Stars join Murdoch and Hall at day-after wedding bash

LONDON: Celebrities including Michael Caine and Barry Humphries turned out on Saturday to help octogenarian media mogul Rupert Murdoch and model Jerry Hall celebrate their wedding at a storied London church.

A day after they got hitched in a civil ceremony, the pair were joined by media and entertainment figures including Live Aid guru Bob Geldof and Rebekah Brooks, the head of Murdoch’s British publishing business.

Hall, wearing a light blue Vivienne Westwood dress and carrying a bouquet, arrived on the arm of her son James, one of four children she had with Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger.

The other three Jagger-Hall children, Elizabeth, Georgia May and Gabriel, were also in attendance.

Other guests included composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, playwright Tom Stoppard, artist Tracey Emin, veteran Daily Mail editor Paul Dacre and former BBC creative director Alan Yentob.

The day- after event took place at St Bride’s Church, known as “the spiritual home of the media” in Fleet Street, which is the historic heart of Britain’s press although major publications are no longer based in the area.

Murdoch, 84, and 59-year- old Hall got engaged two months ago, resulting in the media mogul’s fourth marriage and Hall’s first — though she had a long-term relationship with Mick Jagger.

The couple had tied the knot on Friday in a civil ceremony at Spencer House, an elegant 18thcentury mansion in London’s exclusive St James’ district which was built for an ancestor of the late Diana, princess of Wales.

With an estimated fortune of more than US$ 11 billion, Murdoch owns some of the world’s most famous newspapers including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Post and British tabloid The Sun.

His third marriage to Wendi Deng ended in 2013 amid media reports that she had developed a crush on Britain’s former prime minister Tony Blair, a friend of the couple. Blair has denied any impropriety.

Hall had a Hindu wedding ceremony with Jagger in 1990 in Bali, although a court ruled the ceremony was not legally binding when they split up nine years later.

Australian-born Murdoch, who is a US citizen, and Texan Hall were first pictured together in October at the Rugby World Cup final in London. — AFP

Murdoch and Hall (left) pose for a photograph outside St Bride’s church following a service to celebrate their wedding which took place on Friday, in London, Britain on Saturday. (Clockwise from top left) Georgia May Jagger (on left) and Elizabeth...