Prince Albert and Princess Charlene say 'I do'

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MONACO: Prince Albert II of Monaco and his South African bride Princess Charlene married in a religious ceremony on Saturday, solemnising their union in front of 800 royal and celebrity guests.

Arrayed in a stunning Armani gown cut from 130 metres of silk and studded with 40,000 crystals, the world's newest royal stole occasional smiling glances at her husband during the ceremony, which followed Friday's civil wedding.

Archbishop Bernard Barsi of Monaco asked each whether they accepted each other "for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part." Both replied with a firm: "Yes."

Then the couple -- Charlene, noticeably less tense than she had been at the first ceremony, and occasionally smiling -- exchanged rings in 18-carat white gold and platinum by the House of Cartier.

South African singer Pumela Matshikiza celebrated with a popular, upbeat wedding song from Charlene's homeland: "Diviner of the roadways, the knock knock beetle / It just passed by here, the knock knock beetle."

As couple left the palace, arm in arm, he in his cream uniform and officer's uniform, the bells of the principalities many churches rang and guests showered them with rose petals.

Some 800 guests attended the service in the palace, and another 3,800 were outside watching on a large screen, cheering as popular guests like James Bond actor Roger Moore and former French first lady Bernadette Chirac arrived.

Aside from France's President Nicolas Sarkozy and the kings and queens of Sweden and Belgium, the crowd included fashion designers, models, sportsmen, more minor royals and senior officials from the tiny principality.

Guests arrived in a cavalcade of 200 BMW 7 Series limousines and striding across the red carpet towards the palace, with early arrivals including Czech supermodel Karolina Kurkova and retired tennis ace Henri Leconte.

Pop star Jean-Michel Jarre received warm applause from locals still grateful for the previous night's spectacular concert. Heels were high, hats were broad and many guests seemed to have ignored a request for covered shoulders.

The bride and her beau set off across the city state in an open-topped Lexus hybrid, number plate 001M, a gesture to the prince's green credentials amid otherwise extravagant scenes of champagne quaffing and fireworks.

They were cheered by onlookers as they crossed the city state towards a tiny chapel dedicated to Monaco's patron saint, St Devote, where Charlene deposited her bouquet in line with local tradition.

Charlene, seemingly calm throughout the earlier ceremony, burst into tears as the young choir sang.

The wedding feast will be held at the opera house opposite the casino, a site of glamour in an otherwise grim jungle of concrete 1970s blocks, and -- with private banking -- the source of much of the city-state's wealth. (AFP)