King Charles and Queen Camilla’s wedding: guests, date, dress & photos

KING Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles were finally allowed to get married in 2005, after a long and complicated romance.

Unlike other royal weddings that are televised and watched around the world, the couple opted for a much more private ceremony

Did King Charles need permission to marry Queen Camilla?

It wasn’t until two years after King Charles' first wife Princess Diana’s tragic death in 1997 that he stepped out publicly with Camilla.

In 1999, after throwing a party for her sister at The Ritz in London, the pair were photographed together as a couple.

But following public outrage, they decided to keep their romance away from scrutiny. 

Camilla described the backlash as “hell” and something she “wouldn’t wish on her worst enemy.”

In fact, Camilla waited until 2000 to meet the Queen and the couple didn’t share a kiss in public until 2001.

In 2003, the couple moved into Clarence House and two years later they announced their engagement.

King Charles had to go to his mother to ask for permission to marry Camilla, and she consented.

When and where did King Charles and Queen Camilla get married?

The pair wed in an intimate civil ceremony at Windsor Castle on April 9, 2005.

The couple only had 28 guests in attendance, which included his sister Princess Anne and brother Prince Andrew.

It has since been reported how Charles wanted things to "run as smoothly as possible", especially considering the controversy surrounding his relationship with Camilla. 

Phones and cameras were prohibited at the royal ceremony, however the official photographer was Hugo Burnand.

Burnand has since taken photos at the Coronation.

Wedding gifts were banned. 

The invitation stated: “Wedding List: There will be no Wedding List.”

It is thought Charles wanted to avoid the embarrassment of receiving thousands of unwanted gifts.

It is reported that after his big wedding to Princess Diana in 1981, he gave away many of the 6,000 presents they received.

Diana’s former butler Paul Burrell has also revealed that some of the gifts were given to royal servants.

How old were King Charles and Queen Camilla when they got married?

When Charles married Camilla, they were a couple in their fifties who had both been through divorces.

The royal couple's relationship began back in 1971 when the pair were introduced by a mutual friend.

Aged 23, they quickly became close friends talking for hours on the phone and spending as much time together as possible.

However, the relationship never progressed amid warnings from Charles’ great-uncle Lord Mountbatten that Camilla was not “sufficiently aristocratic” to marry into the Royal Family. 

However, despite meeting in their 20s, Charles was 56 and Camilla was 57 when they wed.

When the then-Prince of Wales married Diana he was 32, and Camilla was 25 when she walked down the aisle for her first marriage to Andrew Parker-Bowles.

What dress did Queen Camilla wear for her wedding?

For her wedding day, Camilla opted for something different from the traditional white dress.

The bride wore a pale blue-grey gown and matching coat with gold detailing.

Her wedding dress was by designers Antonia Robinson and Anna Valentine, and her headwear by Philip Treacy.

Why did the Queen and Prince Philip not attend Charles and Camilla's wedding?

The late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip did not go to the wedding ceremony, despite the Monarch having consented to the couple's marriage.

However, they did attend the service afterwards and also held a reception for the couple at Windsor Castle.

As Queen Elizabeth was head of the Church of England, it was decided it was not appropriate for her to be at the wedding of two people who had divorced their previous partners.

Charles was married to Princess Diana from 1981 to 1996, while Camilla was married to Andrew Parker Bowles from 1973 to 1995.

Did William and Harry go to King Charles and Queen Camilla's wedding?

Among the guests were Prince William and Prince Harry, and Camilla’s children from her first marriage, Tom Parker Bowles and Laura Lopes.

A body language expert told The Sun that attending the ceremony was even "harder" for the King's sons than the public may have thought. 

Judi James claimed they were “nervous” and “going through the motions” as they watched their dad remarry.

She said: “Few step-children will have had to dig as deep as Diana’s two devoted and loyal sons did when attending the marriage of their father to Diana’s sworn rival Camilla.

“It is to the brother’s credit that they suppressed what must have been many negative emotions for the sake of their father and the need for family unity.

“The pair opted for two key motivational techniques: overkill displays and muscle memory formalities."