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| Sunday, 3 April 2005 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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The wedding of Charles and Camilla : Not quite the royal affair Compiled by Rikaza Hassan
"She had the sexual morals of an alley cat." Historian Victoria Glendinning of Alice Keppel. Semi-official escort, a strong influence and Queen Alexandra's humiliation, Alice Keppel, minor socialite, was the longest serving mistress of King Edward VII. There's was an extra marital affair that began in 1898, before the then Prince of Wales acceded his mother to the throne, and was brought to an end only by the King's death in 1910. In an age where divorce was more than reprehensible to a loveless marriage or discreet bed-hopping, Alice Keppel was a fantastic help to the notoriously amorous King, both in and out of bed, "More than his wife could have ever been" says writer Christopher Wilson. "She was one of the few people in his circle able to defuse his canterkerous mood swings."
Nearly a century later, her great granddaughter would proposition the present Prince of Wales, "My great grandmother and your great great grandfather were lovers, so how about it?" Whether Camilla Shand actually uttered the final words of the question or not, at a party soon after they first met at a polo match in 1970 is moot. But they most certainly embarked on a 34-year-old love affair that will culminate in marriage on the 8th of this month. Camilla too seems to have fared much better than Alice; who after the King's death was not even allowed to sign the book of condolences. The remarkably strong attachment between Charles and Camilla has survived an onslaught of bad press, disapproval by the monarchy and outright hostility from Diana sympathisers. Even after they announced their engagement and Camilla proudly displayed her platinum and gold engagement ring, a family heirloom, at a party soon thereafter, the couple have been besieged by obstacles. At first they had to change their wedding venue from Windsor Castle to the Guildhall at Windsor when it was discovered that registering Windsor Castle as a wedding venue would enable other couples to marry there as well. (The Guildhall will cost them Sterling Pounds 265 plus an extra Sterling Pounds 20 as it is on a Friday.) Questions were also being raised as to the legality of the marriage until the Lord Chancellor, Lord Falconer assured parliament that the ceremony was in accordance with "Part III of the Marriage Act 1949" as well as supported by the Human Rights Act. The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh added to the embarrassing list of setbacks, when they announced that they will not be attending the ceremony, though they were "Very happy for the couple." It will be attended however by Charles' two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry and his three siblings: Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward and his wife Sophie. Prince William and Camilla's son Tom will be the witnesses. The pair will continue with a royal tradition begun by the Queen Mother in 1923 and exchange wedding rings made from Welsh gold. Camilla Parker Bowles will be wearing an outfit designed by her longtime favourite, Robinson Valentine, credited with helping change her image from the dowdy, outdoorsy type to the classy, royal. Her hat is to be designed by Philip Treacy.
The Queen is due to attend the church service at St. George's Chapel afterwards where Charles and Parker Bowles are due to say a prayer of penitence for their past sins. The Bishop of Salisbury, David Satcliffe publicly suggested that the Prince of Wales should apologise to the husband of Camilla for committing adultery during their marriage. The Queen will also hold a reception; instead of the lavish banquet expected however, she will only be hosting a finger buffet for the 700 guests invited. The couple will honeymoon in Balmoral but will be forced to share the estate with pony trekkers, anglers, hikers and other curious holiday makers as the castle will be opened for business as usual. Further, Birkhall, the old home of the Queen Mother will be opened to visitors two weeks before the couple begin residence there. The announcement of the wedding and the tepid royal response has unleashed a volley of protests, and criticisms and questions as to whether the couple would go through with the wedding. The Sunday Express recently claimed, to flat denials from Clarence House, that the Prince of Wales was on the brink of cancelling the entire ceremony while on his official visit to Australia and New Zealand, quoting a former close aide as saying, "He threw his hands up and said, To hell with it. Everyone's on my back. Let's forget the whole thing. It further claimed that the prince was so depressed that his future bride had to talk him around and even completely take over the wedding arrangements. Camilla Parker Bowles, who will be known as the Duchess of Cornwall subsequent her marriage is also expected to accompany Prince Charles on his official visit to the US in October or November this year. Clarence House refused to confirm but said it was possible that she would go along with the prince where ever his visit is to be. Prince Charles received an open invitation from George and Laura Bush to the White House. However certain people warn that the pair should tread carefully as the US is still considered to be a country where Princess Diana is immensely popular. In the seventies, Camilla Shand was described as a "fanciable slim blonde with an earthy sense of humour and bounding self-confidence." While she was not conventionally pretty, she exerted a magnetism over other men with her unaffected manner. She shared Charles' love of riding, polo, hunting and other aristocratic country pursuits. They also shared a similar sense of humour. Charles was irretrievably drawn into Camilla's presence. The young Charles was known to have remarked airily, "I've fallen in love with all sorts of girls and I fully intend to go on doing so" but it was in 1972 when he returned from his stint in the Navy to find Camilla engaged to her on-off boyfriend and long time admirer that he realised the enormous loss he had suffered. For while Charles hedged and hawed, Camilla had got fed-up with waiting for him to pop