Prince Harry and his bride Meghan set off on a carriage procession around the town of Windsor after marrying on Saturday (May 19^th) in a dazzling ceremony in front of British royalty, celebrities and a global TV audience of millions.

Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan Markle during their wedding ceremony in St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, in Windsor, on May 19, 2018. (Photo: AFP/Dominic Lipinski)

The couple kissed on the steps of St George's Chapel before climbing into a 19^th-century open horse-drawn coach for a tour of Windsor, where tens of thousands of cheering well-wishers crammed the streets to catch a glimpse of the newlyweds.

Harry and Meghan were pronounced husband and wife at the chapel in the medieval Windsor Castle by Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby.

Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan Markle stand at the altar together before Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby in St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, in Windsor, on May 19, 2018 during their wedding ceremony with best man Britain's Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, standing to the side. (Photo: AFP/Owen Humphreys)

Markle entered the chapel unescorted, dressed in a flowing white wedding gown created by British designer Clare Waight Keller and wearing a veil and diamond tiara.

Prince Charles, heir to the throne and Harry’s father, accompanied Markle to the altar from the middle of the chapel, with her father too ill to attend.

Harry, looking nervous, appeared to say: "Thanks Pa" to Charles and "You look amazing!" to his beaming bride. Markle’s mother, Doria Ragland, 61, shed tears. A gospel choir sang American soul singer Ben E King’s 1960s hit Stand by me.

"There’s power in love," black U.S. bishop Michael Bruce Curry told a congregation that included Queen Elizabeth, senior royals and celebrities such as U.S. mogul Oprah Winfrey, singer Elton John and former soccer star David Beckham.

"Do not underestimate it. Anyone who has ever fallen in love knows what I mean," Curry told the congregation in an energetic, passionate address that quoted U.S. civil rights campaigner Martin Luther King.

The newlyweds will be known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, putting them in the senior ranks of British royalty.

Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, places the wedding ring on the finger of Meghan Markle during their wedding ceremony in St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, in Windsor, on May 19, 2018. (Photo: AFP/Jonathan Brady)

Alongside tradition, there was innovation, by British royal standards. Markle, 36, did not vow to obey her husband; Harry, three years her junior, will wear a wedding ring - unlike other senior male royals.

The world's media have been gripped by the occasion, and television channels beamed the ceremony across the world.

Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex removes the veil of Meghan Markle as they stand at the altar together before Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby in St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, in Windsor, on May 19, 2018 during their wedding ceremony. (Photo: AFP/Owen Humphreys)

SYMBOL OR IRRELEVANCE?

To some Britons, the marriage of a senior member of the royal family to a porcee whose mother is African-American and father is white embodied a modern Britain where race or background are no bar to even the most elite and traditional of institutions.

To others, it was an irrelevance or a mild distraction from the schism of Brexit, which has deeply pided the United Kingdom; polls suggested that most Britons would not bother tuning in.

But in Windsor, 20 km west of London, tens of thousands of fans lined the Long Walk promenade leading to the castle, waving British flags and cheering.

Meghan Markle and her mother, Doria Ragland, arrive for her wedding ceremony to marry Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, in Windsor, on May 19, 2018. (Photo: AFP/Oli Scarff)

Air traffic controllers for the nearby Heathrow Airport, one of the world's busiest, closed the airspace over the town for the 15 minutes before the ceremony.

Hours before, Queen Elizabeth had bestowed the title of Duke of Sussex on her grandson, a step that meant the actress, star of the TV drama Suits, became a duchess when she married him.

Under clear skies and glorious sunshine, a military band in scarlet uniforms and bearskin hats entertained excited fans gathered behind barriers. Police armed with semi-automatic rifles patrolling streets and watching from rooftops.

Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, arrives with his best man Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, at the West Door of St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, in Windsor, on May 19, 2018 for his wedding ceremony to Meghan Markle. (Photo: AFP/Jane Barlow)

Among the celebrity guests, American actor George Clooney and his wife Amal were joined by Beckham, his fashion designer wife Victoria and James Corden, British host of the American TV chat show The Late Late Show.

Other guests included tennis ace Serena Williams, the siblings of Harry's late mother Princess Diana, Elton John, who sang at Diana's 1997 funeral, British actor Idris Elba, and two of Harry's ex-girlfriends.

The chapel was garlanded with white roses, Diana's favourite flowers.

"This is a moment when we can all celebrate the rebirth of the royal family," said Kenny McKinlay, 60, who had come down from Scotland for the wedding. "It's a time when all the nation can come together rather than being pided. It's a day when you can be proud to be British."

U.S. presenter Oprah Winfrey arrives for the wedding ceremony of Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and US actress Meghan Markle at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, in Windsor, on May 19, 2018. (Photo: AFP/Ian West)

LOVE IN A TENT

The royal couple, who met on a blind date in 2016 and fell in love in a tent under the stars in Botswana, tied the knot in a castle that has been home to 39 English monarchs since 1066.

With security tight, tens of thousands of visitors had to pass through police search points set up around the castle to cram into Windsor's narrow roads.

Meghan Markle arrives for the wedding ceremony to marry Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, in Windsor, on May 19, 2018. (Photo: AFP/Andrew Matthews)

Markle's own father Thomas Markle, 73, a former lighting director for TV soaps and sitcoms, pulled out of the ceremony this week, telling the U.S. celebrity website TMZ he had had heart surgery on Wednesday.

Confusion over his attendance marred the build-up to the wedding, which had been choreographed for months by royal aides, and his name was still present in the order of service.

After watching the ceremony from California, he told TMZ it had been "emotional and joyful": "My baby looks beautiful and she looks very happy. I wish I were there and I wish them all my love and all happiness."

The service was conducted by the Dean of Windsor with Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury and spiritual head of the Anglican Church, overseeing the exchange of vows.

Lady Jane Fellowes, Diana's sister, delivered the reading.

A reception will be held in the castle's St George's Hall before 200 guests join the couple at an evening event at the nearby Frogmore House mansion.

Harry and Meghan will carry out their first official engagement as husband and wife next week./.

U.S. actor George Clooney and his wife British lawyer Amal Clooney arrive for the wedding ceremony of Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and US actress Meghan Markle at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, in Windsor, on May 19, 2018. (Photo: AFP/Chris Jackson)

Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and American actress Meghan Markle at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, for their wedding ceremony on May 19, 2018. (Photo: AFP)

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex made their way back down the aisle, followed by a playful bunch of bridesmaids and pageboys and then Prince Charles, Camilla and Doria Ragland. (Dominic Lipinski - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex share first kiss as husband and wife. (Photo: Ben Birchhall/AP)

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex leave Windsor Castle in the Ascot Landau carriage during a procession after getting married at St Georges Chapel on May 19, 2018, in Windsor, England. (Photo: Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty Images)

VNF/Reuters