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Will & Kate’s Big Day She woke up a commoner and was a royal by noon! From Kate Middleton’s spectacular entrance at Westminster Abbey to her romantic nuptials to Prince William and the lavish parties that followed, Us has all the details of their epic celebration BY ERIC ANDERSSON & OMID SCOBIE
6:30 A.M.
Wakey-wakey! At the Goring hotel, which was completely rented out for Kate’s guests, hairstylist James Pryce arrives and gets to work. “The styling took two hours,” Pryce tells Us. Her last meal as a commoner? “We delivered eggs, toast, fruit and cereal,” a hotel source tells Us.
“They seemed so at ease with each other,” guest David Allen tells Us of William and Kate.
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to submit their wedding colors for royal approval.
10:18 A.M. William and Harry have a chuckle as they arrive at the Abbey — William in the red regalia of the Irish Guard. “They were incredibly composed and relaxed,” says guest Charlie Mayhew, a William pal.
9:40 A.M.
11:01 A.M.
Elton John a nd Dav id Furnish go through security gates at Westminster Abbey. Says a source, “There are no VIPs at the wedding. Everyone is a VIP. Everyone goes through the same entrance.” Guests had also been asked
The guessing is over! A beaming K ate emerges from a Rolls-Royce at Westminster Abbey, revealing her stunning lace and ivory silk Alexander McQueen gown, which had its own room at the hotel.
Harry and Pippa’s chemistry inspired a Facebook group: Pippa Middleton Is Single — Prince Harry Likes This.
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Celebrity Guests
11:08 A.M. For the nearly four minutes it takes Kate to walk down the aisle with dad Michael, two choirs of 48 men and boys sing the 100-year-old hymn “I Was Glad.” When at last his bride reaches his side, the prince smiles and whispers, “You look beautiful,” then jokes to her and her father, “We were supposed to have a small family affair!”
11:18 A.M.
These famous folks scored coveted invites to the wedding of the century
Singer Joss Stone.
Whoops. . . . The ring — made from a nugget of Welsh gold given to William by the queen — momentarily gets stuck on Kate’s knuckle! Per royal custom, William will not wear a band, nor will the couple kiss at the altar.
“That doesn’t happen in the Church of England,” the Very Reverend Dr. John Hall tells Us.
12:09 P.M. Just married! Crowds cheer as the pair ride to Buckingham Palace in a 1902 State Landau carriage — the same one Diana and Charles used at their 1981 vows. “Are you happy?” Kate asks. “Yes,” says William, who then reminds her to wave. 76 Ω|
“I wish them happiness,” Elton John’s partner, David Furnish, told Us.
Madonna’s ex-husband Guy Ritchie has royal lineage!
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP RIGHT: DAILY MIRROR/MIRRORPIX; PASCAL LE SEGRETAIN/ GETTY IMAGES; AP IMAGES; MARK CUTHBERT/UK PRESS/PRESS ASSOCIATION IMAGES; IKON PICTURES/PACIFICCOASTNEWS.COM; RAMEY PHOTO AGENCY
The MOB wore a wool Catherine Walker frock.
Harry’s on-again girlfriend, Chelsy Davy.
“Catherine looked wonderfully elegant,” David and Victoria Beckham told Us.
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T HE ROYA L W EDDI NG 1:27 P.M. “Oh, wow!” Kate exclaims when she emerges onto the balcony of Buckingham Palace to the crowd’s chant, “We want William! We want Kate!” For their highly anticipated kiss, the newlyweds exchange a chaste one-second peck, then smooch again a few minutes later.
1:55 P.M. Ba ck on the g rounds of the Abbey, exultant choirboys compare notes on their per formance while munching on cookies and gummy candy. “There’s a lot of cleaning
Reserve champagne and nibble on 10,000 canapés, including quail eggs with celery salt and Scottish smoked salmon.
2:30 P.M.
“It’s daunting,” Cairns said of making the cake.
up to do,” says an Abbey worker. “We open again tomorrow.”
2 P.M. Inside the palace reception, 650 guests enjoy the Pol Roger NV Brut
Prince Charles toasts the queen and welcomes K ate to the family — while poking fun at his and William’s bald spots! “Kate had a huge smile on her face,” says a guest.
2:45 P.M. As the eight-tiered Fiona Cairns cake is cut, “there was not just clapping, but plenty of whoops and whistles,” says a guest.
“William’s friends were having a jolly good time with the champagne!”
3 P.M. Guests gather in the garden to watch the newlyweds drive off to Clarence House for what a source describes as, “a period of ref lection before the night’s festivities.”
3:05 P.M. As guests depart, their cellphones and cameras are returned in gold bags.
5 P.M. A laymen at the Abbey becomes a n inst a nt
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The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge took a playful pic with their youngest attendants.
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The night before the wedding, William left Clarence House to greet the crowds camped out for the big day. “He and Harry were in their apartments and could see and hear everyone and wanted to thank them,” says a source.
8 P.M. The 300 guests at Prince Charles’ ultra-private Buckingham Palace party dine on beef fillet.
9:30 P.M. A brotherly toast: Harry tells the crowd he knew William was serious about
Kate when the prince started getting romantic — and imitated him calling her baby! But the moment that brought tears to Kate’s eyes? Harry saying he sees so much of Diana in William, and views Kate as a sister.
10:30 P.M. Ellie Goulding performs Elton John’s “Your Song” as the newlywed couple takes the f loor for their first dance.
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Bye-bye, old guard! Prince Charles and Camilla head out, leaving the younger crowd to dance to the DJ. The last tune of the night? “Sex on Fire” by Kings of Leon. As they depart, guests get two chocolate cupcakes with photos of the happy pair on top. The newlyweds spend their first night at the palace — as do revelers Harry invited to crash!
2:50 A.M. Fireworks explode over Buc k i ng h a m Pa l a c e , marking the end of the day’s festivities . . .
4:45 A.M. . . . for everyone, that is, except Harry and Chelsy, who keep the party going at the Goring hotel as the sun rises. With reporting by Katy Balls, Rebecca Bienstock, Melanie Bromley, Libby Galvin, Benjamin Potter & Sophie Vokes-Dudgeon
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YouTube sensation when a clip of him cartwheeling is posted. Says an Abbey rep, “He was expressing his joy and happiness!”
The newlyweds sped off in Charles’ Aston Martin to relax at Clarence House.
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