Editing Charles III (section)

===Relationships and marriages===
====Bachelorhood====
In his youth, Charles was amorously linked to a number of women. His girlfriends included Georgiana Russell, the daughter of [[Sir John Russell]], who was the [[British ambassador to Spain]];{{sfn|Brandreth|p=192|2007}} [[Lady Jane Wellesley]], the daughter of the [[8th Duke of Wellington]];{{sfn|Brandreth|p=193|2007}} Davina Sheffield;{{sfn|Brandreth|p=194|2007}} [[Lady Sarah Spencer]];{{sfn|Brandreth|p=195|2007}} and [[Camilla Shand]], who later became his second wife.{{sfn|Brandreth|pp=15–17, 178|2007}}
[[File:HRH Prince Charles Allan Warren.jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|Photograph by [[Allan Warren]], 1972|alt=Portrait of Charles seated]]

Charles's great-uncle [[Lord Mountbatten]] advised him to "sow his wild oats and have as many affairs as he can before settling down", but, for a wife, he "should choose a suitable, attractive, and sweet-charactered girl before she has met anyone else she might fall for&nbsp;... It is disturbing for women to have experiences if they have to remain on a pedestal after marriage".{{sfn|Junor|p=72|2005}} Early in 1974, Mountbatten began corresponding with 25-year-old Charles about a potential marriage to [[Amanda Knatchbull]], Mountbatten's granddaughter.<ref>{{Harvnb|Dimbleby|pp=204–206|1994}}; {{Harvnb|Brandreth|p=200|2007}}</ref> Charles wrote to Amanda's mother, [[Patricia Knatchbull, 2nd Countess Mountbatten of Burma|Lady Brabourne]], who was also his godmother, expressing interest in her daughter. Lady Brabourne replied approvingly, but suggested that a courtship with a 16-year-old was premature.{{sfn|Dimbleby|p=263|1994}} Four years later, Mountbatten arranged for Amanda and himself to accompany Charles on his 1980 visit to India. Both fathers, however, objected; Prince Philip feared that his famous uncle{{efn|Mountbatten had served as the last British [[viceroy]] and first [[governor-general of India]].}} would eclipse Charles, while [[John Knatchbull, 7th Baron Brabourne|Lord Brabourne]] warned that a joint visit would concentrate media attention on the cousins before they could decide on becoming a couple.{{sfn|Dimbleby|pp=263–265|1994}}

In August 1979, before Charles would depart alone for India, [[Assassination of Lord Mountbatten|Mountbatten was assassinated by the Irish Republican Army]]. When Charles returned, he proposed to Amanda.<!--Brandreth p 202 says Charles proposed two weeks before the assassination and that Amanda turned him down then, before Mountbatten's death--> But in addition to her grandfather, she had lost her [[Doreen Knatchbull, Baroness Brabourne|paternal grandmother]] and [[Nicholas Knatchbull|younger brother]] in the bomb attack and was now reluctant to join the royal family.{{sfn|Dimbleby|pp=263–265|1994}}

====Lady Diana Spencer====
{{Further|Wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer}}
[[File:Charles and Di. Uluru. March 83.JPG|thumb|upright=0.75|With Diana during their visit to [[Uluru]] in Australia, March 1983]]

Charles first met [[Lady Diana Spencer]] in 1977, while he was visiting her home, [[Althorp]]. He was then the companion of her elder sister Sarah and did not consider Diana romantically until mid-1980. While Charles and Diana were sitting together on a bale of hay at a friend's barbecue in July, she mentioned that he had looked forlorn and in need of care at the funeral of his great-uncle Lord Mountbatten. Soon, according to Dimbleby, "without any apparent surge in feeling, he began to think seriously of her as a potential bride" and she accompanied him on visits to [[Balmoral Castle]] and [[Sandringham House]].{{sfn|Dimbleby|p=279|1994}}

