Excitement over ‘royal’ wedding

LONDON: Pippa Middleton, the sister of Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, was married yesterday.

Younger members of Britain’s royal family celebrated the marriage of Pippa, 33, to hedge fund manager James Matthews, 41, in a ceremony at St Mark’s church in Englefield, Berkshire, 75km west of London.

Scores of journalists and spectators congregated outside the church, where many guests were pictured arriving.

Matthews and his brother, reality TV celebrity Spencer and the best man, were both pictured at the church. But the families of Middleton and Matthews gave no public statements.

Kate and her husband, Prince William and their two children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, went to the church and reception at the nearby home of Middleton’s wealthy parents.

Many were watching William’s younger brother, Prince Harry and his girlfriend Meghan Markle for signs their blossoming romance could soon lead to a royal wedding.

The affair was a Scottish-themed event for up to 350 guests, including a fly-past by a Spitfire, a British World War II fighter plane.

Pippa’s uncle, Gary Goldsmith, posted photographs on Twitter of him and his daughter in their wedding outfits with one caption reading: “Proud dad, off we go.”

Many uninvited royalists have also travelled to Englefield in the hope of wishing the couple well and seeing members of the royal family.

“I want to see little George, and Charlotte,” said Janice Clayton, 74, who travelled to Engelfield from north-west England. John Haley, owner of The Old Boot Inn in nearby Stanford Dingley, said local people were excited about the wedding. “We’re all really happy for Pippa. We’ll be having a party,” he said. – dpa