by Margaret Rodgers
I never thought the day would come when I would feel sorry for the Prince of Wales. It must be heart breaking for him to have his arrangements to wed Camilla Parker Bowles falling to pieces all around him. We must not be pleased to see that happen to anyone, whether royal or not.
As I write, nine objections have been lodged with county officials against their civil wedding ceremony, and by law they have to be answered before the marriage takes place " unless the British Parliament rushes through some last minute legislation to override the objections.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, supported by the Chapter of St George's Chapel Windsor, initially indicated opposition to the televising of the blessing of the marriage after the civil service in nearby Windsor Guild Hall.
The guest list for the wedding ceremony itself has been slashed because the Guild Hall can't fit in the planned 700. The Prince's immediate close family, apart from his two sons, won't be at the wedding, but only at the service of blessing. The 700 guests will be at the reception afterwards, but they will only be offered "finger food' by their hostess the Queen rather than the elaborate meal the Prince desired.
There will be some supportive actions. The Poet Laureate is writing a commemorative poem. The Queen has approved the issuing of a special set of stamps.
As well, after the marriage on April 8, by Royal Warrant the Duchess of Cornwall will be added to the list of royal family members prayed for each Sunday in Church of England services. There is a special prayer for the Queen and then they will pray "Almighty God, the fountain of all goodness, we humbly beseech thee to bless Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh, Charles Prince of Wales, and the Duchess of Cornwall.' Even that will be hard for traditionalists to swallow.
There is obviously division in the Church about this marriage. It was reported that after the announcement, members at the February CofE General Synod were urged to stand and clap the announcement of the royal wedding. It is said that a noticeable number did not do so.
The former Archbishop of Canterbury also believes the marriage should take place. It is important there is a stable relationship at the heart of the monarchy, Archbishop Carey said.
But the fact so much has been written implying the relationship had much to do with the break-up of the Prince's first marriage, and the fact that the former husband of Camilla Parker Bowles is still living creates problems for the Church. The Church of England usually won't marry couples under those circumstances, hence the need for the civil marriage, if as future monarch the Prince believes he must be married in England and not Scotland as sister Princess Anne did.
The most useful and fundamentally honest statement was issued by the Evangelical Alliance UK. They welcomed the formalising of the relationship, recognising that "Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles' impending marriage represents a serious move to put their relationship on a more moral footing."
Joel Edwards, General Director of the Evangelical Alliance added, "as with many modern-day liturgies marking the remarriage of divorcees, we trust that the blessing service at St George's Chapel will offer clear opportunities for expressing remorse for past wrongs and repentance for hurts caused in their previous marriages."
Those watching should note carefully the content of the blessing service and let's trust the EA Director's words are duly noted and acted upon. He is right to expect there should be some public admission of previous relationship failure and infidelities.
