Malc
02-10-2005, 06:31 AM
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4252795.stm
Prince Charles to marry Camilla
Charles and Camilla
The prince and Mrs Parker Bowles first met at a polo match in 1970
Prince Charles will marry his long-term partner Camilla Parker Bowles on 8 April, Clarence House says.
The ceremony will take place at Windsor Castle and Mrs Parker Bowles will take the title HRH the Duchess of Cornwall.
When the Prince of Wales becomes King, Camilla will not be known as Queen Camilla but as the Princess Consort, Clarence House added.
The move will end years of speculation on a relationship which has spanned the decades since they first met in 1971.
The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh have given the Prince of Wales and Mrs Parker Bowles their "warmest good wishes for their future together", Buckingham Palace said
Charles was married to Diana, Princess of Wales, who died in a car crash in 1997.
The princess famously referred to Mrs Parker Bowles as one of the contributing factors in the breakdown of her marriage to Charles.
Religious issues
The couple, who had two sons - princes William and Harry - had divorced when Diana died in Paris, eight years ago.
Conservative leader Michael Howard said he was "delighted" at the news, but Downing Street has refused to comment until a full statement is released by Clarence House.
Mrs Parker Bowles' current position has meant that her status was dogged with problems, including her seating at social functions away from her partner.
Last June, Mrs Parker Bowles was mentioned in the Prince's accounts, which marked a new realm of acceptance.
They [the Royal Family] will be watching very carefully to see how public opinion unfolds
Nicholas Witchell
BBC Royal Correspondent
The marriage is likely to be a sensitive issue because Mrs Parker Bowles is divorced and her former husband is still alive.
If he became king, Charles would be the supreme governor of the Church of England and some Anglicans remain opposed to the remarriage of divorcees.
The church is officially neutral on the issue, but former Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey recently urged the couple to marry.
BBC Royal Correspondent Nicholas Witchell said: "This is a step not without considerable risk by the Royal Family.
Legislation change?
"They will be watching very carefully to see how public opinion unfolds."
He said the prospect of Mrs Parker Bowles taking on a subsidiary title like Duchess of Cornwall, but not becoming Princess of Wales and then Queen was "not as easy as it sounds".
"There would have to be primary legislation to achieve such a result as that. Not only in this country but in all the other countries in which the Prince of Wales will supposedly be king," he added.
Last year, a poll indicated that more Britons support Prince Charles marrying Camilla Parker Bowles than oppose it.
Public opinion
Of those who responded to a Populus poll, 32% said they would support Charles if he remarried, while 29% were opposed.
However, most people - 38% - said they did not care, while 2% had no opinion.
Mrs Parker Bowles has joined the Prince at numerous engagements in recent years - mostly at evening events for The Prince's Trust.
Clarence House staff were at pains to point out that she attended these events in a private capacity.
But the impending wedding will now allow her to be at the Prince's side full-time in an official capacity.
This is quite a big thing because it means the public are now starting to accept Camilla who was Charles only real love he was reported to be having a affair with Camilla before, after and during his marriage to Diana but at the time it was politically unacceptable to marry Camilla as she was a divorcey.
Prince Charles to marry Camilla
Charles and Camilla
The prince and Mrs Parker Bowles first met at a polo match in 1970
Prince Charles will marry his long-term partner Camilla Parker Bowles on 8 April, Clarence House says.
The ceremony will take place at Windsor Castle and Mrs Parker Bowles will take the title HRH the Duchess of Cornwall.
When the Prince of Wales becomes King, Camilla will not be known as Queen Camilla but as the Princess Consort, Clarence House added.
The move will end years of speculation on a relationship which has spanned the decades since they first met in 1971.
The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh have given the Prince of Wales and Mrs Parker Bowles their "warmest good wishes for their future together", Buckingham Palace said
Charles was married to Diana, Princess of Wales, who died in a car crash in 1997.
The princess famously referred to Mrs Parker Bowles as one of the contributing factors in the breakdown of her marriage to Charles.
Religious issues
The couple, who had two sons - princes William and Harry - had divorced when Diana died in Paris, eight years ago.
Conservative leader Michael Howard said he was "delighted" at the news, but Downing Street has refused to comment until a full statement is released by Clarence House.
Mrs Parker Bowles' current position has meant that her status was dogged with problems, including her seating at social functions away from her partner.
Last June, Mrs Parker Bowles was mentioned in the Prince's accounts, which marked a new realm of acceptance.
They [the Royal Family] will be watching very carefully to see how public opinion unfolds
Nicholas Witchell
BBC Royal Correspondent
The marriage is likely to be a sensitive issue because Mrs Parker Bowles is divorced and her former husband is still alive.
If he became king, Charles would be the supreme governor of the Church of England and some Anglicans remain opposed to the remarriage of divorcees.
The church is officially neutral on the issue, but former Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey recently urged the couple to marry.
BBC Royal Correspondent Nicholas Witchell said: "This is a step not without considerable risk by the Royal Family.
Legislation change?
"They will be watching very carefully to see how public opinion unfolds."
He said the prospect of Mrs Parker Bowles taking on a subsidiary title like Duchess of Cornwall, but not becoming Princess of Wales and then Queen was "not as easy as it sounds".
"There would have to be primary legislation to achieve such a result as that. Not only in this country but in all the other countries in which the Prince of Wales will supposedly be king," he added.
Last year, a poll indicated that more Britons support Prince Charles marrying Camilla Parker Bowles than oppose it.
Public opinion
Of those who responded to a Populus poll, 32% said they would support Charles if he remarried, while 29% were opposed.
However, most people - 38% - said they did not care, while 2% had no opinion.
Mrs Parker Bowles has joined the Prince at numerous engagements in recent years - mostly at evening events for The Prince's Trust.
Clarence House staff were at pains to point out that she attended these events in a private capacity.
But the impending wedding will now allow her to be at the Prince's side full-time in an official capacity.
This is quite a big thing because it means the public are now starting to accept Camilla who was Charles only real love he was reported to be having a affair with Camilla before, after and during his marriage to Diana but at the time it was politically unacceptable to marry Camilla as she was a divorcey.