Prince Ernst August of Hanover, descendant of one of Europe's storied noble families, married a Russian fashion designer Saturday -- despite the public disapproval of the match by the groom's father.
Borne in a horse-drawn carriage, Ernst August Jr, 33, and Ekaterina Malysheva, 30, tied the knot at the Marktkirche, the main Lutheran church in Hanover.
They were surrounded by celebrities and aristocrats from houses across Europe, including his step-sister Princess Alexandra, the daughter of Ernst August Sr and Princess Caroline of Monaco.
Caroline's other children -- Charlotte, Pierre and Andrea Casiraghi -- also attended the event, broadcast on German state television.
But Ernst August Sr, 63, was conspicuous for not being seen at the event, having said he worries what the match might mean for the family's holdings in Germany, in particular its lands and forests in Lower Saxony.
"I continue to hope my son will finally think of the higher interests of our family and give in," he told the Handelsblatt newspaper before the wedding.
"I am ready for talks and reconciliation."
Later Saturday the young couple was to host a private reception for about 600 people at the dynasty's family seat, the neo-Gothic Marienburg castle near Hanover.
The bride, sporting a diadem, wore a classically cut white gown highlighted with pearl-encrusted embroideries, created by the Lebanon-based designer Sandra Mansour.
From Melania to Merkel: Five telltale G20 moments
HAMBURG, July 9, 2017 (AFP) - From US First Lady Melania Trump's travails to the reserved German Chancellor Angela Merkel's facial twitches, here are some of the anecdotal moments that livened up this year's G20 summit of world leaders in Hamburg.
Bad day for Melania
US First Lady Melania Trump was due to go on a cruise tour with other spouses of G20 leaders, but was instead trapped at her residence as anti-globalisation demonstrators went on the rampage, smashing shop windows and burning cars.
She finally emerged. But her husband Donald was locked in talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"There are so many issues on the table... Just about everything got touched upon... Neither one of them wanted to stop" talking, said US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.
"I believe they even sent in the First Lady at one point to see if she could get us out of there, but that didn't work either... We did another hour. Clearly she failed!" he added.
Ivanka steps in
For a moment at the G20 summit Saturday the United States was represented by another Trump, when the president's daughter Ivanka took a seat at the table of world leaders.
The 35-year-old former fashion model sat around the table with Xi Jinping, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Angela Merkel and Theresa May, diplomats and the White House confirmed.
Ivanka had been at the back of the room but "briefly joined the main table when the president had to step out," a White House official told AFP.
That quickly sparked an storm, with historian Anne Applebaum slamming what she called "an unelected, unqualified, unprepared New York socialite" being seen as "the best person to represent American national interests."
Macron warms up to Trump
If a video of France's President Emmanuel Macron swerving away from Trump to greet other leaders was a key image trending on social media sites during a NATO summit earlier this year, at the G20, there appears to have been a clear rapprochement between the young leader and the US property tycoon.
Macron was firmly at Trump's side at key "family photo" sessions of the leaders. He even inserted himself to the far right of the entire group at one photography session, saving the US leader from being at the edge of the picture.
At a morning session on Saturday, Macron was seen greeting Trump enthusiastically.
The French leader leaned towards the US leader at one point, sparking questions on whether he offered him a peck on the cheek.
But journalists at the scene say it was a more of a hug.
Who were they clapping for?
Trump, among the last leaders to arrive at Hamburg's Elbphilharmonie concert hall for a cultural evening, appeared to be greeted by a round of applause as he stepped out of his armoured vehicle.
The US leader gamely returned a big smile.
It turned out that the applause was for Macron, who pulled up just behind Trump, German media reported.
Merkel rolling her eyes at Putin
An animated encounter between Merkel and Putin has been making the rounds on social media, with questions abuzz about what the two leaders discussed.
Walking into the conference room, Merkel lifted a hand and traced what appeared to a movement of a projectile.

But Putin held up a finger, appearing to then offer his version of the same gesture, prompting the usually poker-faced German chancellor to roll her eyes.