Approximately 10,000 people gathered on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile to witness the Queen’s granddaughter Zara Philips, who is 13th in line to the throne, marry England rugby star Mike Tindall.

The wedding, which marks Scotland’s first Royal nuptials in almost 20 year, was the second royal wedding to be held in the UK this year.

Kate Middleton and Prince William’s televised wedding, which was attended by celebrities and dignitaries, brought a million visitors to London in May, with an estimated two billion people in 180 countries watching on TV and 40 million tuning in via the internet.

In contrast, there was no red carpet or horse drawn carriage at the wedding of Zara and Mike, which was an altogether quieter affair. Ever since Princess Anne declined to accept titles for her children, Zara has played down her royal link.

But despite Mike and Zara’s wedding being closed to the press and the public, tourist bosses have anticipated economic benefits for Scotland, which has a wealth of royal attractions that visitors can enjoy. These include Palace of Holyrood, Edinburgh Castle and Royal Britannia.

Mike Cantlay, chairman of VisitScotland, commented: “The wedding between Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall is wonderful news for Edinburgh and the whole of Scotland.

“It’s a great opportunity for tourism in this country and we would urge businesses to take advantage of this great occasion.”

People camped out with sleeping bags the night before the wedding in order to ensure a good view of Canongate Kirk, the venue for the ceremony.

The reception was held at the Palace of Hoyroodhouse, which is the monarch’s official Scottish home.

Senior members of the royal family, including the Queen, Duke of Edinburgh, Prince of Wales, Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Harry. Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were in attendance.

According to reports, there will be no honeymoon, as the groom will be training for the rugby world cup, while the bride has the Gatcombe horse trials approaching.

City.Mobi

Also in Europe today, City.Mobi is celebrating the success of its new guide to Edinburgh.

City.Mobi offers the most comprehensive mobile travel guides available, with over 800 cities in 200 countries listed. Each is developed by the City.Mobi team to combine into a single global travel directory.

However, each city retains its own mobile identity via a dedicated domain. Already on offer are Brussels.Mobi, Paris.Mobi, Sanfrancisco.Mobi and Sydney.Mobi.

Edinburgh.city.mobi is the latest in this illustrious line up, offering click to call functionality – which means no scribbling down telephone numbers.

Most entries are also linked to websites where users can quickly access more detailed information if needed.

Other key features include information on accommodation, restaurants, attractions, entertainment, nightlife, shopping, and transport.

City.Mobi guides include user reviews and traveller utilities such as a translation guide, currency converter, news and local weather guide.