- A Wedding Plagued with Challenges
A Twisted Journey to Love: Charles and Camilla's Tumultuous Wedding
let's dive into the rollercoaster ride of a love story that's spanned decades, with twists and turns aplenty. The current King Charles III (76) and Queen Consort Camilla (77) are celebrating their 20th wedding anniversary on April 9, but their road to the altar was paved with complications.
The couple first crossed paths in the 1970s, before separating to tie the knot with other partners. Charles wed the late Princess Diana in 1981, while Camilla married Andrew Parker Bowles in 1973. Their relationship took an unconventional turn in the 1980s, as Charles and Camilla began an extramarital affair. The marriage between Charles and Diana crumbled, ending in divorce in 1996. Diana's tragic death followed shortly after in a car crash in Paris.
Famously unpopular towards the end of the 1990s, Charles and Camilla—who had divorced Parker Bowles in 1995—still chose to walk down the aisle together. Their first public appearance as a couple took place in London in January 1999, capturing the attention of the world.
Announcing Their Union
On February 10, 2005, the couple made their engagement official. Queen Elizabeth II, who initially showed reluctance towards Camilla following Diana's demise, was ultimately convinced to extend her blessings. Sources close to the royal family claim that Prince Charles's sons, Prince William (42) and Prince Harry (40), were also skeptical of the union but eventually came to support it. In his memoir "Spare," Prince Harry shares that he and William had urged their father against remarrying to avoid harsh media scrutiny and uncomfortable comparisons with Diana.
obstacles arise
As the wedding date approached, obstacles began to arise. The initial plan was to hold the ceremony at Windsor Castle, but due to legal requirements, the civil ceremony was moved to a registry office in Windsor instead. The religious blessing was still set to take place at the Chapel of St. George at the castle.
a pivotal absence
One of the most significant question marks loomed over Queen Elizabeth II's decision not to attend the civil ceremony of her son. Rumors swirled that a registry office was beneath her dignity or that she disapproved of the marriage to Camilla. The truth may be less sensational; Queen Elizabeth, as the head of the Church of England, did not endorse divorce, but she ultimately supported the union as the host of the blessing ceremony and the wedding reception.
the pope's demise
Several days before the planned wedding, tragedy struck when Pope John Paul II passed away in Rome. As the heir apparent, Charles represented Queen Elizabeth II at the pope's funeral on the couple's original wedding day. The wedding had to be postponed for a day.
a health scare for the bride
In a bid of bad luck, Camilla fell ill with a sinus infection just before the wedding. To add to her woes, the usually calm and composed Camilla reportedly suffered an emotional breakdown in the lead up to the day[1].
slipping up on the big day
On the day of the wedding, Camilla was plagued by difficulties, slipping up by donning two different shoes, one with a 2-centimeter heel and the other with a 5-centimeter heel[5]. Queen Elizabeth noticed the blunder and reportedly laughingly helped her cover it up. Mixed reactions filled the air as the couple made their way through Windsor, with boos amidst the cheers from onlookers. Some royal fans even perceived Queen Elizabeth's decision to wear white at the blessing ceremony as a sign of disapproval of the union.
Despite these obstacles, the couple's union has proven to be a lucky one, as they continue to navigate life together scandal-free to this day.
- Camilla
- 20th Anniversary
- King Charles
- Queen Elizabeth II
- Royal Family
- Windsor
- Princess Diana
- Andrew Parker Bowles
- Media Scrutiny
- Obstacles
- Affair
- Divorce
- Memoir
- Sinussen Infectie
- Shoe Mishap
- Mixed Reactions
- Scandal-free Marriage
Camilla, standing on the 20th anniversary of her marriage to King Charles, had faced obstacles from Queen Elizabeth II's initial disapproval to a shoe mishap on their wedding day. Due to legal requirements, their civil ceremony took place at a registry office, followed by a religious blessing at Windsor Castle. Despite Camilla falling ill with a sinus infection and mixed reactions from royal fans, they have managed to maintain a scandal-free marriage for 20 years, following decades of complexities and complications, including an affair during the 1980s that led to the divorce of both Charles and Princess Diana in the 1990s.
