Charlene and Albert outside the palace - photo: Charles Franch

Monaco and its new princess excelled themselves yesterday with an intensely moving and lavish religious ceremony in the main courtyard of the Palace which had been turned into a consecrated “church” for the occasion.

Charlene looked every inch a princess, as she walked down the red carpet to the palace on the arm of her father, Michael Wittstock. Her mother Lynette and brothers Gareth and Sean were also present. The off-the-shoulder white satin dress, designed by Giorgio Armani and embroidered with 40,000 Swarovski crystals and 30,000 seed pearls, enhanced her natural elegance while the five-metre long train of silk tulle added drama and pageantry to the occasion. She wore no jewellery and no tiara; just a diamond-studded hair piece leant by her sister-in-law HRH Princess Caroline.

 Her prince looked equally dashing in the cream summer uniform of the palace guards (Carabiniers), the sleeves embroidered with oak and olive leaves, and his chest emblazoned with medals for the Order of Saint Charles, the Order of the Grimaldi and France’s Legion of Honour.

Among the 800 guests in the main courtyard were French President Nicolas Sarkozy, the kings of Sweden, Belgium and Lesotho, as well as Britain’s Prince Edward Earl of Wessex and his wife Sophie, Countess of Wessex, Sir Roger Moore, Naomi Campbell and soprano Renee Fleming who sang at the service.

The catholic ceremony and mass was led by Archbishop Barsi and ended on a superb rendering of Ave Maria by Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli. The world class Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra and choir provided the music.

When the couple left the palace, they were showered with rose petals as they walked through the 3,000-plus guests who were seated in the square watching the service on giant screens. The couple were then driven in an open-topped low emission Lexus car down the road from the Rock to Port Hercule, past crowds lining the road to cheer them on, to the Sainte Dévote church.

It was here where Charlene followed the tradition of placing her bouquet inside for the patron saint of Monaco. For 15 minutes all the pomp and ceremony were left behind as the Prince and Princess got out of the car to give this home-spun crowd of volunteers a chance to take photos and greet their new princess.

This tiny symbolic church tucked away at the bottom of a ravine is a very spiritual place, which is at the heart of religious tradition in the Principality. The Song to the Virgin Mary sung by Marie-Clotilde Wurz-De-Baets in a duet with her 11-year-old daughter Juliette provided an unexpectedly moving interlude, away from the tumult of what had gone before – a moment for the bride to reflect on the significance of what she has committed herself to in the eyes of the church.

The marriage represents a new beginning for the Principality and the fervent hope here is that it will succeed. Claire Lathbury