Royal honeymoon delayed

The new Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have boarded a Royal Flight helicopter to return to their marital home - and in William's case, to work.

Their honeymoon has been postponed until later in the year, fuelling new speculation about their destination. William has already said he would like to attend the Rugby World Cup in a private capacity - now there will be questions about whether he might bring Kate to New Zealand.

The Queen dropped some broad hints about the honeymoon destination when she talked to New Zealand Prime Minister John Key at the wedding reception at the Palace - though he held out no great hope that they would come here.

Key spoke with William and Catherine at their wedding reception.

"The first thing Kate said was she wants to visit New Zealand. She's keen to come down and we'll hopefully encourage her to come and visit us sometime very soon, so that was great," said Key.

The new bride had earlier expressed relief at the gentle sun for her wedding weekend. "I am glad the weather held off," she said. "We had a great day."

As the two left Buckingham Palace, the morning after their wedding, they shook hands with staff and thanked them.

Then the casually-dressed newlyweds - William in navy blazer and open-necked shirt; Catherine's long legs shown off by a light, blue chiffon summer frock - boarded the Sikorsky helicopter and took off over St James Park.

Royal officials issued a statement saying the honeymoon had been put on hold and they would take it later in the year. For now, Prince William must return to work as a pilot with the Royal Air Force.

The honeymoon destination - and timing - was still a secret. Some media reported they might head for the sun in one of the Caribbean Commonwealth nations; others said they'd been offered a secluded retreat by the King of Jordan in one of the less-troubled corners of the Middle East.

Another possible destination is Africa, a continent William has a deep affection for. He proposed to Kate - as she was then known - in Kenya.

The couple looked relaxed and fresh-faced - despite having partied late with 300 family and friends.

As the couple flew out, details of their wedding celebrations began to emerge.

An emotional Prince Charles was reported to have praised his new daughter-in-law Catherine, telling guests the royal family was lucky to have her - before going on to poke gentle fun at his eldest son, Prince William.

Middleton family friend Susie Lea said Charles lightened the mood, talking about his son's hairline. " [He] made a few jokes about his bald patch and his son's bald patch, saying it must be hereditary."

In Auckland, Monarchy New Zealand celebrated the wedding with about 300 ardent supporters of the royal family at the Mercure Hotel.

Chairman Simon O'Connor said: "This is good for the monarchy, [it] brought attention back to why it is something we enjoy being part of."

Republican Movement chairman Lewis Holden also watched the wedding, and called it "an amazing spectacle". He said the emphasis on the wedding would have created a dip in support for New Zealand becoming a republic state, "but not fatal".

A poll commissioned by the Republican Movement from research company Curia found an increase in people who wanted Prince Charles to become king - up three points to 54 per cent.

The proportion of Kiwis who favoured New Zealand becoming a republic had dropped to 35 per cent - down two points.

And an nzherald.co.nz online poll found continued support for New Zealand continuing in the Commonwealth with the Queen as head of state. Of the 5714 people who voted, 66 per cent supported the status quo.

An ebullient John Key said the wedding had revived the feeling for the Queen among the young of New Zealand - and described the spectacle as "a bit like a normal Kiwi wedding"

- Additional reporting: Agencies