Charles's cousin [[Norton Knatchbull, 8th Baron Brabourne|Norton Knatchbull]] and his wife told Charles that Diana appeared awestruck by his position and that he did not seem to be in love with her.{{sfn|Dimbleby|pp=280–282|1994}} Meanwhile, the couple's continuing courtship attracted intense attention from the press and paparazzi. When Charles's father told him that the media speculation would injure Diana's reputation if Charles did not come to a decision about marrying her soon, and realising that she was a suitable royal bride (according to Mountbatten's criteria), Charles construed his father's advice as a warning to proceed without further delay.{{sfn|Dimbleby|pp=281–283|1994}} He proposed to Diana in February 1981, with their engagement becoming official on 24 February; the wedding took place in [[St Paul's Cathedral]] on 29 July. Upon his marriage, Charles reduced his voluntary tax contribution from the profits of the Duchy of Cornwall from 50 per cent to 25 per cent.<ref>{{Cite news |date=13 July 2009 |title=Royally Minted: What we give them and how they spend it |volume=138 |work=[[New Statesman]] |issue=4956–4968 |location=London |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VPdNAQAAIAAJ |access-date=7 May 2023 |archive-date=16 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230516181019/https://books.google.com/books?id=VPdNAQAAIAAJ |url-status=live }}</ref> The couple lived at [[Kensington Palace]] and [[Highgrove House]], near [[Tetbury]], and had two children: [[Prince William|William]], in 1982, and [[Prince Harry|Harry]], in 1984.<ref name="time 1988"/> As of 2025, Charles has an estranged relationship with his son Harry, who has relinquished royal family obligations  and moved to the United States in 2020.<ref>{{cite news|first=Victoria|last=Ward|date=14 May 2025|title=Prince Harry's popularity sinks after BBC interview attacking King|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-family/2025/05/14/prince-harrys-popularity-sinks-after-attack-king-bbc/|work=The Telegraph|access-date=14 May 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=Mark|last=Landler|date=11 May 2025|title=Can King Charles Heal a Royal Family Crisis Before It's Too Late?|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/11/world/europe/charles-harry-royal-family-crisis.html?smid=url-share|access-date=14 May 2025}}</ref>
[[File:Royal Visit of Prince Charles and Princess Diana to Edmonton, Alberta - Prince Charles speaking at the Alberta Legislature, 30 June 1983 - 52679621118.jpg|thumb|left|With Diana at the [[Alberta Legislature Building]] in Edmonton, Canada, June 1983|alt=Charles giving a speech at a podium, with Diana standing to his right]]

