Spain celebrates royal wedding

MADRID, Spain - Crown Prince Felipe married former TV anchor Letizia Ortiz on Saturday in a ceremony the couple dedicated to the victims of a terrorist bombing two months ago. Afterward, tens of thousands of Spaniards lined the streets to catch a glimpse of the first commoner to be in line to be queen.

A driving rain fell as Ortiz, wearing a flowing off-white gown, entered the 19th century Almudena Cathedral in Madrid's scenic old quarter.

The congregation of some 1,700 royals and dignitaries - protected by security including fighter jets and 20,000 police - included Britain's Prince Charles, former South African President Nelson Mandela and Jordan's Queen Rania.

The cost of the wedding has been estimated at $24-million, although some planned events such as a light and sound show Saturday night - and the prince's bachelor party - were scrapped to avoid looking frivolous in the wake of the bombing.

On Saturday, people crowded on balconies to catch a glimpse of the couple as they took a postwedding ride in an armor-plated vintage Rolls-Royce, waving to tens of thousands of well-wishers holding small red-and-yellow Spanish flags and pink and silver fans. The crowds were thinner than expected, though.

"If I could, I would open a bottle of champagne and offer them a toast. I wish them lots of luck," restaurant owner Santos Sanchez said.

Returning to the Royal Palace, across a broad cobblestone courtyard from the cathedral, the newlyweds emerged on a now sun-drenched balcony for their first public kiss as husband and wife.

Just one year after she started dating the prince, Ortiz, a 31-year-old divorcee, now has the title of Princess Letizia of Asturias.

She wore a gown with a flowing silk veil and a 15-foot train embroidered with heraldic symbols. Her diamond and platinum tiara was the same one Greek-born Queen Sofia wore at her wedding to King Juan Carlos in 1962 in Athens, Greece. The bride's bouquet was an arrangement of white lilies of the valley.

Prince Felipe, 36, wore a crisp blue uniform reflecting his status as a Spanish army major, with braided epaulets, a light blue sash and medals of honor from the army, navy and air force.

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