The couple jetted out to the paradise island of Phuket to see in the New Year and exchanged vows during an intimate ceremony held at the exclusive Amanpuri Hotel at 1.30pm local time yesterday.

The ceremony was conducted by a Thai priest and is not thought to be legally binding in the UK.

Kate’s friend said: “This was not likely to be a formal wedding because Kate would have wanted all her family and friends there. It is much more likely to be a symbolic gesture to show everyone just how serious they are about each other.”

Kate, 32, and Pete, 27, had flowers draped over their shoulders for the ceremony and the model’s mother, Linda, also flew in for the wedding.

The couple are staying with friends at a five-bedroom, privately staffed, $4,500-a-night-villa, and the night before the service they attended a glitzy New Year’s Eve bash thrown by restaurateur David Tang.

Other guests at the party included the Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson and her daughters Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie.

One fellow revealer said: “It was an open secret that Kate and Pete were planning to get married on the island. People at the party seemed to know that it was happening. Kate and Pete were on good form and seemed really happy.” It is believed that the lovers are planning to official wed on January 18 after Kate told friends to keep that date free.