Within five years, the marriage was in trouble due to the couple's incompatibility and near 13-year age difference.{{sfn|Brown|p=720|2007}}{{sfn|Smith|p=561|2000}} In 1986, Charles had fully resumed his affair with Camilla Parker Bowles.<ref name="RadioTimes01">{{Cite web |last=Griffiths |first=Eleanor Bley |date=1 January 2020 |title=The truth behind Charles and Camilla's affair storyline in The Crown |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/the-crown-charles-affair-camilla-cheating |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220908213027/https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/the-crown-charles-affair-camilla-cheating |archive-date=8 September 2022 |access-date=9 September 2022 |publisher=Radio Times}}</ref> In a videotape recorded by [[Peter Settelen]] in 1992, Diana admitted that, from 1985 to 1986, she had been "deeply in love with someone who worked in this environment."<ref>{{Cite news |date=7 December 2004 |title=Diana 'wanted to live with guard' |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4074545.stm |url-status=live |access-date=31 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170731164728/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4074545.stm |archive-date=31 July 2017}}</ref><ref name="Telegraph_12Dec2004">{{Cite news |last=Langley |first=William |date=12 December 2004 |title=The Mannakee file |work=The Daily Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1478804/The-Mannakee-file.html |url-status=live |access-date=31 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170731210646/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1478804/The-Mannakee-file.html |archive-date=31 July 2017}}</ref> It was assumed that she was referring to [[Barry Mannakee]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lawson |first=Mark |date=7 August 2017 |title=Diana: In Her Own Words – admirers have nothing to fear from the Channel 4 tapes |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/aug/06/diana-in-her-own-words-burnishes-rather-than-tarnishes-her-image |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170920223352/https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/aug/06/diana-in-her-own-words-burnishes-rather-than-tarnishes-her-image |archive-date=20 September 2017 |access-date=22 October 2017 |website=The Guardian}}</ref> who had been transferred to the Diplomatic Protection Squad in 1986, after his managers determined his relationship with Diana had been inappropriate.<ref name="Telegraph_12Dec2004"/><ref>{{Cite news |last=Milmo |first=Cahal |date=8 December 2004 |title=Conspiracy theorists feast on inquiry into death of Diana's minder |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/conspiracy-theorists-feast-on-inquiry-into-death-of-dianas-minder-8002517.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170801031824/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/conspiracy-theorists-feast-on-inquiry-into-death-of-dianas-minder-8002517.html |archive-date=1 August 2017 |access-date=31 July 2017 |work=The Independent (UK) |publisher=Independent Digital News & Media Ltd |issn=1741-9743 |oclc=185201487}}</ref> Diana later commenced a relationship with Major [[James Hewitt]], the family's former riding instructor.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Duboff |first=Josh |date=13 March 2017 |title=Princess Diana's Former Lover Maintains He Is Not Prince Harry's Father |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2017/03/james-hewitt-prince-harry-father-princess-diana |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190626210124/https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2017/03/james-hewitt-prince-harry-father-princess-diana |archive-date=26 June 2019 |access-date=25 November 2018 |magazine=Vanity Fair}}</ref>

Charles and Diana's evident discomfort in each other's company led to them being dubbed "[[Take It from Here#The Glums|The Glums]]" by the press.<ref name="Quest">{{Cite web |last=Quest |first=Richard |date=3 June 2002 |title=Royals, Part 3: Troubled times |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/europe/05/29/people.royals.3/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160715061326/http://edition.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/europe/05/29/people.royals.3 |archive-date=15 July 2016 |access-date=22 January 2023 |publisher=CNN}}</ref> Diana exposed Charles's affair with Parker Bowles in a book by Andrew Morton, ''[[Diana: Her True Story (book)|Diana: Her True Story]]''. Audio tapes of [[Squidgygate|her own extramarital flirtations]] also surfaced,<ref name=Quest/> as did persistent suggestions that Hewitt is Prince Harry's father, based on a physical similarity between Hewitt and Harry. However, Harry had already been born by the time Diana's affair with Hewitt began.<ref>{{Cite news |date=21 September 2002 |title=Hewitt denies Prince Harry link |work=[[BBC News]] |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2273498.stm |url-status=live |access-date=24 April 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090215161416/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2273498.stm |archive-date=15 February 2009}}</ref>

