Is Camilla a Catholic?

[CasiraghiTrio]

True, it's not slander, just a mistake, but maybe the intent was slanderous, as the anti-Camilla movement may try using the fact she was married to a Roman Catholic to make a case against her being Queen. It would be a weak case, I grant you, because there is no law against a Catholic person's ex-wife being Queen, only against a Catholic being married to a royal, but the whole anti-Queen Camilla thing is a weak case in itself. They have no case, so they're just grabbing straws. Times and numbers are against them. More and more British people are Catholic, right? And the number of royal divorces in the last century negates the old divorce taboo. If Prince Charles can still be king as a divorcee, then what prohibits Camilla being his Queen Consort? Nothing. The so-called "case" against it is absurd.

[wbenson]

I think that if Camilla were to announce her Catholicism today, the bill changing the rules would be laid down in Parliament tomorrow, and hopefully be passed within the week and sent out concurrently to the Queen's other realms for approval. I doubt the government would want to be seen domestically or internationally as "the government that hates Catholics," whether such sentiments are accurate or not.

[Elspeth]

I'm not sure they'd need legislation in that case because the Duchess of Kent's conversion to Catholicism didn't affect the Duke's position in the line of succession. Also, Charles and Camilla aren't going to have children, so the question of the religion of a prospective monarch isn't relevant.

It would, however, be a good wake-up call that something needs to be done about this part of the Act of Settlement before the royal family is backed into a corner by an heir announcing he has a Catholic girlfriend and wants to get engaged to her.

[HRH Kerry]

I doubt that. This would not be the proper time if that was the case.

[Avalon]

To answer the question about the Duchess' religion, here is a quote from the Prince of Wales official website:

What religion do The Prince and The Duchess practice?

As Anglicans, The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall are members of The Church of England and regularly attend church.
The Prince also takes a interest in all faiths and over the years has spent a lot of time encouraging dialogue and good relations between Britain’s main faith communities.
In 1994, The Prince said of his future role as Head of the Church of England, which he would assume when he becomes King: “I personally would rather see it as Defender of Faith, not ‘The Faith’”.

The confusion may come from the fact the Duchess had a Catholic (first) wedding - because Andrew Parker Bowles was/is Catholic.

[love_cc]

Camilla married in the Guard Chapel and it is not a traditional cathelic church. I wonder whether a Roman Cathelic priest carried out the service. The program should have done a better background research. The matter has been cleared before the wedding of Charles and Camilla: Camilla is not a Roman Cathelic.

[tiaratop]

What about the girl who is going to marry Peter Phillips? Will he lose his place in line to the throan?

[cde]

Originally Posted by love_cc

Camilla married in the Guard Chapel and it is not a traditional cathelic church. I wonder whether a Roman Cathelic priest carried out the service. The program should have done a better background research. The matter has been cleared before the wedding of Charles and Camilla: Camilla is not a Roman Cathelic.

I looked around and can't find the article that Camilla and Andrew were married by a Catholic priest either. But I remember an article came out around the time of C+C's wedding mentioning that Camilla had married in a Catholic wedding. I also think it is very likely they were. Andrew's mother Ann was a serious catholic. From what I heard about her, I would be very suprised if they weren't married by a catholic priest. Tom and Laura were raised Catholic mostly due to her. On a side note, I was sort of surprised Tom hadn't gone to Ampleforth.

[Henri M.]

Originally Posted by love_cc

Camilla married in the Guard Chapel and it is not a traditional cathelic church. I wonder whether a Roman Cathelic priest carried out the service. The program should have done a better background research. The matter has been cleared before the wedding of Charles and Camilla: Camilla is not a Roman Cathelic.

The Royal Military Chapel, better known as "The Guards Chapel", Wellington Barracks, is used by all denominations of the Christian Church represented in the Royal Army Chaplains Department.

The normal services on Sunday are conducted in accordance with the rite of the Church of England.

The Guards officer Andrew Parker Bowles married his bride Miss Camilla Rosemary Shand, daughter of War-hero Major Bruce Middleton Hope Shand MC and Bar, in his "own" Chapel and most likely with a Roman-Catholic Army Chaplain.

