Why the Queen didn’t attend Charles and Camilla’s wedding – and 9 other facts about the couple’s big day

When Prince Charles married Camilla Parker-Bowles on 9th April 2005, it was a wedding that really divided the nation.

Many felt that the couple should never have been allowed to marry because of the affair they had while he was married to Princess Diana and they felt it was disrespectful to her memory, following her death in 1997. However, others were of the view that they were clearly soulmates and with Charles destined to be King, he needed a strong woman by his side and that Camilla had always been the love of his life.

So after much controversy, the couple finally tied the knot with a civil ceremony at Windsor Guildhall, followed by a Church of England Service of Prayer and Dedication at St George’s Chapel.

Twenty years on, they are stronger than ever after some very difficult times including the death of Queen Elizabeth II and Charles’ cancer battle. They also had to contend with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s decision to move to America and make a string of accusations about the royal family.

Here we take a look at the most memorable moments from their nuptials.

1. The Queen and Prince Philip missed the official ceremony 

Despite him being her firstborn and heir, the Queen decided not to watch Charles and Camilla say their official vows at Windsor Guildhall, instead opting to stay at home with Prince Philip.

A palace spokesperson said at the time, “The Queen decided not to attend the civil ceremony at Windsor’s Guildhall because the couple wanted to keep the ceremony low-key and her presence would not allow that to happen.”

However, Robert Hardman, her autobiographer later claimed that her absence signalled a “disapproval of the arrangements not of the marriage itself”. 

Just 28 people witnessed the ceremony including Charles’ sons, Princes William and Harry and Camilla’s children Tom and Laura Parker-Bowles.  

2. But they did host a reception at Windsor castle

Wearing white, the Queen was guest of honour at St George’s Chapel for the Church of England Service of Prayer and Dedication, led by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams.

She and Prince Philip the hosted a reception for the newlyweds where she gave a speech and likened their relationship to the Grand National horse race, which also took place later that afternoon.

"They have overcome Becher's Brook and The Chair and all kinds of other terrible obstacles," she said. "They have come through and I'm very proud and wish them well. My son is home and dry with the woman he loves." 

3. The wedding had to be postponed last-minute

Their original wedding date was set for April 8th but it had to be changed at the last minute so Prince Charles could represent his mother at Pope John Paul II’s funeral in Vatican City.

It caused chaos as dates on memorabilia had to be changed and TV stations had to quickly change their schedules. But it also meant their nuptials avoided a clash with another high-profile couple – Ken and Deirdre Barlow.

The Coronation Street couple were due to get married again on the same date as Charles and Camilla but in the end, the Barlows got there first and got twice as many viewers – almost 14 million. 

4. Prince Harry felt the change of date was Diana’s doing 

In his book, Spare, Prince Harry made no secret of his dislike of his future stepmother Camilla, and admitted that he wasn’t particularly pleased they were getting married as he and William had urged their father “not to move forward”.

So when they had to change the date, Harry thought it was a sign from up above.

"Other than feeling sorry for them, I couldn't help but think that some force of the universe (Mummy?) was blocking rather than blessing their union," he wrote. "Maybe the universe delays what it disapproves of?"

However, he did say that he just wanted everyone to be happy.  

5. Camilla almost didn’t make it down the aisle  

In the days leading up to the wedding, a stressed-out Camilla had been suffering from sinusitis, an infection which causes swelling and pain around the cheeks, eyes and forehead.

Lucia Santa Cruz, the woman who introduced Charles and Camilla to each other said: "She was really ill, stressed. She literally couldn’t get out of bed." Lucia said she was feeding the bride homemade chicken soup in a bid to speed up her recovery.

However, it was the Duchess’ sister Annabel Elliot who saved the day got her out of bed threatening, "Ok, that's all right. I'm going to do it for you. I'm going to get you into your clothes." 

6. The bride opted for two dresses

Unlike royal brides before her, Camilla didn’t go for a traditional gown, due to it being a second wedding for both of them. Instead, for the official ceremony, the Duchess wore a cream-coloured dress and coat with a wide-brimmed cream-coloured hat.

For the Service of Prayer and Dedication, she opted for a floor-length embroidered pale blue/grey and gold coat over a matching chiffon dress and a dramatic spray of golden feathers in her hair. Both ensembles were by London-based designers Antonia Robinson and Anna Valentine, while her showstopping headpieces were created by the Irish milliner Philip Treacy. 

7. Their cake weighed a whopping 17 stone

The couple opted for Dawn Blunden and Mary Robinson – two sisters-in-law from Lincolnshire – to make their bespoke fruit cake, with just a month’s notice. Weighing 17 stone, the cake featured 1080 eggs, 36 bottles of alcohol and was decorated with delicate sugar roses, leeks, daffodils and thistles to depict England, Scotland and Wales – a process which took around 130 hours.

Charles and Camilla later wrote a letter to Dawn saying, "The fact that you managed to produce 2,000 pieces of cake for distribution at very short notice – what with last minute changes of date! – was truly remarkable and a great credit to your powers of organisation and adaptability," the letter read. The couple added: "I can't tell you how much my wife and I are enjoying eating pieces of wedding cake for tea each afternoon." 

8. There was no sit-down dinner

Because the couple wanted their day to be as low-key as possible, they didn’t have a formal wedding breakfast and instead their guests were served a traditional English buffet of sandwiches, scones, mini Cornish pasties and champagne.

Former royal butler and wedding guest Grant Harrold has previously said, “It was a very much a canapés and drinks affair. There was a very relaxed atmosphere. It was amazing actually - one minute you could be talking to a member of the royal family, the next you could be talking to a celebrity. It was extraordinary.” 

9. It was a star-studded affair

Although the civil ceremony was attended by only 28 guests, the blessing at St George’s chapel was a who’s who of British society and celebrities.

As well as all the members of the royals family other guests included Stephen Fry, Jilly Cooper, Joanna Lumley, Joan Rivers and Richard E Grant.

Jonathan Dimbleby, the TV presenter Charles had famously admitted to that he had committed adultery with Camilla while still married to the late Princess Diana, was also in attendance as was David Frost and Camilla’s first husband Andrew Parker-Bowles.

10. Balmoral was their honeymoon destination

In keeping with royal tradition, the newlyweds honeymooned at Birkhall, on the family’s Balmoral Estate. It holds a special place in their hearts as that’s where they got engaged and they see it as second home.

In fact, the couple recently spent time there as Charles recovered from his cancer treatment as they feel it’s the one place they get true privacy and can really relax.