kate to enjoy the rest of the
night with their friends. The dancing continued until 2:30
A.M
., when guests were invited to the gardens for a firework display. Catherine wheels had been pinned to the trees, and the twenty-second-long burst of red and white sparks could be seen from over the Palace walls, although the crowds had long since dispersed. When the final rocket had soared, William and Kate were driven across the courtyard in an open-topped RAF-personalized Fiat 500 to the Belgian Suite, where they were to spend their wedding night.