Dishevelled but happy: Zara leaves Holyrood House the morning after the wedding party, while Mike Tindall, still in his morning suit well into Sunday, takes stock of the impressive surroundings
Even by their own spectacular standards, it was one heck of a party.
After a night of hard-drinking revelry with their wedding guests, Mike Tindall and his royal bride Zara Phillips did not arrive back at their suite in the Palace of Holyroodhouse until 2pm yesterday.
While Zara had managed to change into her favourite flip-flops, skinny jeans and a baggy linen top, Tindall was still wearing his morning suit and had clearly not been to bed.
Well groomed: What a contrast! A perfectly coiffured, delighted Mike and Zara leave Canonbury Kirk en route to Holyrood House where the revelry that would continue well into the following afternoon got underwayThe dishevelled features of many guests bore testimony to the excesses of Saturday night. Prince Harry’s eyes looked as baggy as his denim shirt and jeans, while Zara’s brother Peter spent 15 minutes trying to work out how to get his golf clubs, daughter Savannah’s push-chair and wife Autumn’s hat box into the boot of his car.
He then accidentally drove off with Tindall’s kit bag and had to bring it back ten minutes later.
All partied out: Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie take home a flower arrangement eachDespite the presence of the Queen and every senior member of the Royal Family, Saturday’s wedding had got off to a less than auspicious start when the broken-nosed groom turned up to church chewing on a piece of gum accompanied by his best man, fellow rugby player Iain Balshaw, complete with black eye after falling off his moped.
And the post-ceremony reception, held at the 12th Century palace, Her Majesty’s official residence in Scotland, was even less regal. Guests knocked back ice-cold shots from a vodka fountain while morning-suited revellers nipped out for takeaway chips in the early hours.
Baggy eyes, baggy shirt: Prince Harry yesterdayFortunately, the Queen had already left in order for the ‘young ones to let their hair down’ – a gesture she might well live to regret when she gets the cleaning bill.
And it wasn’t just the youngsters who over-indulged. Zara’s father, Captain Mark Phillips, was found snoring in an armchair in his hotel bar at 2.30am.
As one royal source said: ‘It was just a family knees-up. Your archetypal wedding, really. Except with a lot of royals and rugby players. And a lot of drinking. In fact make that a hell of a lot of drinking.’
Here, we reconstruct the events of a very untraditional royal wedding.
Get much sleep? Mike Tindall is seen arriving at The Palace of Holyroodhouse, wearing the same clothes he wore yesterday. Zara Phillips looked radiant in a pair of white jeans and a beige top
The pair emerged a little later and Mike had finally changed out of his wedding gear into something a little more casual
Hat trick: The Countess of Wessex with her wedding hat and husband Edward looking bleary eyed
Princess Beatrice and her boyfriend Dave Clarke leave Holyrood earlier today
The bride's brother Peter Phillips with his wife Autumn and their daughter Savannah after the celebrations
Happy couple: Tindall in his suit when he married the Queen's granddaughter, Zara, in Edinburgh on Saturday
Zara's platinum wedding band, bought for her by her husband, matched her exquisite diamond engagement ring perfectly
Beautiful: Zara makes her way to the wedding reception after marrying the England rugby star
Romantic: Veil and tiara complement Zara's sleek blonde hair
Because this ceremony was not in a cathedral, Zara was able to expose those rather wonderful arms, honed by all those warm-blooded steeds
Married couple: Above all, commentators noted that Zara and Mike, as well as the Royal family, looked relaxed and happy
Not the average family wedding: Prince Harry, Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William, Linda Tindall, Princess Anne and Philip Tindall enjoy the sunshine after the wedding ceremonysource: dailymail
