The wedding of Prince Felipe and Letizia Ortiz

Letizia Ortiz becomes the Princess of Asturias

Letizia Ortiz had commissioned a marble-coloured wedding dress designed by Manuel Pertegaz. Letizia prepared in the Royal Palace, also known as the Palacio de Oriente or the National Palace, right opposite the cathedral.

Prince Felipe and all the guests arrived by 10.50am in good time for the ceremony. Felipe, dressed in a formal army uniform with a light blue sash, was left to stand by the altar for twenty minutes.

Perhaps Letizia Ortiz delayed her arrival to try to avoid the rain. However, it was still pouring down at 11.10 when her Rolls-Royce pulled up in front of the cathedral.

Inside the cathedral, young pages in yellow and white led the way as Handel's Organ Concerto Opus 7 Third Set was played. Letizia wore a marble-coloured wedding dress designed by Manuel Pertegaz. She walked up the aisle of the cathedral on the arm of her father, Jesus Ortiz, and was followed by several bridesmaids.

When Letizia and her father arrived at the altar, Prince Felipe shook the hand of Seńor Ortiz and kissed Letizia. King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofía looked on proudly.

The Archbishop of Madrid, Cardinal Antonio María Rouco Varela, officiated at the wedding.

The younger relatives of Prince Felipe did not behave as expected. When Froilán, the elder son of Princess Elena, saw his uncle arrive at the altar he shouted: "Hola Felipe". Pablo took off his shoes. Later in the service Froilán left his seat and kicked Carla, Letizia's niece. They were then taken to the sacristy to play for the rest of the service.

At 11.50 the couple exchanged wedding vows and rings. Prince Felipe forgot his lines when he handed Letizia the wedding coins and quickly referred to a script. Letizia had become the Princess of Asturias.

At 12.34 Felipe, Letizia and several witnesses signed the marriage certificate to the sounds of Bach's Cantata 69.

The Prince and Princess of Asturias left the cathedral to the sounds of Handel's Hallelujah Chorus and wedding bells at 12.46.

The rain was still falling in Madrid as the couple climbed inside an armour-plated Rolls-Royce to commence a lengthy tour through the streets of central Madrid lined by up to a million people.

The other guests had a coach trip to the Royal Palace to await the return of the Felipe and Letizia.

The days before the royal wedding

In the weeks before the wedding of Prince Felipe de Borbón y Grecia and Letizia Ortiz, Nacho Cano composed a special piece of music for the bride and groom called Música para una Boda (Music for a Wedding).

Letizia Ortiz decided not to follow a Madrid tradition and did not take a basket of eggs to the Santa Clara nuns. This offering is supposed to bring good weather for weddings. Perhaps Letizia should have followed the tradition. Rain poured from the sky during the wedding.

On 11th May, Felipe and Letizia laid a wreath at Atocha Station in memory of those killed by bombs left in several commuter trains two months before.

On 14th May, Felipe and Letizia attended the wedding of Denmark's Crown Prince Frederik and Australian Mary Donaldson in Copenhagen.

On 17th May, Spain's newly elected prime minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, and his wife, Sonsoles Espinosa, hosted a lunch for Prince Felipe and Letizia Ortiz together with all the cabinet members.

On 20th May, Prince Felipe and Letizia Ortiz conducted a rehearsal of the wedding ceremony in the Nuestra Seńora de La Almudena cathedral. They were accompanied by Queen Sofía and the sisters of Felipe, Princess Elena and Princess Cristina together with their children. The RTVE (Spanish radio and TV) orchestra and chorus also participated in the rehearsal.

Some of the wedding guests, including presidents and royalty from all over the world, attended a special dinner in the Pardo Palace on 21st May. They all had to dodge pouring rain on their arrival. Letizia Ortiz was wearing a platinum-grey dress.

The Spanish government took meticulous care to avoid another terrorist attack in Madrid. The surrounding airspace was closed and rubbish bins were taken away. Possible hiding places for explosives throughout the city were searched.

The royal wedding on TV

Letizia's previous employer, TVE, was responsible for the TV production of the wedding. The RTVE orchestra and chorus also played a key part in wedding.

The TV cameras were well positioned throughout the ceremony. One cameraman with a steadicam was even given access to the aisle in front of Letizia as she made her entrance. The audio quality was also excellent throughout.

Ana Blanco, one of Letizia's colleagues at Torrespańa, was the main presenter for TVE throughout the day and provided an excellent commentary.

The royal wedding was shown outside Spain on TVE Internacional from Spain and ARD and ZDF from Germany. The TVE video and audio feed was provided to well over 100 broadcasters.