King Charles has been married twice, as many royal fans are aware. His first marriage was to the late Princess Diana, who is also the mother of his children, Prince William and Prince Harry. Charles and Diana were married from 1981 to 1996.
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Following his separation from Princess Diana, then-Prince Charles rekindled his relationship with Camilla, who has also been divorced. However, their relationship was not well received by the public, due to the public’s love of Princess Diana and her untimely death.
Nonetheless, despite the backlash, King Charles continued his relationship with Queen Camilla, whom he had met 30 years prior, and eventually the two tied the knot. However, due to the circumstances of their union, they couldn’t have a typical lavish Royal wedding, and two key members of the family were absent.
King Charles and Queen Camilla had a brief engagement
As per People, King Charles and Queen Camilla, who recently had an awkward exchange with Brigitte Macron, only had a few months between when they announced their engagement to when the ceremony took place. Indeed, then-Prince Charles announced his engagement on February 10, 2005.
Mrs. Parker Bowles and I are absolutely delighted. It will be a very special day for us and our families.
Following the announcement, the newly engaged couple attended a charity gala at Windsor Castle, where Camilla revealed that Charles had gotten down on one knee to propose. When asked about it, Camilla said, as reported by The Telegraph:
Of course. What else?
The late Queen Elizabeth had expressed she and Prince Philip were ‘very happy’ for Charles and Camilla and that they gave them their ‘warmest good wishes for their future together’.
The engagement ring
Then-Prince Charles had proposed to Camilla with a five-carat emerald-cut diamond flanked by three baguette diamonds on each side with an Art Deco design, as per Brides. At the time, not a lot of information was given by The Palace, except for the fact that it was a family heirloom.
According to The Court Jeweller, the engagement ring was a part of the Queen Mother’s collection. King Charles’ grandmother had been photographed wearing the ring in the 1980s, but it wasn’t used as an engagement ring.
As per a blog post by New York City jeweller Taylor & Hart, the ring was gifted to the Queen Mother as a ‘push present’. King George VI had reportedly given her the ring following the birth of Queen Elizabeth II.
It is said that King Charles had a close relationship with his grandmother and it has been suggested that he deliberately chose a piece from his grandmother’s collection for his future wife.
It is unclear of the ring’s history before it came into the Queen Mother’s possession. However, according to Brides, the ring is estimated to be worth around $288,000 (£227,000). Queen Camilla is no stranger to wearing jewellery pieces from King Charles’ grandmother.
Indeed, she has previously worn the Greville Tiara, which the Queen Mother had inherited from Dame Margaret Greville. Camilla had first worn the tiara at a state banquet in 2006, as reported by Brides.
Just two months after the engagement was announced, King Charles and Queen Camilla tied the knot on April 9, 2005, in a civil ceremony.
King Charles and Queen Camilla didn’t have a lavish Royal wedding
King Charles and Queen Camilla married in a civil ceremony at the Windsor Guildhall. As both Charles and Camilla had been married before and the end of their marriages was not due to a death, it would have gone against Palace principles for the couple to have a typical lavish wedding, as per Town & Country.
Moreover, for the same reasons, the late Queen Elizabeth and her husband, Prince Philip decided not to attend the civil ceremony, as Her Majesty was the head of the Church. Indeed, when Queen Elizabeth’s uncle, King Edward VIII, wanted to marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson, he was forced to give up the throne.
As per Town & Country, by 2002, the Church had softened its view on divorce, allowing Charles to marry Camilla. The view on divorce is less stigmatised in the Royal Family, as several members have divorced, and Prince Harry was allowed to marry Meghan Markle, who has been divorced once before.
Despite not attending the civil ceremony, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip attended the blessing at St. George’s Chapel, where the late Queen Elizabeth gave a warning to her new daughter-in-law.
Queen Elizabeth allegedly warned Camilla about her choice of accessory
For her wedding day, Queen Camilla wore two outfits. For the civil ceremony, she wore a white dress and coat with a wide-brimmed white Philip Treacy hat. For the blessing at St. George’s Chapel, Camilla wore a long blue-grey coat with gold embroidery and accessorised with a gold feathered headpiece.
As per Daily Mail, April 9, 2005, proved to be a very windy day, and as the newlywed couple descended the steps, Camilla was seen holding her feathered headpiece. A lipreader has revealed what was allegedly said between the couple, as well as the warning the late Queen Elizabeth had given her new daughter-in-law.
As per the lipreader, then-Prince Charles had been making jokes about Camilla’s headpiece, shortly after Camilla had stated she wished she hadn’t worn them, to which he jokingly said:
They look awful.
Then adding, as per the lipreader:
You're only going to poke my eye.
Camilla took the situation in her stride, reportedly saying that she wants them to ‘blow away’ while revealing that it ‘wasn't a very good idea’. The late Queen Elizabeth then chimes in telling her son:
I did warn her, wearing feathers.
The Royals are no strangers to wardrobe malfunctions due to the unpredictable weather, especially the women in the family who often wear skirts or dresses, and have been forced to hold them down due to strong gusts of winds.
Read more:
Queen Elizabeth II reportedly attempted to break up King Charles and Camilla
Queen Camilla's engagement ring is worth £212K and it belonged to the Queen Mother
Princess Anne: The real reason why she divorced Captain Mark Phillips
Sources used:
Daily Mail: ‘EXCLUSIVELip reader reveals the VERY important warning the Queen gave to Camilla on her wedding day to Charles’
Brides: ‘The Unexpected History of Queen Camilla’s 5-Carat Engagement Ring’
The Court Jeweller: ‘QUEEN CAMILLA’S ROYAL WEDDING JEWELS’
The Telegraph: ‘Charles to marry Camilla’
Town & Country: ‘What Was King Charles and Queen Camilla's Wedding Really Like?’
People: ‘King Charles and Queen Camilla's Relationship Timeline’
