Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall were married in a royal wedding fit for the Queen’s granddaughter today. William and Kate were there to watch his cousin wed! Zara, Prince William’s cousin and 13th in line to the throne (William’s #2 behind his father), and Mike, England’s rugby team captain, tied the knot in Edinburgh . The 3 p.m. ceremony took place at Canongate Kirk, the historic, small Church of Scotland venue where the Queen worships when she stays in the city. The bride made her arrival at a fashionably late six minutes past the hour in an ivory silk and satin gown by Stewart Parvin, the personal couturier to the Queen. She accessorized with Jimmy Choo shoes and a tiara on loan from Princess Anne. Mike Tindall wore a suit with coattails and a light grey stripe on the trouser legs. Princess Beatrice was among the first guests to arrive, wearing a turquoise hat with matching floral dress. Prince William and Kate Middleton (who wore a cream suit and matching hat) pulled up right afterwards in a black Jaguar. Princess Anne and her husband Tim Laurence followed and then another car brought Prince Charles and Camilla, also dressed in cream. The guests posed for the throngs of people lining the narrow, cobblestone streets, while HRM Queen Elizabeth II herself, in a dignified peach dress and hat, and Prince Phillip smiled to the crowd upon their arrival. The reception will be held at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the Queen’s nearby residence. Zara spent many school holidays visiting her grandmother there. The Queen is donating the use of her residence as the wedding reception venue for $60,000, which is being closed to the public for five days. It will cost local officials a reported $800,000 to police the wedding, including marksmen at vantage points to protect the royal guests. With guests expected to number no more than 300, Zara looked forward to a private, family affair – quite different from her cousin’s in April. “My wedding will be nothing like Kate and William’s,” Phillips said last month. For a start, there won’t be anywhere near as many people.” “It will be a lot smaller, just close family and friends. Kate and William’s wedding was amazing but ours will be very different.” Congratulations to the happy couple! [Photo: Fame Pictures]
