Marriage of Prince Charles and Camilla announced
The 10th of February 2005 AD
When the previous year the great British public was asked for its opinion on the possible marriage of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles the response was that 40 per cent either didn’t care, or had no opinion. In spite of which the quality press earnestly debated the matter as regards its constitutional ramifications – the future head of the Anglican Church marrying a divorcee whose husband still lived, and the title his intended would take upon marriage and once Charles became king, should he ever do so; and the tabloids enjoyed gossip about Camilla ’s alleged role in the break-up of the Prince’s previous marriage.
On February 10 2005 the announcement was made to little excitement, given that the marriage had been a racing certainty. The Prince’s sons expressed their pleasure at the forthcoming event, as did the Queen (who, however, failed to attend the ceremony). Party leaders tried to sound delighted but sounded less than overwhelmed, as was understandable. The Archbishop of Canterbury said what archbishops of Canterbury do about royal marriages. The most emotional response must have been the relief felt by the royal staff members, especially those at Clarence House , who had been fielding questions about the nature of the relationship for a long time.
Given the couple were in their mid-fifties there was little discussion of romance, which in a way was strange – they had met first in 1970, and been in love on and off since then, ‘duty’, poor decisions and fate getting in the way. Theirs indeed seems to have been and be an enduring love.
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