Royal Wedding in Luxembourg

Prince Guillaume and Princess Stephanie of Luxembourg.

 Published by The Associated Press.

Under a canopy of soldiers' drawn swords as church bells tolled, Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg and Belgian Countess Stephanie de Lannoy emerged smiling Saturday from the tiny duchy's Notre Dame Cathedral after wrapping up a two-day wedding gala with a religious ceremony.

Onlookers and well-wishers lined the super-scrubbed streets near the cathedral and roared with joy as the newlyweds looked down from a red velvet-covered palace balcony, and haltingly — but deeply — kissed for the crowd.

The church wedding of Prince Guillaume — the 30-year-old heir to the throne and Luxembourg's grand duke-to-be — and the Belgian countess drew a top-drawer guest list. It came a day after a civil ceremony at Luxembourg City Hall.

The bearded groom and his 28-year-old blonde bride were trailed by a procession of well-known royals, including Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel of Sweden, Prince Naruhito of Japan and Britain's Prince Edward — Queen Elizabeth's youngest child — and his wife, Sophie.

The Royal Family waves to the crowds.

* Note: Prince Guillaume is the son of Grand Duke Henri I and Grand Duchess María Teresa. The Grand Duchess was born in Marianao, Havana and was exiled along with her family following Castro's rise to power. She studied at the University of Geneva, where she met then-prince Henri. Upon ascending the throne, Prince Guillaume will become the first reigning monarch with Cuban roots in history.