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Sat Apr 9 08:09:55 PDT 2005

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 Prince Charles Weds Camilla Parker Bowles

 By Glenn Frankel

  WINDSOR, England, April 9 -- Prince Charles married his long-time lover, Camilla Parker Bowles, Saturday in a relatively simple civil ceremony at the 17th century Guildhall here, surrounded by about 30 close relatives and friends.

 Later in the afternoon, their marriage was blessed by Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams in a formal Anglican ceremony before 800 invited guests at St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle.

 The wedding came more than seven years after the death of Charles' first wife, the celebrity Princess Diana, in a car crash in Paris. Diana publicly blamed Parker Bowles for the break-up of her marriage, and Parker Bowles has not been as warmly embraced by the public as Diana was.

 Nonetheless, thousands of spectators, many waving Union Jacks, lined the street and cheered as the couple arrived at the Guildhall and again when they came out, arm-in-arm, from the double red doors at about 12:50 p.m. (7:50 a.m. EDT). However, a smattering of boos were heard, too.

 The couple originally planned to wed Friday, but they delayed the ceremony so that Charles could travel to Rome to attend Pope John Paul II's funeral.

 Although Charles holds the title of Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall, his new wife has opted not to be called the Princess of Wales, a title famously associated with Diana. Instead, she will be known as the Duchess of Cornwall, palace officials announced earlier. She has said that when Charles becomes king, she wants to be know as the princess consort, rather than queen.

 The wedding ceremony took just under 30 minutes. Although the prince's children and siblings and Parker Bowles's family were present, Queen Elizabeth did not come, saying she was bowing to Charles's wish to keep the ceremony low key. Instead, she came to the service at St. George's Chapel and is hosting a large wedding reception for her son and his bride at the castle.

 The couple were driven together to the wedding in the queen's Rolls Royce. Charles wore a formal morning coat. Parker Bowles chose an oyster silk basket-weave coat with herringbone stitch embroidery. She had a matching chiffon dress and a large straw hat with feathers. The outfit was designed by Antonio Robinson and Anna Valentine.

 They were greeted in the Guildhall by two busloads of guests, including Charles's sons William and Harry. When William got off the rented bus as they arrived for the ceremony he nervously checked his waistcoat, perhaps fingering the ring that he was carrying for his father. But after the ceremony, he and Harry appeared quite relaxed and smiled and joked with the newlyweds as they left.

 The service at St. George's Chapel bean promptly at 2:30 p.m. (9:30 a.m. EDT) as the couple walked arm in arm into the church while a string orchestra played. The knelt before the archbishop for his blessing and, along with the entire congregation, recited from the Book of Common Prayer a confession of "manifold sins and wickedness." They also pledged to be faithful to each other "with the help of God" and their exchange of rings was recognized by the archbishop. After that, they held hands.

 They marched out of the church following the 40-minute ceremony, followed by the rest of the royal family.

 The new duchess of Cornwall changed outfits for the church blessing. She wore a full-length light green coat and dress and carried a small bouquet.

 When they emerged from the church, they stood briefly on the stairs just ahead of Queen Elizabeth and her husband, Prince Phillip. Then the newlywed moved across the steps and for about 15 minutes greeted onlookers who cheered them.

 Charles met Camilla Shand in 1970 at a polo match in Windsor. She reportedly reminded him of a long-running affair between two of their forebears. "My great-great-grandmother was your great-great-grandfather's mistress, so how about it?" she jokingly asked him. Although a romance ensued, it but apparently faded when Charles embarked on a naval career and Camilla became engaged to and eventually married Andrew Parker Bowles, a friend of Charles's. 

 Still, they remained good friends and their affair was rekindled sometime before Charles met and married Diana Spencer in 1981.

 As the marriage of Charles and Diana broke apart, it is still unclear who strayed first. Charles admitted in a 1994 interview that he had committed adultery, but only after the marriage had "irretrievably broken down." Charles and Diana divorced in 1996. 

 The Parker Bowleses divorced in 1995. 

  In recent years Charles has sought steadily to bring Parker Bowles into the public eye. In 1998 she met Prince William and Prince Harry for the first time, and she and the prince co-hosted a party to celebrate Charles's 50th birthday. They were photographed vacationing together in 2000 and kissing in public in 2001. 

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