Thousands celebrate royal wedding

Leeds Castle is among places where crowds watched the wedding on a big screen

Tens of thousands of people are celebrating the marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton.

Large crowds gathered outside Westminster Abbey, where the couple exchanged wedding vows.

Parties are taking place across England, where councils handled more than 5,000 requests for road closures.

Prince William has been made the Duke of Cambridge and his new wife the Duchess of Cambridge.

The wedding was broadcast live on big screens in various cities and towns.

The Met Office said there was a risk of heavy showers developing later on in the day in London.

Thousands of people camped out overnight along the procession route the couple took to Buckingham Palace.

The couple used an open-topped 1902 State Landau carriage for the procession after the service, the same used by the prince’s parents in 1981.

Buckingham Palace earlier announced the titles given to the couple by the Queen on their marriage.

Prince William will also take the titles Earl of Strathearn and Baron Carrickfergus.

One Manchester artist made a sweet tribute

In pictures: Bucklebury’s big day Street parties in London In pictures: Well wishers in Kent

Hertfordshire topped the list of street party requests with 298 submitted to the council for road closures. Surrey was second with 205, the Local Government Association revealed last week.

But thousands of other parties being held in homes, pubs and in gardens.

A day of celebrations is being held in Kate Middleton’s home village of Bucklebury in Berkshire.

The village green is dotted with marquees and there has already been Morris dancing to celebrate the occasion.

And thousands of revellers are at a three-day event at Clapham Common, which has a giant television and entertainment.

Organisers also created a “glamping” zone for luxury campers with 18ft (5.4m) teepees available equipped with sheepskin rugs and tables.

The wedding and procession to Buckingham Palace is being shown on big screens around the country. In Southampton city centre people have been encouraged to dress in patriotic red, white and blue for the occasion.

Plymouth city centre’s piazza has been transformed into a street party, while hundreds of revellers are holding a fancy dress party on the restored £39m Grand Pier in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset.

One patriot in Merseyside vowed to party on despite the theft of 50 royal flags from his home.

Many people have dressed up for the occasion

Bill Jenkins from Wavertree, Liverpool, said: “We’re having a party for friends and family and like all true patriotic British people we’re going to have a Chinese takeaway.”

Meanwhile, a Manchester artist made his own tribute with a portrait of the couple made from sweets.

Artist Mark Kennedy made it out of hundreds of the sweets but said making the tribute was not without its challenges.

“It was very difficult as some glues melted the sweets,” he said.

Blackpool FC boss Ian Holloway, who met the prince when he watched a Seasiders’ match at Bloomfield Road earlier in the Premier League season, had some words of advice for the royal couple.

“Be good to each other, because that helps,” he said. Holloway added he would be missing the wedding because he would be taking a training session ahead of Saturday’s home match against Stoke.

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