Fans got a glimpse of the couple yesterday at their son's christening

England have

The American superstar Madonna has married British movie director Guy Ritchie at an exclusive ceremony in the Scottish Highlands.

Journalists and members of the public were kept well away from the heavily guarded Skibo Castle near Dornoch in Sutherland.

Among those on the star-studded guest list were Sting, dressed in a kilt, and his wife Trudie Styler. They introduced the couple two years ago.

The actress Gwyneth Paltrow was maid of honour and two best-men were nightclub owner Piers Adam and film producer Matthew Vaughn.

Also invited were actor Rupert Everett and fashion designers Stella McCartney and Donatella Versace.

Madonna, aged 42, married Mr Ritchie, who is ten years her junior, in a ceremony steeped in the groom's Scottish heritage.

Mr Ritchie wore a kilt in the Hunting Mackintosh tartan and his bride's white Gothic-style dress was adorned with a sash of the same tartan. The bride was given away by her father, Tony Ciccone, and watched by her four-year-old daughter Lourdes.

A Church of Scotland minister, the Rev Susan Brown, who had baptised the couple's four-month old son Rocco yesterday in Dornoch Cathedral, presided.

Then guests were treated to a smoked salmon and haggis champagne reception followed by aceilidh- a traditional party with singing, dancing and Scottish music.

Mr and Mrs Ritchie are expected to spend their honeymoon in Sting's Grade 1 listed Tudor mansion in Wiltshire.

Yesterday hundreds of people came to Dornoch Cathedral to get a glimpse of Madonna and child as they arrived for the christening of Rocco.

Some even climbed trees to get a better view of the celebrities.

One fan, Sharon Sutherland from Inverness, was herself married at the cathedral seven years ago.

"I wanted to come here today because I have always been a fan of Madonna," she said.

Two men were arrested at the cathedral and charged with various offences - one of them hid inside the building during the baptism.     

Thousands flooded through the gate

Thousands of people spilled on to the city's streets cheering in the pouring rain to watch the historic ceremony which effectively ends the division of East and West Germany.

East German army engineers worked through the night to tunnel through one of two crossing points in the gate, which stands in the "no man's land" on the eastern side of the Berlin Wall.

West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl walked through to be greeted by Hans Modrow, the East German Prime Minister.

Both leaders, flanked by their mayors, shook hands in a moment which signalled the first time a West German leader has officially entered East Berlin.

Delighted crowds popped bottles of champagne, hugged and kissed and waved flags of a united Germany.

Within minutes the gates had opened and thousands of people flooded through from either side of the city.

Hundreds more scrambled on to the top of the wall in jubilation chanting "Deutschland", "Deutschland".

Mr Modrow made an impassioned speech before an audience of millions, broadcast live on television to East and West Germans.

He first paid tribute to Romanians where dictator Nicolae Ceausescu has been overthrown.

"The Brandenburg Gate is not just one of many," he said.

"The burning stench of war must never be smelled here. It must be a gate of peace."

His words were almost drowned out by cheers of "Helmut!","Helmut!"

Dr Kohl responded to the people by declaring it the "most important moment of my life".

The decision to open the gate was taken on Tuesday in Dresden by Dr Kohl and Mr Modrow during their first meeting.

The 200-year-old gate was built as a monument to Prussian power and it embodied German unity until Hitler's defeat at the end of the Second World War.

It subsequently became one of the most potent symbols of Cold War division of Germany and of Europe.

ceilidh: an informal social gathering at which there is Scottish or Irish folk music and singing and folk dancing and story telling（同乐会）