In December 1992, [[John Major]] announced the couple's legal separation in the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]]. Early the following year, the British press published transcripts of a passionate, bugged telephone conversation between Charles and Parker Bowles that had taken place in 1989, which was dubbed "[[Tampongate]]" and "Camillagate".<ref>{{Cite web |date=18 December 1989 |title=The Camillagate Tapes |url=http://www.textfiles.com/phreak/camilla.txt |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100701002359/http://www.textfiles.com/phreak/camilla.txt |archive-date=1 July 2010 |website=Textfiles.com |series=Phone Phreaking |type=phone transcript}}; {{Cite news |date=29 November 2006 |title=Royals caught out by interceptions |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/5258604.stm |url-status=live |access-date=27 April 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170828024600/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/5258604.stm |archive-date=28 August 2017 }}; {{Cite magazine |last=Dockterman |first=Eliana |date=9 November 2022 |title=The True Story Behind Charles and Camilla's Phone Sex Leak on The Crown |url=https://time.com/6226657/crown-charles-camilla-tampongate |access-date=17 November 2022 |magazine=Time |archive-date=16 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221116194130/https://time.com/6226657/crown-charles-camilla-tampongate |url-status=live }}</ref> Charles subsequently sought public understanding in a television film with Dimbleby, ''[[Charles: The Private Man, the Public Role]]'', broadcast in June 1994. In an interview in the film, Charles confirmed his own extramarital affair with Parker Bowles, saying that he had rekindled their association in 1986, only after his marriage to Diana had "irretrievably broken down".<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Princess and the Press |url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/royals/etc/cron.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170310043520/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/royals/etc/cron.html |archive-date=10 March 2017 |access-date=7 January 2017 |website=PBS}}; {{Cite news |date=6 April 2005 |title=Timeline: Charles and Camilla's romance |work=BBC |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4410551.stm |url-status=live |access-date=7 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202161625/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4410551.stm |archive-date=2 February 2017}}</ref>{{sfn|Dimbleby|p=395|1994}} This was followed by Diana's own admission of marital troubles in [[An Interview with HRH The Princess of Wales|an interview]] on the [[BBC]] current affairs show ''[[Panorama (British TV programme)|Panorama]]'', broadcast in November 1995.<ref>{{Cite news |title=1995: Diana admits adultery in TV interview |publisher=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/november/20/newsid_4341000/4341436.stm |url-status=live |access-date=1 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126055307/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/november/20/newsid_4341000/4341436.stm |archive-date=26 January 2021}}</ref> Referring to Charles's relationship with Parker Bowles, she said, "well, there were three of us in this marriage. So, it was a bit crowded." She also expressed doubt about her husband's suitability for kingship.<ref>{{Cite news |date=20 November 1995 |title=The Panorama Interview with the Princess of Wales |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/special/politics97/diana/panorama.html |url-status=live |access-date=8 January 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110304163240/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/special/politics97/diana/panorama.html |archive-date=4 March 2011}}</ref> Charles and Diana divorced on 28 August 1996,<ref>{{Cite news |date=20 December 1995 |title='Divorce': Queen to Charles and Diana |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/december/20/newsid_2538000/2538985.stm |url-status=live |access-date=12 October 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101223152102/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/december/20/newsid_2538000/2538985.stm |archive-date=23 December 2010}}</ref> after being advised by the Queen in December 1995 to end the marriage.<ref>{{Cite news |date=21 December 1995 |title=Charles and Diana to divorce |publisher=[[Associated Press]] |url=https://newsroom.ap.org/editorial-photos-videos/detail?itemid=85e31961323ecc3686d0e7324b12170b&mediatype=video&query=UK+ROYALS%C2%A4t=8&orderBy=Relevance&hits=147&search=%2Fsearch%3Fquery%3DUK%2520ROYALS%26allFilters%3DMedia%2520and%2520entertainment%3ASubject&allFilters=Media+and+entertainment%3ASubject&productType=IncludedProducts&page=1 |url-status=live |access-date=23 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402160109/http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/UK-Various-Queen-Orders-Charles-amp-Diana-To-Divorce/85e31961323ecc3686d0e7324b12170b?query=UK+ROYALS&current=8&orderBy=Relevance&hits=147&search=%2Fsearch%3Fquery%3DUK%2520ROYALS%26allFilters%3DMedia%2520and%2520entertainment%3ASubject&allFilters=Media+and+entertainment%3ASubject&productType=IncludedProducts&page=1 |archive-date=2 April 2015}}</ref> The couple shared custody of their children.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Neville |first=Sarah |date=13 July 1996 |title=Charles and Diana Agree to Terms of Divorce |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1996/07/13/charles-and-diana-agree-to-terms-of-divorce/9e3bbdab-5f04-4edc-a395-1b64f6ea888d |url-status=live |access-date=12 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326033200/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1996/07/13/charles-and-diana-agree-to-terms-of-divorce/9e3bbdab-5f04-4edc-a395-1b64f6ea888d |archive-date=26 March 2023}}</ref>

