Queen's grandson marries Canadian

Published on Sunday 18 May 2008 00:27

THE Queen's eldest grandson, Peter Phillips, married his Canadian bride, Autumn Kelly, at Windsor Castle yesterday.

The couple, both 30, exchanged vows in St George's Cathedral in front of 300 guests including the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall.

The bride wore a dress by Sassi Holford and a tiara borrowed from her new mother-in-law, the Princess Royal.

Prince Harry also attended with his girlfriend Chelsy Davy who, according to a royal source, he introduced to his grandmother for the first time today.

Among the six bridesmaids was the groom's sister Zara, whose boyfriend, England rugby player Mike Tindall, also attended.

Harry's brother, Prince William, was in Kenya, where his friend Jecca Craig's brother Batian was marrying British-born Melissa Duveen. Representing William at Windsor was his girlfriend, Kate Middleton.

The couple were whisked away in a horse-drawn Balmoral Sociable carriage for a reception and dance at Frogmore House, Windsor, which has been lent to them by the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh.

The bride was a former Roman Catholic and has only recently been accepted into the Church of England. If she had not changed churches, Peter would have had to give up his right to become king.

Rules outlined in the Act of Settlement of 1701 state that heirs to the throne who marry Catholics cannot become sovereigns.

Peter, the 11th in line to the throne, met his partner in 2003 at the Montreal Grand Prix, where they were both working.

Initially he did not tell Miss Kelly that he was the Queen's grandson and she only found out when she spotted him in a programme about Prince William.