St James's Palace confirms William will be going back to work this week after wedding watched by peak TV audience of 24m
Late on Saturday morning, as the happy couple's helicopter lifted off from the garden of Buckingham Palace and Prince Charles reclaimed his Aston Martin, minus the "Just Wed" plates, the majority of commentators were agreed: the wedding of William and Kate had been a triumph for "The Firm".
A judicious mixture of pomp and populism had ensured a fair wind for the British monarchy for another generation at least.
John Hanson, 81, from Hemel Hempstead, expressed a view held by many in Friday's throngs. "It's an apolitical stance I expect from them, not 19th-century attitudes. Some of the world's republics are quite well run but the scope for unfortunate appointments in heads of state is huge. Kate Middleton being a commoner is vitally important for the royals to justify themselves and show they are worth having."
Like many, Hanson was not a fan of Prince Charles.
But just as normal service was resuming around the UK ? as royalists nursed hangovers while republicans relaxed? there was a mini-bombshell from St James's Palace: the honeymoon was on hold and Prince William was going back to work this week.
"The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have chosen not to depart for a honeymoon immediately," read a statement from the palace. Instead, the couple will spend the weekend at a secret location in the UK and the duke will return to his work as a pilot next week. The location of their future honeymoon will also be kept secret. "The couple have asked that their privacy be respected during the coming weekend and during their honeymoon," the statement said.
It only deepened the honeymoon mystery ? William had booked two weeks off and Kate had bought bikinis, but the rest was pure speculation. Jordan had been the bookies' odds-on destination. King Abudallah has a nice place he had offered them, but then the newlyweds have several chums with exotic getaways. Mustique and the British Virgin Islands were getting good odds as well ? until Saturday, when someone tried to put a �5,000 bet on Kenya, raising suspicions of a tipoff gleaned from squiffy guests at the reception which rolled on until 3am.
Those 300 guests, who were entertained by British singer Ellie Goulding and danced under glitterballs in Buckingham Palace's state rooms, drank champagne and ate bacon butties and ice-cream. Goulding serenaded the newlyweds with her version of Your Song, written by Elton John.
The music was heavy on kitschy disco and dance. Lots of Abba, Kanye West and Beyonc�. Whether the social media world got its much-tweeted wish that Prince Harry and bridesmaid Pippa Middleton would get together seems unlikely, despite Harry's whispered, "You do look very beautiful today, seriously," on the balcony. Even after the royal wedding had ceased to monopolise the Twittersphere, new sex symbol Pippa was still trending. But it was reported that Pippa hadn't laughed at Harry's joke about the bride towering over the Duke of Edinburgh.
Millie Pilkington, the couple's private photographer, described the newlyweds as "buzzing with happiness" and the party's atmosphere as "absolutely extraordinary". She said speeches by Harry, Kate's father, Michael Middleton, and Charles were "absolutely hysterical". Prince William, who described his wife as "my rock" in his speech, chuckled graciously at his father's jokes about his bald patch.
Photographs of those leaving the bash showed a dishevelled Harry in a minibus heading back to the nearby Goring hotel where the party went on until 5am. His on-off girlfriend Chelsy Davy also left at 3am with Princess Beatrice ? whose wedding hat now has its own Facebook page ? and Princess Eugenie.
Outside the Goring, family friend Tony Ainsworth said: "We had a party at the hotel last night that went on well into the evening, so we're feeling a little jaded this morning. I went to bed around 1am but I heard guests stumbling around at 5am, coming back from the palace, which woke me up."
The broadcasters were awake and totting up their viewing figures. BBC and ITV joint audiences peaked at 24 million. An average of 9.4 million watched the BBC coverage fronted by Huw Edwards between 8am and 11am, with that audience peaking at 17.5 million for the last 15 minutes. Across the whole BBC, 34.7 million viewers tuned in to watch some part of the wedding. Sky News had a peak of 661,000 viewers at 11am, with roughly one million people using its website.
There were other pockets of resistance. Police made 57 arrests in total "within and outside the event footprint". Three anti-monarchists in south London were controversially arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to cause a public nuisance by trying to stage a puppet show of royal beheadings. Ten people were arrested at Charing Cross railway station for carrying anti-royalist placards and a man police called a "well-known anarchist" was arrested in Cambridge.
A group of 10 protesters congregated in Soho Square, 70 demonstrators in Red Lion Square, and another group gathered in Trafalgar Square to display a banner protesting against government cuts.
Active antis were overwhelmed by the parties ? around 5,500 in England, although only a handful in Scotland and Wales. There was certainly a wedding fever but not an epidemic. Those viewing figures were not record-breaking ? more tuned in for Diana's funeral. But overall the royal family put on an endearing show. The bride did not put a foot wrong ? only a few wondered if her makeup was a little heavy ? the dress was demure enough for those who want the monarchy preserved in aspic but designer enough for the fashionistas.
The Firm is back on track. Yesterday William's former press secretary, Colleen Harris, said the "hatred" the prince felt for the press at the time of his mother's death had abated. "He's more confident in himself, he's loved and secure, and I think he has learned to live with it. He's really matured and seems to have a much more positive attitude towards it," she said.
Now William wants time ? his RAF contract runs until 2013 and he is keeping those next two years free from major royal duties. Tomorrow the couple whose wedding was watched by two billion people will return to their rented house in Anglesey and Britain's bunting comes down.
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/apr/30/royal-wedding-reception-republicans
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