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| Sunday, 17 April 2005 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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The wedding of Charles and Camilla : An elegant affair
The couple arrived at Windsor Guildhall in a Rolls Royce in the early afternoon, whereas the rest of the thirty invited guests including Princes William and Harry travelled in a tacky white bus, its panels laden with advertisements. Charles looked the usual Charles, opting for formal morning wear in an elegant shirt and tie instead of the military uniform complete with medals that he wore for his wedding to Diana. Camilla managed to impress all the fashion critics in her understated oyster silk basket-weave coat with herringbone stitch embroidery and a chiffon dress with applique detail, designed by Robinson Valentine. She also managed to strike one against all those who predicted she'd be wearing something in tweed even on her wedding day. Her natural straw hat overlaid with ivory French lace and trimmed with feathers was designed by Philip Treacy. After the ceremony Camilla changed into a full length porcelain blue silk dress with a hand painted ikat design, hand embroidered with gold thread work before leaving to Windsor Castle. Her headdress, this time, round consisted of gold leafed feathers tipped with Swarovski diamonds. Her choice in clothes were "brave, unusual and without a doubt a triumph", according to Elizabeth Emmanuel, Princess Diana's designer. The blessing ceremony at St. George's Chapel led by the Archbishop of Canterbury was attended by 800 of the couple's family and friends including the Queen, Prince Philip, the Prime Minister, other political figures and diplomats. Also invited were church leaders and celebrities. The service which was televised worldwide included both Charles and Camilla kneeling before the archbishop to seek forgiveness for prior misdeeds. In a prayer chosen by the couple, the newly weds confessed to "manifold sins and wickedness" and promised to be faithful to each other for the rest of their lives. The service over, they attended the reception hosted by the Queen at the castle's State Apartments, where they mingled with the guests. On offer were egg and cress sandwiches, mini Cornish pasties and scones. The Queen also made a speech at the reception where she said "Despite Bacher's Brook and The Chair and all kinds of other terrible obstacles my son has come through I'm very proud and wish them well." According to Britain's Press Association, Charles thanked a number of people in his speech at the reception: his father-in-law, his "wonderful sons," his staff and last but not the least his "darling Camilla." He also adopted his late grand mother's habit when making toasts by saying "Up!" before each name. Finally, garnering a huge cheer he added, "Down with the press." The exhausted Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall, who is now the second most senior female member of the royal family next to the Queen, then flew off to Scotland for their honeymoon Saturday night where they hope to get some peace and quiet after the hectic two months since they announced their engagement in February. Said Jennie Bond, the royal correspondent for BBC, "They'll probably have a large whiskey and a cuddle up." The couple started the first day of their honeymoon, Sunday by attending the local parish. They drove up in a grey Audi with Charles at the wheel where they were met by a few hundred villagers who wished them well. Charles wore a tartan kilt while the bride wore a fuchsia coat and matching feathered tam. The couple are staying at Birkhall, a hunting lodge on the Balmoral estate that Charles inherited from his grandmother. The newly weds are expected to spend at least ten days. Charles has described the 18th century lodge on the estate which was bought by Queen Victoria's husband, Prince Albert in the 19th century as a "unique haven of coziness and character." Charles also spent part of his honeymoon with Princess Diana at the estate though she is said to have not liked the estate, taking a dip in the town's local swimming pool to get away from it. The 34-year long romance finally bore fruit as they got married on the 9th of April. Battling the spate of ill luck that dogged them since the start and of course the infamous British tabloids which infuriated Charles by comparing Camilla to a horse and a rottweiler. Simply put, their wedding was as The Times' fashion editor said of the bridal outfits 'elegant and understated.' Camilla Couture There was no doubt that Camilla, Britain's new Duchess of Cornwall, made a good impression with the clothes she chose to wear on her wedding day. But it appeared that the feather head-dress that adorned her head for the blessing service nearly flew away. After the service Saturday, as she stood with her new husband on the church stairs, Camilla kept a steadying hand on the head-dress, which was covered in gold leaf and tipped with crystals. But for the actual wedding ceremony, which was held earlier in the day, Camilla chose a swirl of a dress in cream silk topped by a matching coat. The outfit was crowned with a stylish and intensely feminine straw hat overlaid with ivory French lace and trimmed with a fountain of feathers. Charles' Clarence House office said the dress designers Robinson Valentine wanted a "crisp clean look with subtle detailing" for the civil ceremony at Windsor's town hall. Britain's new Duchess of Cornwall wore pale beige suede court shoes with almond-coloured toes and a 1.9-inch heel. Her clutch purse was made from embossed calf leather with a half-flap closing and lined with suede. Flowers in the marriage room came from Charles's Highgrove country estate in west England and Raymill House, Camilla's home nearby; there was a lot of lily of the valley, symbol of the return of happiness. For the service of blessing at St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle, the duchess changed into another Robinson Valentine design, a long, fitted silk porcelain-blue dress and high-collared coat embroidered in gold thread, with a slight train; Clarence House said shades of blue and gold were her favorite colours. The outfit was inspired by a piece of jewelry that had belonged to the
duchess's mother; Robinson Valentine researched embroidery, technique and
fabric in the textile collection at the Victoria & Albert Museum and decided
the desired effect required them to create their own fabric. |
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| Produced by Lake House |
The obstacle laden path towards Britain's royal wedding this year finally
culminated in the marriage of Prince Charles to the now Duchess of Cornwall,
last Saturday after it was postponed by 24 hours to let the Prince of Wales
attend the funeral of the late Pope John Paul II. 