the question. Once again Charles began to date the numerous suitable contenders for a future queen within the aristocracy, though he was made to give-up the married women whom he considered 'safe candidates' for meaningless flings. Fresh, naive and young, Lady Diana Spencer was considered the perfect candidate to be the future Queen and even considered by Camilla, who apparently played an active role in choosing a wife for Charles to be 'mousy.' While she was not 'just the girl for him' like Camilla was, she was most definitely suitable. Trustingly, Diana was only 'bemused' by Charles unique friendship with Camilla. Married with two children, Camilla was considered to be sufficiently aristocratic and old enough to be Diana's mentor and advisor. However Diana's instincts began to rebel as she realised she was being courted very publicly and that the Parker Bowleses was present at most of the venues, whether Balmoral, Sandringham, Windsor or at the homes of friends. At the time of her engagement to Charles, Diana had 'realised there was somebody else around.' And Charles' disturbing relationship with Camilla showed no signs of abating. Rather it seemed only to grow even after marriage. Camilla and Charles continued to rendezvous with and without the knowledge of Diana, Camilla using Charles love of hunting to keep a firm hold on him. As the day of the nuptials neared, Diana was only to be put more and more into a quandary: she would overhear Charles reassure Camilla that 'whatever happens I will always love you' and discovered an engraved gold bracelet that Charles had bought as a parting token for Camilla and presented to her two days before his wedding. On July 29, 1981 Lady Diana Spencer wed the Prince of Wales at St. Paul's Cathedral. As Diana jealous and distrustful became bulimic and depressed, the flame of passion between Charles and Camilla only burnt even brighter. By 1985 speculation was rife that the couple, who now had two sons (an heir and a spare, as some put it) were having serious marital disagreements. It was in June 1992 when biographer Andrew Morton published 'Diana: Her True Story' with the blessings of the Princess of Wales, who even taped herself for Morton, that the other woman, dubbed 'the rotweiler' was named. Five months later Charles and Diana publicly announced their separation. As the media was driven to a frenzy, Camilla faced most of the public's aggravation, getting bread rolls thrown at her by other women in a supermarket. In June 1994, Charles admitted in a television interview that he had committed adultery, adding 'both of us having tried.' Not to be outdone, Diana, eyes beautifully made up and pleading gave an extensive interview to BBC's Martin Bashir. It was then that she would utter the memorable phrase, "There were three of us in the marriage, so it was a bit crowded." In 1996 Charles and Diana divorced and Diana began to turn a new page with her life. As time passed and old wounds healed, she not only managed to at least partly forgive the marriage wrecker and the adulterous husband, but also to wish them well. She continued to be in the media's spotlight, however, her many romances making front page news in the UK's notorious tabloids. In July 1997, Charles threw a party for Camilla's 50th birthday and Diana not wanting to be in the way decided to take a holiday with Dodi Al Fayed. By the end of August next month, her untimely death in an as yet unexplained car crash while fleeing the paparazzi at the Arc De Triomphe, Paris, would take the world by storm, breaking the hearts of many, but most importantly leave two boys in an already delicate situation, without a mother. When Charles and Camilla finally say "I do", it may not necessarily lay to rest the memory of Diana. For, when beauty and tragedy combine so assiduously, it is not easily forgotten. It will also not answer the many 'what ifs' that this triangular saga has raised: What if Camilla had waited longer? What if Charles had popped the question? What if Diana had been unafraid to not go along with the wedding? It will however force us to accept that these questions will forever remain unanswered. *** What the papers around the world had to say "The relationship between Charles and his future wife is not the typical extra marital flirtation but a unique love story which has not been damaged by attacks of jealousy, external pressure and the most humiliating collection of front pages in the press in living memory." La Razon, Spain. "No one has ever understood Charles' love for her. The British people loved Diana and Charles loved Camilla...Now, after 30 years Camilla will finally cease to be the 'other'." Publico, Portugal "This is all about a couple... marrying late in life after trials, tribulations and divorces... showing that life can begin again at an age old enough to be a grandparent." Le Temps, Switzerland "And this is the finish of a great love story with two endings: one happy, the other not." La Nacion, Argentina "The sensational marriage of Prince Charles looks certain to eclipse the run-up to the May parliamentary election in Britain - which will be the best present for the Labour Party." Rossiykaya Gazeta, Russia *** With love from the tiffin carriers On his 2003 visit to Mumbai, Prince Charles met with the tiffin carriers of India, coming away more than impressed by the efficiency of the estimated 5000 tiffin carriers, locally known as 'dabbawallahs', who deliver around 175,000 lunch boxes daily with an accuracy rated at 99.99% by Forbes magazine. i.e. one error in eight million deliveries. The lunch boxes are transported in trains, cycles and wooden carriers, passing through as many as four hands before it reaches the customers' hands on time. The tiffin carriers were grateful for their meeting with Prince Charles, "The Prince of Wales gave us so much importance. He chose to meet us instead of the high profile people." As a token of appreciation they have decided to gift the Prince and his bride with traditional Indian wedding presents: an Indian head dress for Charles and a green six metre silk saree with a traditional zari border, blouse and green glass bangles. The gifts will be couriered to Buckingham Palace and will cost the delivery men $60; a typical tiffin carrier earns between $80 and $95 a month. |
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