Heavy rain was not the only thing to put a damper on the Royal wedding yesterday as the controversy over Autumn Kelly's decision to sign a deal with Hello! magazine cast a chill over her marriage to Peter Phillips.
The commercialisation of the Royal nuptials – for the first time in history – has upset courtiers who believe the pages of the celebrity bible should be confined to WAGs and soap stars.
It also kept star guests
Kate Middleton and Chelsy Davy out of public view. Kate was representing
Prince William, absent at another wedding, and Chelsy was attending her first official Royal event.
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The happy couple: A radiant Autumn Kelly married the Queen's grandson Peter Phillips in Windsor earlier today
Peter Phillips leaves St George's Chapel, Windsor with his Canadian bride Autumn Kelly
Read more...Their presence had hugely increased media and public interest in the event at St George's Chapel, Windsor, but both left through side doors instead of emerging with the bridal party and descending the West
Steps for the traditional waving off of the newlyweds.
The wedding represented the marriage of blue collar to blue blood.
Canadian-born Autumn, the daughter of a hairdresser and an electrical retailer, arrived at exactly 4pm in a maroon state Bentley and exited on the arm of her father Brian under skies as grey as Windsor Castle's walls.
She had promised to hang on to her father "for dear life" and she needed his arm as she climbed the stone steps made slippery by a day of rain. Her bridesmaids were forced to pick up her ivory duchesse satin skirt and cathedral train to avoid getting them wet.
There appeared to be a green theme to the wedding. The bridesmaids were all in eau de nil column dresses while their partners and the groom wore similarly coloured ties. Even the order of service had a green border.
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The newlyweds depart from the church ceremony in a horse-drawn carriage
Welcome to the Family...
The bride and groom surrounded by family and friends on the steps of St George's Chapel yesterday. On the left of the front row is Peter's sister Zara in pale green bridesmaid's dress, while her boyfriend Mike Tindall is at the back, emerging from the chapel.
Behind Zara and to the left is Autumn's mother Kathleen. The father of the bride, Brian, is the grey-haired bearded man towards the right - next to Princess Anne and Tim Laurence. Others in the line-up include Lady Gabriella Windsor and her brother Freddie, just behind and to the right of Prince Philip, and Viscount Linley and Lady Sarah Chatto, in the top left-hand corner.
The shade was described as "Kelly green".
The elder bridesmaids' dresses, designed by Vera Wang, were all strapless, showing off their near-identically tanned arms and shoulders – complete with strapmarks where their bikini tops had been.
The younger bridesmaids' dresses were by designer Sue Palmer.
Autumn's chief bridesmaid was her childhood best friend Jackie Aubie from Canada.
The other bridesmaids were her now sister-in-law
Zara Phillips and English best friend Susannah Toynbee – a distant relative of Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee.
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Autumn (centre) is surrounded by her bridesmaids as she prepares to wed Mr Peter Phillips at St George's Chapel, Windsor
Autumn Kelly arrives at St George's Chapel in Windsor with
Zara Phillips, sister to the bridegroom
They were assisted by Peter's half-sister Stephanie Phillips, 11, Autumn's own 11-year-old half-sister Jessica and Peter's goddaughter Rosie
Bush, a toddler who all but stole the show.
Peter arrived 20 minutes before the bride, wearing morning dress and accompanied by his supporters Ben Goss, a best friend from his days as Gordonstoun Head Boy, and his childhood friend Andrew Tucker.
They were part of a procession of senior Royals and society beauties and their beaux. There was the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, the
Princess Royal in dark brown pleats, her former husband Captain Mark Phillips – the groom's father – as well as her second husband Tim Laurence.
Also present were Charles and Camilla,
Prince Andrew and his daughters Beatrice – who made the only fashion gaffe of the day in a butterfly headdress – and Eugenie, Viscount and Viscountess Linley, his sister Lady Sarah Chatto and Gabriella and Freddie Windsor.
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The Queen, the Duchess of Cornwall and
Prince Harry wave the happy couple on their way with a smile from the steps of St George's Chapel
A radiant Zara shone as a bridesmaid in green at her brother Peter's wedding
Wedding guests follow the bridal party out of the church and gather on the steps
The Canadian contingent numbered 70 and included Autumn's mother Kitty, her twin brother Chris, a builder, and their elder brother Kevin, a chef.
One guest who did not have a perfect day was Camilla's ex-husband Andrew Parker Bowles. As he arrived at Windsor Castle he managed to drive into a bollard, leaving a large dent in the vehicle's bodywork.
It emerged that Autumn's pre-wedding nerves had been calmed by the Queen herself.
The two bumped into each other in the castle only a few minutes before the service and the Queen instantly put the bride at ease by telling her how beautiful she looked.
Wearing a tiara loaned to her for the day by the
Princess Royal and a necklace and earrings set given to her by her groom, Autumn entered to the sounds of the
Prince of Denmark's March by Jere-miah Clarke.
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Turning heads:
Kate Middleton, representing an absent
Prince William
Princesses in waiting? Chelsy Davy and
Kate Middleton
The couple were married by the Dean of Windsor, Bishop David Conner.
Autumn has converted from Catholicism to the Church of England to prevent Peter having to renounce his right to the Throne.
They exchanged wedding rings and promised to love, comfort, honour and keep one another, but dropped the contentious "obey". The National Anthem was sung at the end and the bride and groom exited to the Finale of Symphonie No 1 by Louis Vierne.
Prince Harry embraces his grandmother the Queen on the steps of St George's Chapel, Windsor
Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall enjoy a joke while
Prince Harry leans over to join in the fun
On the dot of 5pm the newlyweds emerged holding hands to a loud round of applause from their congregation.
Their palpable happiness cut through the gloom of a damp afternoon in which the temperature struggled up to an unseasonable 57F (14C).
The couple left in a carriage from the state mews called a Balmoral Sociable and headed to Frogmore House, in Windsor Home Park, for their reception.
It promised to be quite a party, climaxing in a display of fireworks with a blues band playing into the night.
Now attention will turn to other possible Royals brides – as some guests were asking last night, will Kate or Chelsy be next?
Fashion gaffe: Beatrice looks all a flutter in a butterfly headdress
The glums: Viscount Linley and his wife Serena struggle to raise a smile as they survey the family gathering yesterday
The Royal Wedding...as sponsored by Hello: Blue blood meets blue collar as Peter and Autumn marry in sea of green | the Daily Mail
The Royal Wedding: Peter Phillips marries Autumn Kelly
If you are dirty, insignificant and unloved then rats are the ultimate role model- Banksy
That hat is sweet.
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