an article from ctv.ca
Prince Charles to marry Camilla Parker Bowles
Prince Charles announced Thursday he will marry his longtime partner Camilla Parker Bowles, but she won't become queen.
The Prince of Wales and Parker Bowles will tie the knot on April 8 at Windsor Castle, Clarence House, the Prince's residence and office confirmed.
"Camilla Parker Bowles was often disliked by the people in this country, sometimes blamed for what happened to the marriage of Charles and Diana," CTV's Tom Kennedy reported from London.
But he added that the tide seems to have turned.
"Generally now people are perceiving this wedding as the natural evolution of a couple who have been in love for a very long time," he said.
The announcement has also received the royal stamp of approval from Queen Elizabeth who said in a statement: "The Duke of Edinburgh and I are very happy that the Prince of Wales and Mrs. Parker Bowles are to marry."
Prince Charles' sons William and Harry are "delighted'' at the news, a spokesman for Prince Charles said.
Prime Minister Tony Blair also said he was "delighted for the Prince of Wales and Camilla Parker Bowles, it is very happy news." He added that the British cabinet sent their "congratulations and good wishes."
The marriage ceremony for the bride and groom, who are both divorced, will be a civil one, not a Church of England service.
"The wedding will be a largely private occasion for family and friends. There will be a civil ceremony in Windsor Castle," said Clarence House, Prince Charles' residence and office.
"There will subsequently be a service of prayer and dedication in St. George's Chapel at which the Archbishop of Canterbury will preside."
But Parker Bowles -- reportedly dubbed "the Rottweiler" by Diana and blamed by the late Princess for the breakup of her marriage -- will not be known as Queen Camilla if Prince Charles becomes king.
Rather, she will be known as Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cornwall. If Prince Charles becomes King, she will be known as the Princess Consort.
"She will not be queen," John Aimers of the Monarchist League of Canada told Canada AM.
"Immediately, she will be a Royal Highness though, which is a very significant title, only given to the closest members of the Royal Family," he said.
He agreed that the decision to name her Duchess of Cornwall was a conscious one.
"They had to avoid the title of Princess of Wales so as not to upset the sensitivities of those who are in the Diana camp," he said.
The news comes amid recent controversy.
"What has been a little bit controversial recently is the rapidity at which (Prince Charles') estate has been growing," Kennedy reported.
"The other thing that has been a little bit controversial is the fact that the expenses of Camilla Parker Bowles is now part of that royal household expense," he said.
But he said there was barely any mention of the controversies surrounding Prince Charles in the excitement of the wedding buzz.
Kennedy reported that there's a little more bounce in Charles's step today, according to those who know the prince well.
Royal biographer Robert Lacey said he thinks "most people in their hearts like the idea of a middle-aged man who has worked so hard for the country being happy."
Charles, 56, divorced Princess Diana in 1996, a year before she was killed in a Paris car crash.
Parker Bowles, 57, obtained her divorce from army officer Andrew Parker Bowles in 1995.
Prince Charles and Parker Bowles have a long history that began when they met at a polo match in 1970.
According to royal folk legend, Parker Bowles reportedly told him: "My great-great-grandmother was your great-great-grandfather's mistress, so how about it?"
Parker Bowles was vilified by the public after tapes of intimate conversations between her and Prince Charles emerged in 1992 while he was still married.
In a 1994 television interview, Prince Charles admitted that he had been unfaithful during his marriage to Diana.
After Diana's death, Parker Bowles made tentative steps to win public approval by accompanying Prince Charles to galas and posing for official photographs with him. They now live together at his Clarence House residence in London.
Last year a Populus poll indicated that 32 per cent of Britons supported the marriage while 29 per cent were opposed. Thirty-eight per cent of Britons said they didn't care either way.
With files from The Associated Press and a report by CTV's Tom Kennedy