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Britain's Prince Charles to Marry
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=B82E8A:2AB91D3

Announcement that Prince Charles will marry longtime girlfriend
Camilla Parker Bowles surprised many, raises questions





Prince Charles and Camilla Parker BowlesPrince Charles of Britain,
first in line to the British throne, is to marry Camilla Parker
Bowles. The wedding is set for April 8 in Saint George's Chapel at
Windsor Castle.

The announcement of the marriage has taken Britain by surprise and
raises many questions.

Prince Charles and Mrs. Parker Bowles became romantically involved in
the 1970's and continued their relationship after they both married
other people.

The prince's first wife, the late Princess Diana, in a famous
interview on British television after her divorce from Charles, gave
her view of his relationship with Mrs. Parker Bowles.

"Well, there were three of us in this marriage. So it was a bit
crowded," she said.

The royal correspondent for the BBC (British Broadcasting
Corporation), June Kelly, says Queen Elizabeth has given the marriage
her stamp of approval.

"The question has always been would they marry, would they actually do
it, and would the queen give her approval," she explained. "Now,
clearly, all those obstacles appear to have been overcome."

The biggest question about the marriage has been whether it would be
approved by the Church of England, which the monarch heads. Mrs.
Parker Bowles is divorced and her former husband is still alive. There
are Anglicans who oppose the remarriage of divorcees. In 1936, King
Edward the Eighth abdicated so he could marry an American divorcee,
Wallis Simpson.

The church has taken no official position on Charles's remarriage, but
the former Archbishop of Canterbury, George Carey, recently urged the
couple to marry.

Public opinion is divided. The latest polls show nearly one-third of
Britons favor the marriage, a little less than one-third oppose it and
another third don't care.


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