Royal newlyweds ‘buzzing with happiness’ delay honeymoon

The wedding day was said to have left the couple “buzzing with happiness” but the new Duke and Duchess of Cambridge then escaped to an undisclosed destination in Britain.

It will be quickly back to business as usual for William when he returns to his job as a search and rescue helicopter pilot next week, before the couple finally jet off overseas for their honeymoon.

They celebrated their marriage on Friday night with 300 close family and friends at a black-tie do at Buckingham Palace that lasted until dawn.

The day after William and Kate left the palace casually dressed and walked hand in hand to a waiting helicopter which flew them off for their secret weekend break.

Millie Pilkington, the couple’s private photographer who took informal pictures throughout the day, described the party’s atmosphere as “absolutely extraordinary”.

Asked about the speeches by best man Prince Harry, Kate’s father Michael Middleton and others, she said: “They were hysterical, absolutely hysterical.”

She added: “The evening was buzzing, absolutely extraordinary. The daytime was wonderful – it was very, very relaxing and exciting and spectacular – but the evening was almost more magical.”

Some guests continued the festivities later at London’s Goring Hotel, which was booked out by the Middleton family.

The delight of the bride and groom and their immediate family on their wedding day was clear to see in the three official photographs released over the weekend.

Hugo Burnand, famed for his shots of the Royals, took the images in the palace’s ballroom – with the most striking picture an informal photo of the bride and groom surrounded by the bridesmaids and pageboys.

The excitement of the wedding day – both an intimate event and a national spectacle – was watched by a combined average BBC One and ITV audience of more than 24 million viewers.

Prime Minister David Cameron said that the wedding had made people feel “very proud to be British” and that the day had been about more than the marriage of William and Kate and had given the nation the chance to celebrate the whole Royal family.

Mr Cameron, a guest at Friday’s ceremony, said: “Sitting there in Westminster Abbey, you felt you were part of some extraordinary fairytale.

“It was absolutely beautiful, gripping, moving and, singing Jerusalem with the London Symphony Orchestra behind you, it felt like the roof was going to lift off and there was just no better place, no better country to be in at that moment.

“I think it made a lot of people feel very proud to be British, it certainly did with me.”

In keeping with Royal tradition, Kate’s bridal bouquet was returned to Westminster Abbey where staff placed it on the grave of the unknown warrior yesterday in honour of Britain’s war dead. It was a tradition started by the late Queen Mother in 1923.

Meanwhile speculation has been mounting about where they could spend their time away together, with bookies now taking bets on the destination.

The Duke is known to have a deep affection for Africa, and would be on safe romantic territory if he chose to take his wife to Kenya, where he proposed to her last year.

Jordan, where Kate spent two years with her family as a child, has also been touted as a possibility for the couple’s honeymoon, but its proximity to hotspots such as Syria could count against it.

If they are keen to escape the prying eyes of the news media, a secluded Caribbean island might be a safe choice.

Bequia and Necker Island both have the benefit of being easily secured, as does the ultra-exclusive Mustique, where Kate’s parents are frequent visitors.

POLICE CHARGE FIVE OF 55 HELD

Police have charged five of the 55 people arrested in London during Friday’s celebrations.

Following the biggest security operation in a generation Assistant Commissioner Lynne Owens said her 5,000 officers should be “immensely proud” of their role in the event.

An unprecedented covert and overt operation was mounted as one million well-wishers flooded central London’s streets.

Anti-terror powers were used to arrest a man spotted taking suspicious photographs of transport hubs and security personnel in the Charing Cross area. He is likely to be released without charge. Ten other people were arrested at Charing Cross carrying climbing equipment and anti-monarchy placards.

Officers also swooped on two minor anti-wedding protests.