Queen Elizabeth II's simple reason why she did not attend King Charles and Camilla's wedding
King Charles and Queen Camilla will celebrate their wedding anniversary this monthQueen Elizabeth II had a valid, yet, simple reason as to why she didn’t attend King Charles and Camilla’s wedding. She wasn’t the only royal to skip the ceremony either.
The now King Charles met his future wife back in 1970. The duo dated for a short spell before he proposed to Lady Diana Spencer and Camilla married Andrew Parker Bowles.
Royal relationships and weddings are never as simple as they seem. Diana and Charles’ marriage broke down and they divorced before the princess tragically died in a car accident in Paris in 1997. Queen Camilla also divorced her husband and she and Charles rekindled their romance before they were spotted out in public again.
Despite Charles and Camilla making their relationship public in 1999, why didn’t the Queen attend their wedding six years later? Well, she had an answer for that.
Why did Queen Elizabeth not attend Charles and Camilla’s wedding?
As monarch, the Queen was Head of The Church of England – which Charles is now that he sits on the throne. Both Charles and Camilla had been married and divorced previously, and it goes against the Church’s beliefs. As a devout believer, the Queen did not feel she was able to attend Charles and Camilla’s wedding at Windsor Guildhall as it would question the Church’s values.
She reportedly told one of her friends before the big day: “I am not able to go. I do not feel that my position permits it”.
The Queen’s husband Prince Philip also avoided the civil ceremony. But they pair did attend a religious blessing at St George’s Chapel afterward.
Proving she had no ill feelings towards their union, she also hosted a wedding reception for the newlyweds at Windsor Castle.
Complicated royal history
There’s also another point to consider. Charles was a divorcee marrying another divorcee who was a catholic – not Church of England.
When the Queen was a child, her uncle, Edward VIII abandoned the throne to marry the love of his life – an American divorcee, Wallis Simpson – because it went against the strictures of the Church that he was head of at the time.
This is when Elizabeth’s father, Albert, ascended to the throne and became King George VI.
Camilla and Charles had a complicated history themselves. Their affair was made public in January 1993, before he and Diana separated, when phone conversations between them were released in the press.
A year later, the future king admitted adultery during a TV interview.
Read more: King Charles and Queen Camilla agreeing to have ‘two homes’ is the ‘key’ to strong marriage
Queen Elizabeth and Camilla’s relationship after her wedding to Charles
Reportedly, Elizabeth and Camilla didn’t get on in the early years of her relationship with Charles.
Robert Lacey told Katie Nicholl in her book, The New Royals, that Elizabeth referred to Camilla as ‘that wicked woman’. It is said to have upset her son Charles who was in love with her.
Lacey said: “In 1998, when Charles was trying to persuade his mother to be more accommodating of Camilla, the Queen described her as ‘that wicked woman.’
“Those damning words were reported in distress by Prince Charles himself.”
According to Nicholl, the scandals revolving around the royal family got to a point where the Queen “would not have Camilla’s name uttered in her presence.”
Late Queen’s final wish
One of Elizabeth’s final wishes were revealed in a message she released a few months before her death during her Platinum Jubilee.
The late Queen requested: “I remain eternally grateful for, and humbled by, the loyalty and affection that you continue to give me.
“And 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; 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.”
It’s because in the UK, the wife of a reigning king who is not a queen in her own right, is usually a princess consort. During the king’s coronation the princess consort is now crowned or anointed at the ceremony. However, due to the late Queen and Charles’ wishes, they wanted Camilla to be known as Queen Consort. As such, she was also crowned at Charles’ coronation in 2023, alongside her husband.
King Charles and Queen Camilla’s turbulent love story
The couple married on April 9 in 2005. But their relationship goes back to the 1970s.
King Charles and Queen Camilla's 'affair' and early romance days
Charles and Camilla’s love story dates back 55 years. Their first meeting came during a polo match in 1970.
Camilla even joked in their first meeting: "My great-grandmother was the mistress of your great-great-grandfather. I feel we have something in common."
They began dating, however, Charles soon joined the Royal Navy and was away for eight months. When he returned, Camilla was engaged to another man.
Camilla married Andrew Parker Bowles in 1973, and later, Charles went on to marry Princess Diana in 1981.
When did Charles and Camilla have an affair?
In the late '70s, Charles and Camilla allegedly began an affair.
Then, according to a biography, Charles’ second affair with Camilla began in 1986. In 1989, Diana confronted Camilla about the affair at a party.
Speaking later, Diana revealed in recordings she made for author Andrew Morton’s book Diana: Her True Story: "I know what’s going on between you and Charles and I just want you to know that. She said to me: ‘You’ve got everything you ever wanted.'
"You’ve got all the men in the world fall in love with you and you’ve got two beautiful children, what more do you want?’ So I said, ‘I want my husband.’ And I said, ‘I’m sorry I’m in the way… and it must be hell for both of you. But I do know what’s going on. Don’t treat me like an idiot.'"
In 1992, Diana and Charles split up after 11 years of marriage.
In 1999, following Diana's death in 1997, Charles and Camilla went public with their romance.
Where did King Charles and Queen Camilla marry?
On April 9 in 2005, King Charles and Queen Camilla tied the knot in a civil ceremony at Windsor Guildhall.
In April 2025, they'll celebrate their 20th anniversary.
What do you think about Queen Elizabeth’s reason as to why she did not attend King Charles and Camilla’s wedding? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @RoyalInsiderOfficial.
