Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, during their wedding ceremony at St. George's Chapel. Photo / AP
Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, during their wedding ceremony at St. George's Chapel. Photo / AP
Meghan Markle has married Prince Harry in a modern and moving service that saw the newlyweds sharing tears, laughter and a passionate kiss in front of their thousands of adoring guests.
Harry was visibly emotional when he saw his bride for the first time in her simple but beautiful pure white dress and then grabbed his bride's hand and told her: "You look amazing - I missed you", reports the Daily Mail.
He also said "thank you, pa" after his father Prince Charles walked her down the aisle of St George's Chapel, Windsor.
Prince Charles walking Meghan Markle down the aisle. Photo / AP
But the tears turned to laughter when the star made him giggle as they exchanged vows before being pronounced man and wife by the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby in an extraordinarily moving ceremony watched by millions around the world.
Celebrity royalty including the Clooneys, the Beckhams, Idris Elba, Elton John and Oprah Winfrey are among some of the world's biggest stars watching them marry. Britain's royals including the Queen and Prince Philip were also there to support them.
The service had a distinctly American feel with a US bishop delivering a passionate address that appeared to make some royals snigger and a gospel choir filling the chapel with music. But there was also much of the great British pageantry that royal fans around the world love.
Outside St George's Chapel up to 100,000 fevered well-wishers have gathered in glorious British sunshine and cheered the couple as they started their new married life in the grand Ascot Landau carriage.
The newlyweds emerged from St George's Chapel to loud cheers from the crowd.
Stopping at the top of the stone steps, the pair shared a kiss to the delight of onlookers.
The couple were waved off and watched by members of the royal family as they left in an open-top Ascot Landau for a carriage procession through Windsor.
Harry and Meghan ride in their carriage through Windsor. Photo / AP
Prince George and Princess Charlotte, the oldest children of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, did not follow Harry and Meghan as they made their way back up the aisle.
Instead, the youngsters held their parents' hands as they made their way out of the chapel.
Mike Tindall was seen rubbing heavily-pregnant wife Zara's bump as the congregation waited for Harry and Meghan to sign their register.
Mr and Mrs Tindall are expecting their second child.
Meghan's mother Doria Ragland smiled at the Prince of Wales and took his hand as they joined the newlyweds in one of the chapel's transepts to privately record their marriage.
There was a hush around the chapel as the wedding ceremony began and the crowds listened intently as the Dean of Windsor, David Connor, started proceedings.
The silence was only broken by the rumble of aircraft passing overhead and the odd champagne cork popping.
The crowd in Horseshoe Cloister shouted a resounding 'We will' as the Archbishop of Canterbury posed the question inside St George's Chapel as to whether the families and friends of Prince Harry and Meghan would support them in their marriage.
Meghan's delicate veil was five metres long and made from silk tulle with a trim of hand-embroidered flowers in silk threads and organza, with her two pageboys carrying the ends as she made her way up the steps.
The Givenchy creation on the stairs on Windsor Chapel. Photo / AP
Her hair was up and she wore the glittering Queen Mary's Diamond Bandeau tiara, loaned to her by the Queen.
The presiding bishop of the American Episcopal Church Bishop Bishop Michael Curry enthusiastically delivered a passionate address about the power of love - but it appeared to make many in the congregation laugh.
It is expected to be the biggest royal wedding in Britain since Prince William married Kate in 2011 with more than 21million UK households set to watch and 23million expected to tune in from America.
Ms Markle's wedding dress has been designed by the acclaimed British designer, Clare Keller, the first female Artistic Director at the historic French fashion house Givenchy.
The veil was held in place by Queen Mary's diamond bandeau tiara, lent to her by The Queen, made in 1932 - an outfit that left her mother Doria Ragland, 62, in tears.
Meghan arrived accompanied by two page boys who held up her train as she made her way up the chapel's steps alone and entered the chapel by herself, to begin the walk down the alter, before being met by the Prince of Wales.
David Emanuel, who designed Diana, Princess of Wales's dress for her wedding to the Prince of Wales in 1981, said of Meghan Markle's outfit: "The bride is simplicity herself.'
Ms. Markle expressed the wish of having all 53 countries of the Commonwealth with her on her journey through the ceremony. Ms. Waight Keller designed a veil representing the distinctive flora of each Commonwealth country united in one spectacular floral composition.
— The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@KensingtonRoyal) May 19, 2018
He added: "The dress is as I predicted - simple, stylish, elegant and understated.
"I think the story is in the silk jewelled veil - it encompasses all the Commonwealth flowers, which I think is very clever."