[chrissy57]

Originally Posted by tiaratop

What about the girl who is going to marry Peter Phillips? Will he lose his place in line to the throan?

The simple answer is - Yes - if she is a Roman Catholic.

As there was no announcement about that at the time of the engagement then I will simply wait and see.

She may be prepared to convert before the wedding but if she is a Roman Catholic at the time of the marriage then Peter is removed from the line of succession but if the children are raised as anything other than RC then they can be in the line of succession in the same way that Prince Michael of Kent is no longer in the line of succession due to his marriage but their children are.

[izumi]

Although I have no intention to deny their tradition, I cannot understand the reason the British Royal Family reject only Catholics. The matter would be logical and understandable to me if they limited successors and their wives only to members of the Church of England because it is their state church and the king or queen is its head. But the reality is that their law seems to mind only Catholics.

Prince Charles would be king if Princess Camilla were a Lutheran, Orthodox, Buddhist, Muslim, Jehovah's Witness, Raelian or anything else, wouldn't he? However, he would not be allowed to be king if his wife were a Catholic. Why do they disfavor Catholics so much though they had Catholic kings and queens in the past? It looks unreasonable to me.

[BeatrixFan]

It's based on many many years of bloodshed and persecution against Catholics and Protestants. The monarch has to be Supreme Govenor of the Church of England which he can't be if he's Catholic.

[COUNTESS]

Originally Posted by BeatrixFan

It's based on many many years of bloodshed and persecution against Catholics and Protestants. The monarch has to be Supreme Govenor of the Church of England which he can't be if he's Catholic.

I am not Catholic, but it is time to change isn't it? It all seems so silly.

[BeatrixFan]

Well, open up that and you open up a can of worms the Royal Family really doesn't need opening right now.

[Aurora810]

It's not just Catholic is it? That seems cruel if it is! It's just that they have to be members of the Church of England. Right? That to me is different then ousting anyone based on the Catholic faith only. So if I understand correctly Prince William has to marry someone that is a member of CoE and not a lutheran, not jewish, not hindu, etc.? Similar to other royal marriages where Mary had to convert. Right? It's not that the British RF accepts anything but Catholic. Even Prince Philip had to convert from Greek Orthodox to the CoE in order to marry her Majesty back in 1947. Right?

[BeatrixFan]

It is indeed just Catholic. How we've ever got away with it under the EU I've no idea but it's probably best left as it is. Prince William can marry anyone in the Christian communion except a Catholic.

[pinkie40]

Prince Charles' handlers have not made themselves clear on whether APB and Camilla did or didn't marry in a Catholic ceremony. How ironic it was then for the Prince, the future head of the Anglican Church, sweltered and mopped his brow under the Roman sun as he paid his respect to the late Pope the very day he was really supposed to marry Camilla.

Can't tell me Saint Diana doesn't have pull with God up there in the clouds trying to throw off C&C! ROTFL!

[BeatrixFan]

They have indeed made it clear, it's been clear since the marriage of APB and Camilla. They married in a Catholic Church but Camilla didn't convert. It's quite common.

[wbenson]

Originally Posted by BeatrixFan

It is indeed just Catholic. How we've ever got away with it under the EU I've no idea but it's probably best left as it is. Prince William can marry anyone in the Christian communion except a Catholic.

For the EU to be involved someone has to file some kind of suit. For someone to file a suit they have to have a right abridged. Since nobody has ever been passed over due to their Catholicism (or even been close enough to claim likely passing over), nobody has had their rights abridged. If the law said that it was just illegal for someone in the line of succession to get married to a Catholic, then there would be grounds. Since the line of succession does not, in legal terms, exist, nobody can be denied a place in it.

[BeatrixFan]

Very true and I doubt any Royal close enough to the throne would a) convert and b) would challenge it. I was just registering my general suprise that the EU hadn't clamped down and said that the ban was an abuse of human rights or some similar line of rubbish.