Britain’s Prince Charles said Thursday that he will marry his companion, Camilla Parker Bowles, once scorned by much of the British public as the woman who contributed to the breakdown of Charles’ marriage to the much-loved Princess Diana.
Charles, 56, and Parker Bowles, 57, will marry April 8 at Windsor Castle.
The royal family has treated Charles’ relationship delicately, gradually increasing her public appearances with the prince in recent years. And much of the British public seems to have forgiven her, touched, perhaps, by the longevity of a love that began in 1970, when the two met at a polo match.
“Surely, one of the tenets of the Christian faith is forgiveness,” said Sheila Ellis of Shrewsbury. “I wish them every happiness.”
Still, in a reflection of continuing public sensitivity over the relationship, the prince’s statement said that when Charles ascends to the throne, his wife will not be known as Queen Camilla but as the princess consort.
Her title in the interim will be Her Royal Highness Duchess of Cornwall, a nod in the direction of those Britons who do not want a second Princess of Wales to replace Diana.
Queen Elizabeth II, Charles’ mother, gave her blessing to the wedding and said her husband, Prince Philip, also approved.
The news touched off a maelstrom of coverage in the British and international media. The BBC spent much of the day discussing the impending nuptials live with analysts.
More Top Picks Best Welding Curtains For Shop Safety At Home
The two began their romance 34 years ago, when the young Camilla Shand reportedly said to the prince, “My great-grandmother was your great-great-grandfather’s mistress, so how about it?”
The romance ended two years later when Charles was called away for his naval duties. Camilla married Andrew Parker Bowles in 1973; Charles married Diana Spencer in 1981.
But their passion had not abated, and their involvement continued.
“There were three in the marriage, so it was a bit crowded,” Diana told a television interviewer later, referring to Parker Bowles, whom she called “the Rottweiler.”
Charles and Diana separated in 1993; Camilla Parker Bowles divorced her husband in 1995.
With one in three British marriages ending in divorce, more people seem to accept Charles’ decision to remarry than oppose it.
A poll last year showed that 32 percent of Britons said they would support the prince marrying Parker Bowles. Twenty-nine percent said they were against the idea.
And 38 percent said they did not care.