Newly-married royals fly off, but not on honeymoon
(CBS) The new Duke and Duchess of Cambridge left Buckingham Palace by helicopter just after 11 a.m. today, 24 hours after they were married in a Westminster Abbey ceremony watched by more than 24 million people in the UK alone.
Britain's Prince William and his bride, the former Kate Middleton, emerged from Buckingham Palace this morning, walking arm in arm, and boarded a helicopter for a stilll-undisclosed location. It is not a honeymoon as the prince is expected back to work next week.
Pictures: Leaving the Palace
Special section: The Royal Wedding
Photos: The Royal Wedding
Clarence House later announced that the royal couple have chosen not to depart for a honeymoon immediately. Instead, they will spend a private weekend somehwere in the United Kingdom. Prince William will return to work as a search-and-rescue pilot in Wales next week..
The new duchess was wearing a cobalt blue-belted dress with a hemline just above the knees. It was topped by a black jacket with three-quarter length sleeves and a flirty ruffle at the hemline. She wore black and beige wedge heels and her long hair was styled casually.
The prince wore a blue blazer and light blue open-necked shirt over khaki slacks. They stopped briefly to shake hands with staff members before heading off.
A range of honeymoon options have been mentioned, including a scuba-diving trip to Australia; a beach honeymoon at a private island in the Caribbean; a trip to Jordan, where the duchess once lived; or a journey back to Africa, where the prince popped the question last fall.
William has two weeks' leave from his duty as a search-and-rescue helicopter pilot in Wales, but it is not known when he will takeit .
The pair celebrated their nuptials Friday night with a dinner and dance party for 300 at Buckingham Palace. It was hosted by the father of the groom, Prince Charles, and reportedly continued until 3 a.m. today. The new duchess wore a second gown designed by Sarah Burton of Alexander McQueen. William, like many of the other male guests, wore a tuxedo.
Prince Harry made his eagerly-awaited best man speech at the event and, according to the Associated Press, announced plans to make an early morning "fry up" breakfast for anyone with the constitution to stay awake through the night. It isn't known how many hungry party-goers he fed.
