Married life began for Prince William and his new wife Kate today when they left London for a secret destination.
The couple spent last night celebrating at Buckingham Palace with family and close friends following their wedding at Westminster Abbey.
At the black-tie do, which started with dinner in the palace's lavish ballroom and ended with dancing into the small hours, Prince Harry gave his best man's speech.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, as the couple are now known after the Queen bestowed the title on her grandson, are expected to travel abroad for their honeymoon sometime in the next two weeks.
But this morning they left Buckingham Palace by helicopter for an undisclosed destination.
William and Kate emerged hand in hand from the palace's garden entrance this morning and boarded a maroon helicopter which was awaiting their arrival.
The Duchess wore a light blue dress, dark jacket and platform shoes, while Prince William was dressed in chinos with a pale blue shirt and navy jacket.
The couple, who spent the night at the Queen's official London home, stopped briefly to chat to two Royal Household footmen and appeared to be thanking for them after their stay.
Speculation has been mounting about where the couple could spend their time away together. Likely honeymoon destinations could include Africa - a continent for which William has a deep affection. He could take his wife to countries like Botswana, or Kenya, where he proposed.
There has been speculation that a secluded Caribbean island may be another option.
A St James's Palace spokesman said: "The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have chosen not to depart for a honeymoon immediately.
"Instead, after spending the weekend privately in the United Kingdom, the Duke will return to work as a search and rescue pilot next week.
"The locations of both their private weekend before the Duke returns to work and their future honeymoon, which will be overseas, will not be disclosed in advance."
St James's Palace stressed that the couple had asked that the media respect their privacy over the weekend and during their holiday.
PA