Palace Orchestrating Scottish Wedding for Charles and Camilla, Drudge Report, June 18, 2000
topa...@my-deja.com
June 18 2000 BRITAIN
Charles explores Scottish wedding with Camilla
Christopher Morgan, Religious Affairs Correspondent
THE Prince of Wales is "exploring" the possibility of a marriage to
Camilla Parker Bowles in the Church of Scotland.
A source close to one of the Queen's chaplains in Scotland, who has
knowledge of the secret discussions, said: "The prince has been told
that there would be no obstacle to his marrying here. He and Mrs Parker
Bowles would be very welcome."
Senior sources within the church confirmed that officials from St
James's Palace have been investigating the implications of a wedding.
Unlike the Church of England, which discourages the remarriage of
divorcees, the Church of Scotland allows divorcees to marry in church.
The Princess Royal married Captain Tim Laurence in 1992 in Crathie
parish church on the Balmoral estate.
"St James's Palace is exploring the feasibility and ramifications of
marriage in the Church of Scotland," said friends of the Moderator of
the Church of Scotland, Andrew McLellan.
Disclosure of the contacts follows Charles's unexpected decision to
bring Parker Bowles to a function at Holyroodhouse while he was acting
as lord high commissioner during the Church of Scotland's general
assembly last month. One source said that private discussions were
conducted during that visit.
Charles has previously ruled out the prospect of remarriage and the
official St James's line is that it is not on the agenda.Contacts with
the Church of Scotland would, however, indicate that other options were
being explored. One senior Buckingham Palace official said last
week: "It is Charles's long-term intention to marry Camilla."
The moves follow a clear indication from George Carey, the Archbishop
of Canterbury, that remarriage in the Church of England would not be
possible with the church's full blessing. A confidante revealed that
Carey had explained to Charles and Parker Bowles in private meetings
over the past few months that, even if controversial plans to
liberalise marriage laws were approved, there would still be obstacles
to a royal marriage.
A working party chaired by the Bishop of Winchester has proposed that a
remarriage should not be sanctioned where one or both parties has been
involved in the breakdown of their previous marriage.
A church source said: "This will solve the problem for George Carey. A
Church of Scotland marriage is both lawful and religious." While the
Queen is supreme governor of the Church of England, she has no
equivalent position in Scotland. The church is governed by its annual
general assembly. On many issues, the local presbyteries of the church
are autonomous.
When Charles addressed the general assembly last month, he identified
Scotland as the place where he felt most at home. Senior figures in the
Church of Scotland enjoy a closer pastoral relationship with the royal
family than their Church of England equivalents. That has made informal
contacts easier.
Charles's advisers are aware, however, of other hurdles. The 1772 Royal
Marriages' Act makes it clear that such marriages are of the "utmost
importance to the state".
The Queen would give consent only on government advice. Even if she
disapproved, the announcement would make it clear that she was acting
on "the advice of her ministers".
The Queen has let it be known that her decision to meet Parker Bowles
at a lunch earlier this month, after years of refusing to do so, did
not constitute "approval" of her son's relationship.
Though the Queen is probably resistant to the plan, there is a strong
feeling within the royal family and among senior members of the Queen's
household
that the portrayal of the royals as a soap opera will come to an end
only when Charles marries Parker Bowles. One friend of the Queen said
yesterday: "They all want the pantomime to reach its finale." One royal
source even hinted that there had been a discussion about possible
venues. The parish church nearest the Castle of Mey, the Queen Mother's
home in Caithness, is in Canisbay. Ian McNee, its minister, said: "It
would not surprise me if Charles and Camilla got married in Scotland,
as it would get around a lot of problems, especially given that
Princess Anne has already gone down that road and it sounds quite
sensible.
"I would have no objection to marrying them and I wish they would go
ahead and get married. I have sometimes joked that they might come here
to get married."
St James's Palace denied there were any wedding plans. A confused
official said, before correcting herself: "Neither Mr nor Mrs Parker
Bowles has any plans to remarry."
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Before you buy.
Irish_Val
English Church??????
And, what about constitutional law????
Sorry to sound so..... mean.... but I'm sure 3 years ago people were
saying.....
"Charles marry Camilla????" "Over Diana's dead body!" hhhhhmmmm I
guess he's able to marry now.
Sorry to be so morbid.... but that's how I feel..... and btw.... that
doesn't mean Charles' people will accept it....
LOl and Godspeed,
VAl
kwarr...@my-deja.com
Irish_Val <iris...@my-deja.com> wrote:
> But would his marriage hold water in Britain and as the Head of the
> English Church??????
>
> And, what about constitutional law????
>
> Sorry to sound so..... mean.... but I'm sure 3 years ago people were
> saying.....
>
> "Charles marry Camilla????" "Over Diana's dead body!" hhhhhmmmm I
> guess he's able to marry now.
>
> Sorry to be so morbid.... but that's how I feel..... and btw....
that
> doesn't mean Charles' people will accept it....
>
> LOl and Godspeed,
> VAl
Whether the British people like the idea of Charles-Camilla union or
not, I think it is about to be shoved down their throats. It's
desperation time. I don't think the Queen is happy about the prospects
of them getting together, but with William about to turn 18 and
becoming more popular by the day, and with all the talk about his mum
having been bumped off by the RF just not going away, the RF has to
move fast to get Charles hitched up; shortly thereafter, I think we
will see QEII take Phillips advice and abdicate, so Charles can take
the reigns and head William off at the pass. Also, remember that
extraordinary article in the Mirror about a month ago in which Charles
said that William would **never** be king, and that he, Charles, would
be the last English monarch.
Although a great deal of ink is being spilled about William being the
new star on the horizon and the monarch's last best hope, that's all it
is - spilled ink. The last thing the RF wants to see is a King
William, and in particular a King William who would thus have the power
to exact his revenge against his mother's killers! So I think we will
see the Queen bite the bitter bullet and welcome the prospect of Queen
Camilla. Better that, than risking one's fate at the hangnoose or the
guillotine.
Kevin Warren
http://www.anaserve.com/~wethepeople/diforum.htm