The cheering never seemed to cease as newlyweds Prince William and Kate Middleton – excuse me, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge – waved from the balcony of Buckingham Palace. Londoners, United Kingdom residents and royal fans from across the world clambered at the gates, some a little bleary-eyed from early wake-up calls or even from sleeping on the streets outside Westminster Abbey.
Some royal watchers opted for comfort rather than proximity while watching the wedding. Peter and Glynis Ritch of London barbecued with friends and watched the festivities from their TV, while Rodney and Dawn Lewis of Meiford, Wales, headed to a local village party to celebrate. Jensen Beach’s Christine Ketchum, manager of Regis Salon in the Treasure Coast Mall, headed home to the United Kingdom to sip mimosas and eat a traditional English breakfast with her mother.
“(There’s) a lot of excitement with ladies; not so much with men,” Peter wrote in an email.
The Royal Wedding captured the world’s attention, proved by its startling place as the sixth most-watched web event, peaking at about 5.3 million page views per minute. It’s estimated that wedding had more than 2 billion viewers worldwide (nearly 1/3 the world’s population). From the fashion to the breaks in tradition, William and Catherine’s wedding ushered in what some say will be a new relationship between the monarchy and its people.
“It’s just going to bring new life to the monarchy,” Ketchum said. “It’s just had so much turmoil of late with divorces and this, that and the other. So I just think (the wedding is) going to unite it back together.”
The marriage of a prince to a commoner is in itself a new step for the monarchy. Catherine Middleton’s family grew socially through their success with a party-planning business but did not have any titles before the marriage.
“That’s what the fantasy is all about – you meet the prince and you get married and become a princess,” Ketchum said.
Even before the ceremony, Catherine looked like a princess. Already hailed as “timeless,” Catherine’s dress was compared to Grace Kelly’s own wedding dress with its cinched waist, lace long-sleeves and short filmy veil. However, Kate’s loose hairstyle and natural-glow makeup, combined with a V-neckline, lent a modern take on the gown designed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen.
One of the most anticipated aspects of the wedding, “Katie’s dress,” as Rodney and Don called it, was definitely a success.
Of course, beyond the fashion, it was the breaks from tradition that attracted considerable attention. Here are some of the more radical elements:
