SWEDEN HOSTED THE BIGGEST AND MOST STUNNING WEDDING SINCE THAT OF PRINCE CHARLES AND LADY DIANA SPENCER, WHEN CROWN PRINCESS VICTORIA MARRIED DANIEL WESTLING. THE MARRIAGE, A LOVE MATCH THAT HAS WEATHERED THE DISAPPROVAL OF THE BRIDE'S FATHER, KING CARL XVI GUSTAF, WHO WAS INITIALLY HORRIFIED THAT HIS HEIR WAS MARRYING HER FORMER FITNESS TRAINER, AND GROWING INDIFFERENCE FROM THE SWEDISH PUBLIC, WHO HAVE INCREASINGLY QUESTIONED THE MONARCHY'S MODERN RELEVANCE, TOOK PLACE IN STOCKHOLM'S
STORKYRKAN CATHEDRAL LATE ON SATURDAY AFTERNOON. DETERMINED TO MARK THE HISTORIC DAY WITH A MAJESTIC CEREMONY THE SWEDISH ROYAL FAMILY HAD INVITED SEVERAL CROWNED HEADS OF EUROPE FOR THEIR DAUGHTER'S MARRIAGE TO WESTLING, WHO NOW BECOMES HRH PRINCE DANIEL, DUKE OF VASTERGOTLAND. AS THE COUPLE STOOD AT THE CATHEDRAL ALTER AT 3.30 YESTERDAY, COINCIDENTALLY THE SAME CHURCH IN WHICH THE CROWN PRINCESS'S PARENTS, KING CARL XVI GUSTAF AND QUEEN SILVIA, WERE MARRIED AND ON THE DATE OF THEIR 34th WEDDING ANNIVERSARY, VICTORIA LOOKED REGAL AND DEMURE IN AN IVORY SILK SHORT-SLEEVED OFF THE SHOULDER GOWN, DESIGNED BY PAR ENGSHEDEN. THE NEWLY CREATED PRINCE APPEARED CONFIDENT AND IMMACULATELY GROOMED, A FAR CRY FROM THE LONG-HAIRED, RATHER SCRUFFY YOUNG MAN WHO WAS FIRST PICTURED IN THE SWEDISH NEWSPAPERS EIGHT YEARS AGO WHEN THE NEWS BROKE THAT THE CROWN PRINCESS WAS DATING HIM. AS HE UTTERED AN ENTHUSIASTIC 'JA' DURING HIS WEDDING VOWS, HIS EYES FILLED WITH TEARS AS HE TURNED TO SMILE AT HIS NEW WIFE. WHILE PRINCE EDWARD, THE EARL OF WESSEX, AND HIS WIFE SOPHIE, THE COUNTESS, REPRESENTED THE BRITISH ROYAL FAMILY, THE CONGREGATION INCLUDED THE ELITE AMONG EUROPE'S ROYALS. AMONG THE OTHER EUROPEAN ROYALS WERE QUEEN MARGRETHE AND PRINCE CONSORT HENRIK OF DENMARK; QUEEN SOFIA OF SPAIN; KING HARALD AND QUEEN SONJA OF NORWAY; QUEEN BEATRIX OF THE NETHERLANDS' PRINCESS MARTHA LOUISE OF NORWAY AND HER HUSBAND ARI BEHN; PRINCESS LAURENTIEN AND PRINCE CONSTANTIJN OF HOLLAND; CROWN PRINCESS MARY AND CROWN PRINCE FREDERIK OF DENMARK AND PRINCESS MADELEINE OF SWEDEN. AS THE CEREMONY GOT UNDER WAY THE CHURCH BELLS RANG AND STOCKHOLM'S STREETS THRONGED WITH WELL-WISHERS. THE CELEBRATIONS WILL LAST SEVERAL DAYS AND INCLUDE A PRIVATE DINNER AT DROTTNINGHOLM PALACE, A LUNCH AT THE CITY HALL OF STOCKHOLM AND A GALA PERFORMANCE AT THE CITY'S CONCERT HALL. THE £1.7 MILLION SPECTACLE AT THE NEWLY RENOVATED CATHEDRAL WAS WATCHED BY ALMOST FIVE MILLION VIEWERS ACROSS EUROPE AND ON STOCKHOLM'S STREETS CROWDS WATCHED THE CEREMONY ON SPECIALLY INSTALLED TELEVISION SCREENS. THE CROWN PRINCESS WAS ESCORTED DOWN THE AISLE BY HER FATHER, THE KING, RATHER THAN WALKING WITH HER HUSBAND TO BE, WHICH IS CUSTOMARY FOR SWEDISH BRIDES. THE STREETS WERE AWASH WITH SWEDISH FLAGS AND 40,000 ROSES, CARNATIONS, LILIES AND HYDRANGEAS DECKED THE LAMP-POSTS ANS SHOP FRONTS. ON SATURDAY EVENING, SWEDES CELEBRATED LONG INTO THE NIGHT, TOASTING THEIR ROYAL BRIDE AND WELCOMING THE NEW ADDITION TO THE ROYAL FAMILY: THE COMMONER WHO OVERCAME ALL OPPOSITION TO BECOME A ROYAL PRINCE.
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