Diana was [[Death of Diana, Princess of Wales|killed in a car crash]] in Paris on 31 August 1997. Charles flew to Paris with Diana's sisters to accompany her body back to Britain.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Whitney |first=Craig R. |date=31 August 1997 |title=Prince Charles Arrives in Paris to Take Diana's Body Home |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=http://partners.nytimes.com/library/world/diana/uk-diana-crash-updated.html |url-status=live |access-date=5 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131206170457/http://partners.nytimes.com/library/world/diana/uk-diana-crash-updated.html |archive-date=6 December 2013 |oclc=1645522}}</ref> In 2003, Diana's butler [[Paul Burrell]] published a note that he claimed had been written by Diana in 1995, in which there were allegations that Charles was "planning 'an accident' in [Diana's] car, brake failure and serious head injury", so that he could remarry.<ref>{{Cite news |date=20 October 2003 |title=Diana letter 'warned of car plot' |publisher=CNN |url=http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/europe/10/20/diana.letter |url-status=dead |accessdate=14 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031212002303/http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/europe/10/20/diana.letter |archive-date=12 December 2003}}; {{Cite news |last=Eleftheriou-Smith |first=Loulla-Mae |date=30 August 2017 |title=Princess Diana letter claims Prince Charles was 'planning an accident' in her car just 10 months before fatal crash |work=The Independent (UK) |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/princess-diana-death-letter-prince-charles-accident-plan-car-paris-tunnel-crash-10-months-a7918671.html |url-status=live |access-date=14 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191012172116/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/princess-diana-death-letter-prince-charles-accident-plan-car-paris-tunnel-crash-10-months-a7918671.html |archive-date=12 October 2019}}; {{Cite web |last=Rayner |first=Gordon |date=20 December 2007 |title=Princess Diana letter: 'Charles plans to kill me' |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1573170/Princess-Diana-letter-Charles-plans-to-kill-me.html |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1573170/Princess-Diana-letter-Charles-plans-to-kill-me.html |archive-date=10 January 2022 |access-date=28 November 2020 |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph}}{{cbignore}}</ref> When questioned by the [[Metropolitan Police]] inquiry team as a part of [[Operation Paget]], Charles told the authorities that he did not know about his former wife's note from 1995 and could not understand why she had those feelings.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Badshah |first=Nadeem |date=19 June 2021 |title=Police interviewed Prince Charles over 'plot to kill Diana' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/jun/19/former-met-chief-interviewed-prince-charles-over-alleged-plot-to-kill-diana |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210619105520/https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/jun/19/former-met-chief-interviewed-prince-charles-over-alleged-plot-to-kill-diana |archive-date=19 June 2021 |access-date=8 September 2021 |work=The Guardian}}</ref>

====Camilla Parker Bowles====
{{Main|Wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles}}
[[File:Charles Camilla Jamaica 2008.jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|With Camilla in Jamaica, March 2008|alt=Charles and Camilla stand next to each other.]]

In 1999, Charles and Parker Bowles made their first public appearance as a couple at the [[Ritz London Hotel]], and she moved into Charles's official residence, [[Clarence House]], in 2003.<ref>{{Cite news |date=29 January 1999 |title=Charles and Camilla go public |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/264574.stm |url-status=live |access-date=5 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140505171500/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/264574.stm |archive-date=5 May 2014}}</ref><ref name=clarence>{{Cite news |date= 2 August 2003 |title= Prince Charles moves into Clarence House |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/3119473.stm |access-date= 17 June 2024 |work= The BBC |archive-date= 20 August 2022 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220820200116/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/3119473.stm |url-status= live }}</ref> Their engagement was announced on 10 February 2005.<ref>{{Cite news |date=9 April 2012 |title=Profile: Duchess of Cornwall |publisher=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-17655725 |url-status=live |access-date=3 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230503190714/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-17655725 |archive-date=3 May 2023}}</ref> <!--he presented her with an engagement ring that had belonged to his grandmother [[Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother]].--> The Queen's consent to the marriage{{snd}}as required by the [[Royal Marriages Act 1772]]{{snd}}was recorded in a [[Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council|Privy Council]] meeting on 2 March.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2 March 2005 |title=Order in Council |url=http://www.privy-council.org.uk/output/Page496.asp |url-status=dead |archive-url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20101103140224/http://www.privy-council.org.uk/output/Page496.asp |archive-date=3 November 2010 |access-date=20 February 2012 |publisher=The National Archives}}</ref> In Canada, the [[Department of Justice (Canada)|Department of Justice]] determined the consent of the [[Queen's Privy Council for Canada]] was not required, as the union would not produce any heirs to the [[Canadian throne]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Valpy |first=Michael |author-link=Michael Valpy |date=2 November 2005 |title=Scholars scurry to find implications of royal wedding |work=The Globe and Mail |location=Toronto |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/scholars-scurry-to-find-implications-of-royal-wedding/article18215344 |url-status=live |access-date=4 March 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727201657/https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/scholars-scurry-to-find-implications-of-royal-wedding/article18215344 |archive-date=27 July 2020}}</ref>

