World joins in royal wedding party ****

FE Team | Published: April 30, 2011 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00

LONDON, Apr 29 (agencies): Prince William and Kate Middleton marry Friday in Britain's biggest royal wedding for 30 years, watched by more than a million spectators in London and two billion global TV viewers. Thousands of people spent a chilly night outdoors to secure a front-row view of a day rich in royal pageantry, as Britain hosted its biggest party since the late princess Diana married William's father Prince Charles in 1981 The fairytale wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton captured the imagination of the world Friday, with millions sharing in the celebration of the royal nuptials at parties across the globe. An estimated two billion people were expected to have watched on TV when William and Kate exchange vows at Westminster Abbey, and even in the home to the Hollywood stars royal glamour shined strong. Decked out with Union Jack flags and cut-out Kate and Wills models at the entrance, some 300 royal party-goers packed into the bar for the all-night bash to watch the wedding service that started at 3:00 am in LA. On nearby Hollywood Boulevard, waxwork museum Madame Tussauds set up a huge screen to show the royal wedding live, just along the road from the world-famous Graumann's Chinese Theater. Australia's state broadcaster ABC as well as two of the three major commercial networks provided live coverage of the nuptials that took place in the evening in Sydney. Hundreds of devoted monarchists gathered for celebratory lunches across the country, joining for a champagne toast, wedding cake and slideshows of the royal family and soon-to-be newlyweds. Neighbouring New Zealand was also celebrating the event, with the national New Zealand Herald declaring it the "Happiest day of our lives" on its front page, which was emblazoned with a picture of the young couple. Across Asia tens of millions tuned in to the event as national channels interspersed wedding coverage with discussion, commentary, and off-beat tributes to British life. Indonesia's Metro TV featured a Beatles lookalike band performing the band's classics live, out of tune, in English. British embassies across the region organised parties with big screens for VIP guests to watch the festivities. In some places with large expat populations such as Hong Kong, less formal gatherings in pubs and clubs promised to be more boozy and raucous. Luxury hotels in Pakistan's largest city of Karachi put up giant screens so that wealthy anglophiles could watch the wedding. Some schools in Malaysia like the British-curriculum Alice Smith School were festooned in British flags and colourful bunting, as students celebrated by making wedding cards and cupcakes. In former British colony Kenya, where William proposed to Kate last October, wedding gatherings were held in cafes and restaurants across the capital Nairobi. Meanwhile: There was tradition and modernity, sober styles and touches of whimsy: the wedding of Prince William to Kate Middleton showcased Britain's fashion roots, as well as the claim it's staking at the forefront of haute couture. All eyes, of course, were on the bride's dress - and it immediately became the stuff that dreams are made of. The gown, whose details were kept secret until Middleton stepped out of the Goring Hotel to travel to Westminster Abbey, was a magnificent ivory confection with lace floral detail designed by Britain's Sarah Burton, creative director at Alexander McQueen. A plunging neckline added an edgy touch to an otherwise traditional dress with lace-covered sleeves that ended at the wrists. Her hair was half up, half down, lightly curled and decorated with a tiara. She wore drop earrings. Maid of honor Pippa Middleton wore a simple column dress also with a deep neckline, and naturally styled hair. The flower girls also were decked out in cream dresses with full skirts and flowers in their hair.