William and Kate are chauffeured to the party
WIlliam was close to tears as Prince Harry paid an emotional tribute to their mother Diana in his best man's speech.
Harry, Master of Ceremonies at William and Kate's triumphant evening wedding reception, took to his feet in front of 350 of the couple's closest friends and family.
And there was barely a dry eye as Harry turned to William and told him: "Our mother would be so very proud of you."
A guest at the Buckingham Palace celebration revealed: "Harry only said a few words, but it was so emotional. The entire room burst into applause."
Wearing a fez hat Harry had started his speech by standing on the top table and describing the newlyweds as the "Dude and Duchess".
As guests chuckled, he poked fun at William's receding hairline and said he felt sorry for Kate marrying a "bald man".
He handed over to two of William's oldest pals, who cracked jokes that had him laughing hysterically.
Double act James Meade, who William, 28, met at Eton, and Thomas Van Straubenzee, a friend from William's Ludgrove Prep School in Berkshire, recounted tales of William's "debauchery" and "nakedness" as a bachelor.
Finally, proud father of the bride Michael Middleton, 61, was greeted with a standing ovation for a speech which captured the spirit of the day.
Princess Diana with Harry and William at Thorpe Park in 1993
He told the guests: "Today was everything I had hoped for and I'm thrilled that equality ruled the day. Everybody appears as equal and our two families joining together has been an easy process. I thank the Royal Family for welcoming us as easily as they have."
After the speeches, at 10.30pm, the bride and groom took to the floor for their first dance to Your Song, performed live by pop sensation Ellie Goulding.
And from there, a raucous marathon party kicked off which saw guests dancing until 3am to Kate's favourite trance music club anthems.
To quench their thirst, waiters were on hand with potent Crack Baby cocktails – a mix of vodka, passion fruit, Chambord raspberry liqueur and champagne – or fine Brut Reserve Pol Roger champagne.
The Crack Baby is the signature drink of Royal haunt Boujis in South Kensington.
The reception – which featured a DJ, sound system, glitter-ball and blue ultra-violet lighting – began at 8pm in the Palace's 118ft Ballroom, with guests spilling over into two other state rooms.
Prince Charles and Camilla, and Kate's parents Michael and Carole, 55, stayed until just after the first dance, before "leaving the youngsters to it".
The Duke and Duchess of Cornwall waved as they were driven out of a side exit by Princess Anne shortly after 10.30pm. Kate's parents went back to their base at The Goring Hotel.
The guests had sat down to a three-course meal cooked by Prince Charles's favourite chef Anton Mossiman. Starter was crab layered with fresh languistine, followed by herb-stuffed Welsh lamb.
Then came a trio of desserts: chocolate mousse, honeycomb ice cream and traditional sherry trifle. Each table was named after a town or city close to the couple's hearts, such as St Andrews where they met at university.
The party was rounded off with a dazzling 20-second burst off fireworks just before 3am, with cheers echoing out from behind the Palace walls.
Half an hour later, guests finally began to emerge and were whisked away in a fleet of taxis and minibuses.
Prince Harry leaves the evening reception
Prince Harry, 26, minus his bow tie, was among the last guests to leave the Palace – heading off to The Goring to continue the celebrations.
A car driven by royal protection officers dropped off Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie with Harry's on-off girlfriend Chelsy Davy.
Princess Eugenie, Chelsy Davy and Princess Beatrice are driven home
It was not until around 5am that the last bleary-eyed revellers eventually called it a night.
Harry wisely stayed over at the hotel to grab some sleep. Millie Pilkington, William and Kate's private photographer, said of the speeches: "They were hysterical".
Emerging from The Goring yesterday, Middleton family friend Tony Ainsworth, said: "I went to bed around 1am but I heard guests stumbling around at 5am, coming back from the palace, which woke me up."
But on a night to all end all nights, no one was complaining about the noise...
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