Royal newlyweds write wedding prayer

LONDON, April 29 (UPI) -- Britain's Prince William and Princess Kate asked God to help them serve and provide comfort where needed in a prayer they wrote for their wedding day.

The prayer was read by the Rev. Richard Chartres, bishop of London and dean of Her Majesty's Royal Chapel, during the wedding ceremony at Westminster Abbey.

"God, our Father, we thank you for our family, the love we share and the joy of our marriage," the prayer began. "Keep our eyes fixed on what is real and important in life. … Strengthened by our union, help us to serve and comfort those who suffer."

Chartres spoke of marriage and the opportunities for growth it provides.

The wedding day was a "joyful day," Chartres said. "It is good that people on every continent can share. This say … is a day of hope."

"In a sense, every wedding is a royal wedding," he said, because the couple is making a new life together.