Asked what he thought Harry's late mother would have said about the dress, Mr Emanuel said: "I think Diana would have approved."
Meghan's bouquet contains several flowers handpicked by Prince Harry from their private garden, Kensington Palace said.
"Prince Harry handpicked several flowers yesterday from their private garden at Kensington Palace to add to the bespoke bridal bouquet designed by florist Philippa Craddock,' the statement said.
"The spring blooms include Forget-Me-Nots which were Diana, Princess of Wales' favourite flower. The couple specifically chose them to be included in Ms Markle's bouquet to honour the memory of the late princess on this special day.
"The bride's bouquet is a petite design, pulled together in a gentle, ethereal, relaxed style with delicate blooms also including scented sweet peas, lily of the valley, astilbe, jasmine and astrantia, and sprigs of myrtle all bound with a naturally dyed, raw silk ribbon.
"The myrtle sprigs are from stems planted at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight, by Queen Victoria in 1845, and from a plant grown from the myrtle used in the Queen's wedding bouquet of 1947.
"The tradition of carrying myrtle begun after Queen Victoria was given a nosegay containing myrtle by Prince Albert's grandmother during a visit to Gotha in Germany.
"In the same year, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert bought Osborne House as a family retreat, and a sprig from the posy was planted against the terrace walls, where it continues to thrive today.
"The myrtle was first carried by Queen Victoria's eldest daughter, Princess Victoria, when she married in 1858."
The Most Rev Bishop Michael Curry, the first African-American presiding bishop and primate of the Episcopal Church, gave an address titled the Power of Love at the service in St George's Chapel.
He opened his speech with the words of Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King Jr, who said: "We must discover the power of love, the redemptive power of love. And when we do that, we will be able to make of this old world a new world. Love is the only way."
The bishop then added: "There's power in love. Don't underestimate it. Don't even over-sentimentalise. There is power, power in love."
The Episcopal Church is the US offshoot of the Church of England and forms part of the broader Anglican Communion. Meghan was baptised into the Anglican Church, which is headed by Harry's grandmother.
Bishop Curry told the service: "There's power in love. Love can help and heal when nothing else can. There's power in love to lift up and liberate when nothing else will."
Such power could be seen in the service, he continued, saying: "Two young people fell in love and we all showed up."
Prince Harry looked nervous as he arrived at St George's with his best man William but quickly warmed up waving and grinning at crowds before greeting guests inside and outside the chapel.
Her mother Doria smiled and looked adoringly at her daughter in the back of her wedding car, again supporting her in the absence of her father Thomas Markle.
Mother and daughter drove away in a Rolls-Royce Phantom IV, which was built and delivered to the Queen in 1950 and used by Kate Middleton for her trip to Westminster Abbey when she married William seven years ago.
The couple have invited 2,000 guests and have needed more than three hours to fill the church with friends including actor Tom Hardy, Carey Mulligan, tennis player Serena Williams and many of Meghan's Suits co-stars all there.
Harry's ex-girlfriends Chelsy Davy and Cressida Bonas were also invited and joined the Middletons and his uncle Earl Spencer in the giant congregation.
Harry's ex-girlfriend Chelsy Davy was among the guests. Photo / AP
Princess Diana's son's whirlwind romance with the US-born actress, 36, has captured the public's imagination and they will become the Duke and Duchess of Sussex when they marry.
After a secret six-month relationship the couple went public and later confirmed they got engaged in November when he proposed while roasting a chicken in his Kensington Palace flat.
Cheers and applause erupted at the West Door as Prince Harry and the Duke of Cambridge arrived at St George's Chapel.
The bridegroom and his best man were met by the Dean of Windsor.
They stopped for a few moments and had a brief conversation, before walking inside.
Harry, looking dapper in his frock coat uniform of the Blues and Royals, walked up the aisle with his best man and was seen acknowledging a guest in the congregation with a nod.
— The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@KensingtonRoyal) May 19, 2018
The Queen gave her permission for her grandson to get married in his uniform, Kensington Palace said.
Both uniforms were tailored at Dege & Skinner on Savile Row.
Tens of thousands of royal fans are in the Berkshire town to catch a glimpse of the bride and groom, as police have effectively created a £30million ring of steel around the castle in a massive security operation.
Many slept on the streets and more have left their homes in the middle of the night or travelled from across the world to see them.
Revellers wearing wedding dresses, union and American flags and other outlandish outfits have been popping Champagne and prosecco since 8am or earlier as they toast the happy couple.
