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Madonna, fiancé and baby Rocco enthrall Highland town

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December 22, 2000 

DORNOCH, Scotland-- (AP) - Dornoch is no stranger to British royalty. But it only took seconds for Madonna, the long-reigning queen of pop, to steal their crown.

Madonna and British film director Guy Ritchie, who will marry Friday at nearby Skibo Castle, appeared fleetingly before an excited crowd after their four-month-old baby Rocco's baptism at this Highland town's 13th century cathedral.

Long before the Thursday evening ceremony, locals had scrambled up precariously swaying trees to catch a glimpse of the couple and their celebrity friends. Others climbed ladders to perch on roofs.

"Pipe bands greeted the queen and the queen mother when they visited us and a few people turned out. But everybody appeared to see this woman Madonna," said guesthouse owner Jim Matheson. "She had them all in the palm of her hand.

"Never, ever has there been anything to compare with Madonna in Dornoch," he added, after braving a wet and wobbly ladder to get down from his roof. "And we will never know her like again."

Looking demure in a long, double-breasted cream-colored coat, Madonna smiled and waved as she arrived at Dornoch Cathedral.

Heavy fog gave the scene a gauzy, pastel quality, softening the purposeful menace of Madonna's private security men who shepherded the guests into the church. No one entered without an invitation.

When they emerged half an hour later, the couple paused briefly on the step as Ritchie held their baby swathed in blankets. Then they climbed into their car and disappeared into the mist, tailed by star guests including singer Sting, actress Gwyneth Paltrow and actor Rupert Everett.

"I was hanging on to a fence on my tiptoes for two hours. My feet are killing me, but it was worth it," said Margaret Wilson, 47. "Rocco was just a small wee bundle, and Madonna, such a lovely wee lady."

"My mission since I was small has been to see Madonna," said a delighted Elizabeth Gwinne, 28. "Now I'm off to celebrate with an extra large portion of fish and chips - with extra salt and vinegar!"

It was a rare public moment in an event surrounded by much secrecy and security.

Friday's wedding is expected to be strictly private and safely inside Skibo Castle, developed a century ago as steel baron Andrew Carnegie's palatial vacation hideaway overlooking Dornoch Firth.

Police reported that Madonna's private security force ejected three photographers who had intruded into the sprawling castle grounds. A man also was arrested late Thursday after he was discovered inside the cathedral following the ceremony.

The photographers "were apparently trying to divert the security while others took pictures, but the place is swarming with security and they dealt with the problem quickly," said Elayne Grimes, spokeswoman for the Northern Constabulary. Police were not called.

Calum Fraser, the bagpipe artiste known as Spud the Piper who has been frequently interviewed between performances, said the publicity has paid off for him with a booking in Bulgaria in February.

He had serenaded Madonna and Ritchie on arrival at Inverness with "Like a Virgin," and said he was practicing Stevie Wonder's "Isn't she Lovely?" ahead of the wedding.

Earlier in the day, officials waived the usual rule that a marrying couple has to collect the official paperwork.

The registrar in Dornoch, Lesley Conner, delivered the registration Thursday morning to the couple, who are keeping to themselves in the luxury of Skibo Castle.

The registration formalities, which require the names of all marrying couples to be publicly posted, gave the world the first confirmation that Madonna Louise Ciccone, 42, would marry Guy Stuart Ritchie, 32, on Dec. 22.

Dornoch's 2,500 people appear to be enjoying the hoopla, though it has caused some inconvenience.

Davie Hewison, 67-year-old organic gardener, cycled in and out of traffic cones and police barriers blocking the entrance to Dornoch's main road.

"I've not seen such activity since I was at the great cattle market shows in my native Orkney Islands," he said, surveying the massed photographers.

"I suppose it's great for the town, but I just wish I owned a hardware store selling ladders, chains and padlocks to these photographers. I'd be set up for life."

However, some feared the town would struggle to come back down to earth again after the stars depart.

"Och! It's all going to fall a little flat after the weekend," said Matheson's wife, Rose. "It's just as well Christmas is approaching. That should keep spirits high."