Charles was the only member of the royal family to have a [[civil marriage|civil]], rather than a church, wedding in England. British government documents from the 1950s and 1960s, published by the BBC, stated that such a marriage was illegal; these claims were dismissed by Charles's spokesman<ref>{{Cite news |date=14 February 2005 |title=Panorama Lawful impediment? |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/panorama/4262963.stm |url-status=live |access-date=25 February 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090929214358/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/panorama/4262963.stm |archive-date=29 September 2009}}</ref> and explained by the sitting government to have been repealed by the Registration Service Act 1953.<ref>{{Cite web |author=The Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs and Lord Chancellor (Lord Falconer of Thoroton) |date=24 February 2005 |title=Royal Marriage; Lords Hansard Written Statements 24 Feb 2005 : Column WS87 (50224-51) |url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld200405/ldhansrd/vo050224/text/50224-51.htm#50224-51_head0 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402152718/http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld200405/ldhansrd/vo050224/text/50224-51.htm#50224-51_head0 |archive-date=2 April 2015 |access-date=12 October 2008 |publisher=Publications.parliament.uk}}</ref>

The union was scheduled to take place in a civil ceremony at [[Windsor Castle]], with a subsequent religious blessing at the castle's [[St George's Chapel]]. The wedding venue was changed to [[Windsor Guildhall]] after it was realised a civil marriage at Windsor Castle would oblige the venue to be available to anyone who wished to be married there. Four days before the event, it was postponed from the originally scheduled date of 8&nbsp;April until the following day in order to allow Charles and some of the invited dignitaries to attend the [[funeral of Pope John Paul II]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=4 April 2005 |title=Pope funeral delays royal wedding |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4409507.stm |url-status=live |access-date=22 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131020183050/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4409507.stm |archive-date=20 October 2013}}</ref>

Charles's parents did not attend the marriage ceremony; the Queen's reluctance to attend possibly arose from her position as [[Supreme Governor of the Church of England]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=23 February 2005 |title=Q&A: Queen's wedding decision |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4289417.stm |url-status=live |access-date=17 September 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090111223817/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4289417.stm |archive-date=11 January 2009}}</ref> However, his parents did attend the [[church service|service]] of [[blessing]] and held a reception for the newlyweds at Windsor Castle.<ref>{{Cite news |date=9 April 2005 |title=Charles And Camilla Finally Wed, After 30 Years Of Waiting, Prince Charles Weds His True Love |publisher=[[CBS News]] |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/04/09/world/main686994.shtml |url-status=dead |access-date=12 October 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101112201734/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/04/09/world/main686994.shtml |archive-date=12 November 2010}}</ref> The blessing by Archbishop of Canterbury [[Rowan Williams]] was televised.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Oliver |first=Mark |date=9 April 2005 |title=Charles and Camilla wed |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2005/apr/09/monarchy.markoliver |url-status=live |access-date=22 August 2013 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130822181532/http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2005/apr/09/monarchy.markoliver |archive-date=22 August 2013}}</ref>