Crowds flock to witness Indonesian royal wedding

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-24642159

Version 0 of 1.

Large crowds in the Indonesian province of Yogyakarta have seen the daughter of Sultan Hamengkubuwono X conclude three days of marriage celebrations.

Over 750 guests, including Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, attended the wedding.

Gusti Ratu Kanjeng Hayu, 29, married Kanjeng Pangeran Haryo Notonegoro, 39, whom she has dated for 10 years.

Large crowds of people turned out to greet royal horse-drawn carriages which carried the couple to the royal palace.

The wedding celebration was streamed live on the internet.

The bride and groom went to the same high school as one another, but 10 years apart. Later they met at a school reunion and got romantically involved when they were in the US.

The couple will follow a royal tradition of monogamy embraced by the bride's father. Previously Sultans practised polygamy, but Hamengkubuwono X has just one wife.

Born in 1948, Hamengkubuwono X is not only the monarch but also is the governor of Yogyakarta, one of the few remaining kingdoms in Indonesia.

He was elected by local MPs in 1998.

But the central government in Jakarta wants to introduce changes whereby the governor will be directly elected by voters. As a monarch he only has ceremonial powers.

The proposed move has been strongly opposed by the Sultan and local people in Yogyakarta.