RHINEBECK, NEW YORK // Bill and Hillary Clinton's daughter has married her long-time boyfriend in the picturesque New York village of Rhinebeck in what has been dubbed America's royal wedding. Chelsea Clinton, the only child of the former US president and the US secretary of state, wed Marc Mezvinsky at Astor Courts, an historic 50-acre estate on the Hudson River, about 160 km north of New York City.
"Today, we watched with great pride and overwhelming emotion as Chelsea and Marc wed in a beautiful ceremony at Astor Courts, surrounded by family and their close friends," Bill and Hillary Clinton said in a statement. "We could not have asked for a more perfect day to celebrate the beginning of their life together, and we are so happy to welcome Marc into our family," the statement said. "On behalf of the newlyweds, we want to give special thanks to the people of Rhinebeck for welcoming us and to everyone for their well-wishes on this special day."
The statement, sent just after 7.30pm (12.30am GMT today), did not indicate exactly when the nuptials took place. Chelsea Clinton, 30, and Mezvinsky, 32, have known each other since they were teenagers. He is an investment banker, whose parents Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky and Edward Mezvinsky were once Democratic US House of Representatives members. Chelsea Clinton, who worked at a New York hedge fund and has more recently studied health policy at Columbia University, has kept a low profile since her father left the White House in January 2001, although she campaigned for her mother during her failed run for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination.
* Reuters