LONDON -Queen Elizabeth II's decision to skip the wedding of her son and heir is not a snub to Prince Charles or his longtime lover, the royal family said yesterday.
So-called royal watchers and the British media, already amazed at signs of scrappy organization surrounding the marriage that is six weeks away, remained unconvinced.
Royal bombshell was how popular daily The Sun described the announcement that the monarch will miss the April 8 civil marriage ceremony of Prince Charles and fellow divorcee Camilla Parker Bowles.
Queen snubs the wedding
wrote the Daily Mail.
Buckingham Palace and Charles' office denied that was the case.
The wedding will be blessed in front of family and friends. There will be a lovely reception afterwards. The civil ceremony was always meant to be low key said a spokesman for Clarence House, as Charles' office is known.
Asked whether Charles viewed the queen's absence as a snub, the spokesman added: No. They've discussed it and the prince is happy with the arrangements.
Buckingham Palace said Tuesday the queen would attend the church blessing of the marriage at St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle following the civil ceremony at the Guildhall, Windsor's town hall. The monarch was missing the marriage because she is aware that the prince and Mrs. Parker Bowles wanted to keep the occasion low key
a palace spokeswoman said.
Clearly if the queen were to attend
the occasion would no longer be
by definition
low key
she said on condition of anonymity. She insisted the queen's decision was not a snub.
I think any parent would be a bit fed up with the way this has unfolded
said Dickie Arbiter, a former royal family spokesman.
When it (the wedding) was announced
there was a tremendous fanfare
but the goalposts have moved considerably
