After thirty five years of romance and eight weeks of engagement, Britain's Prince Charles and the love of his life, Camilla Parker Bowles, finally tied the knot in a modest ceremony on Saturday. Postponed for a day due to the funeral of Pope John Paul II, the wedding ceremony comprised of the civil wedding ceremony in the Windsor town hall, the marriage's blessing in the majestic St. George's chapel and a tea party hosted by the Queen at Windsor Castle.
57-year-old Camilla, now the Duchess of Cornwall, wore an oyster-coloured suit with pale beige suede shoes by Linda Bennett of LK Bennett and a straw hat, overlaid with ivory French lace and trimmed with feathers for the civil ceremony, and then switched to a porcelain blue silk dress with a hand-painted design and gold embroidery of five different threads, alongside her Swarovski-tipped feathered tiara and pale grey silk shoes by Linda Bennett for the blessing part of the event. Both garments were designed by the fashion team of Robinson Valentine, while Philip Treacy, Britain's number one hat designer for the high-society, created Camilla's headgear for both occasions.
"Camilla's hat made it difficult for her to kiss people but she was bubbling," said a pal, according to Mirror.co.uk. "She was really happy - it was written all over her."
Julie Biddlecombe, make-up artist who helped Camilla perfect her look, said she tried to keep it light and natural. "I went for the no makeup look, illuminating her skin and cheekbones," she told British Vogue.
One of the special items of the bride's outfit was a £15,000 ($28,000) brooch with black pearl and diamond which was originally bought for Camilla's great-grandmother Alice Keppel, the mistress of Prince Charles' great grandfather King Edward VII.
Camilla was not the only one to embellish herself with plumes. Her 26-year-old daughter, Laura, also wore a towering creation of arrow-like feathers and ribbons in sand tones. Serena Linley, who is married to Charles' cousin, Viscount Linley, the furniture designer, sported hot pink feathers. Norway's Crown Princess Mette-Marit wore a pile of purple feathers with one long plume. Sophie, Countess of Wessex, the wife of Charles's youngest brother, Prince Edward, chose a gray and white asymmetric creation decorated with black and white pheasant feathers. The small headpiece of Princess Beatrice, Charles' 16-year-old niece, featured brown and creme feathers and fabric flowers that matched her coat. Even Queen Elizabeth II added some to her wide-brimmed, pale yellow and white floral print hat.
Nearly 800 guests gathered for the ceremony and the post-nuptial tea at the castle decorated with 35,000 flowers from the Queen's own gardens.
Aside from Charles' sons, his mum and dad, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Camilla's son and daughter, her ex-husband, Andrew Parker Bowles, and his wife, heads of all the British political parties with their wives were also in presence, as well as show-business players.
Entertainer and actress Joan Rivers, told the Associated Press that her wedding gift to Camilla was lingerie and that "it was so obvious how happy they were, that just radiated from the whole room."
On Sunday, Prince Charles, dressed in traditional Highland dress, attended a service at Crathie Church, accompanied by his new wife who donned a matching fuchsia hat and coat.
Photo by BBC