As you might expect, the final season of The Crown is full of pomp and pageantry, not least because the last-ever episode features a royal wedding. But one detail that may surprise viewers, or at least those who aren’t caught up on their royal history, is the Queen’s absence from Charles and Camilla’s wedding, which is celebrated in the episode.
For any fans wondering, ‘Why wasn’t the Queen at Charles and Camilla’s wedding?’, it turns out, we have history to thank. Yep, despite being the head of the Monarchy and Prince Charles’ mum, Queen Elizabeth II did not attend his 2005 wedding to Camilla, nor did his father, Prince Philip.
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To recap, Charles and Camilla met in 1970 and dated for a short while, before his marriage to Princess Diana and her marriage to Andrew Parker Bowles. Thirty years and two divorces later, the pair rekindled their romance and were spotted enjoying each other’s company at numerous public outings. But, royal relationships aren’t quite so straightforward, and there was plenty of discord surrounding the fact that both Charles and Camilla had been divorced – which is generally a no-no when it comes to the Church of England, of which the Queen was the head.
Given the monarch’s prominent role in the religion, it’s thought she made the tough decision to uphold the COE’s values by not attending the couple’s civil ceremony at Windsor Guildhall on 9 April 2005. However, she and Prince Philip later hosted a wedding reception for the newlyweds at Windsor Castle and took part in a religious blessing at St George’s Chapel, a clear sign that they approved of the pair’s nuptials, according to some insiders.
One such commentator, former royal butler Grant Harrold told Cosmopolitan UK, “The biggest misconception about the wedding is that the Queen didn’t enjoy it or wasn’t supportive, it’s complete nonsense.”
Harrold, who worked within Charles’ household between 2004 and 2011, and who says he was personally invited to the occasion, believes the Queen was “really happy” on her son’s big day.
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Speaking exclusively to Cosmopolitan on behalf of Guides For Brides, Harrold said: “The Queen was amazing at the wedding, she did a very funny speech, she was really happy as was Prince Philip.”
(And, yes, before you ask, she really did make a joke comparing the newlywed couple’s relationship to a Grand National horse race in her speech, according to Harrold).
For his part, he thinks the Queen’s faith may have influenced her decision not to attend the civil ceremony at the Guildhall in Windsor.
“We’re talking about 20 odd years ago, and back then, Charles was a divorcee marrying a catholic – all the things that have lost monarchy in the past, so possibly the Queen felt that being a traditionalist, she didn’t want to be at the blessing for personal reasons because her faith was very strong,” he said.
Regardless, his claims suggest the Queen didn’t snub the wedding, a position backed up by the statement Buckingham Palace released at the time.
A palace spokeswoman said: “The Queen’s prime concern is that the civil ceremony should be as low key as possible, in line with the couple’s wishes,” as per the BBC’s coverage at the time. In response to a question, the spokeswoman added: “The Queen is attending the service of dedication and paying for the reception – this is not a snub.”
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In fact, the Queen enjoyed the wedding, according to Harrold’s account. “There was a real party atmosphere,” he reports. “The Queen doing a speech was a real surprise, you don’t expect that and obviously the King as he now is making a speech. It was an amazing occasion and being invited as a guest was an honour.”
When asked how The Crown measures up to real-life, the former butler added: “The Crown is really, really interesting. There’s obviously bits that are inaccurate, but so far there’s nothing that really stands out as being inaccurate about the way Charles and Camilla’s relationship is depicted. Obviously, the two of them are very, very close. Charles gets her opinion and looks for her guidance on things, he’s said he doesn’t know what he’d do without her. They’re a team and I think that’s shown, they communicate a lot and that’s great, that’s what a couple should be all about.”
Oh, and if you’re wondering how the Queen got on with Charles and Camilla after their marriage, her behaviour speaks volumes.
Just last year, the Queen appeared to show her approval of the then Duke and Duchess of Cornwall’s union with an announcement shared on the official Royal website and the Royal Family’s Instagram account.
“When, in the fullness of time, my son Charles becomes King, I know you will give him and his wife Camilla the same support that you have given me,” she wrote in her speech. “And it is my sincere wish that, when that time comes, Camilla will be known as Queen Consort as she continues her own loyal service.”
As we now know, the Queen got her wish. Following Her Majesty’s death in September 2022, her son became King Charles and his wife was known as the Queen Consort. After months of speculation, however, it was confirmed she will now go by the title of ‘Queen Camilla’.
Source: https://t-tees.com
Category: WHY
