<p id=”par-1_50″><a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/king-charles/”>King Charles</a> and Camilla Parker Bowles celebrated their <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/king-charles-camilla-parker-bowles-wedding-anniversary-tinged-sadness.html/”>19th anniversary</a> on April 9. However, in 2005, the couple faced <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/video-strange-reactions-royal-family-members-king-charles-camilla-got-married.html/”>challenges regarding their wedding</a>. This included the the <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/queen-elizabeths-15-words-advice-charles-camilla-wedding-day.html/”>absence of Queen Elizabeth</a> and Prince Philip from their legal wedding ceremony. The monarch and her husband felt attending was inappropriate; here’s why.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-queen-elizabeth-and-prince-philip-skipped-king-charles-civil-wedding-to-camilla-parker-bowles”>Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip skipped King Charles’ civil wedding to Camilla Parker Bowles</h2>
<p id=”par-2_44″>After a decades-long relationship King Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles wed in a civil ceremony on April 9, 2005, at Windsor Guildhall. There were 28 guests at the ceremony, including Prince William and Prince Harry. But the groom’s parents were not among them. </p>
<p id=”par-3_53″>Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip skipped the civil ceremony as the queen believed it wasn’t appropriate to attend it. As the United Kingdom’s Queen, Elizabeth was also head of the Church of England. Therefore, she didn’t deem it appropriate to attend the wedding of two divorced people, even if one was her son.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-did-queen-elizabeth-and-prince-philip-attend-king-charles-and-camilla-parker-bowles-church-blessing”>Did Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip attend King Charles’ and Camilla Parker Bowles’ church blessing?</h2>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-large” id=”emb-1″><img decoding=”async” loading=”lazy” width=”1800″ height=”900″ src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Prince-Charles-Camilla-Duchess-of-Cornwall-Prince-Harry-Prince-William-Tom-and-Laura-Parker-Bowles-Prince-Philip-Queen-Elizabeth.jpg?w=1024&h=512&strip=all&quality=89″ alt=”King Charles, Camilla Parker Bowles, Prince Harry, Prince William, Tom and Laura Parker Bowles, Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth.” class=”wp-image-3650181″ srcset=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Prince-Charles-Camilla-Duchess-of-Cornwall-Prince-Harry-Prince-William-Tom-and-Laura-Parker-Bowles-Prince-Philip-Queen-Elizabeth.jpg 1800w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Prince-Charles-Camilla-Duchess-of-Cornwall-Prince-Harry-Prince-William-Tom-and-Laura-Parker-Bowles-Prince-Philip-Queen-Elizabeth.jpg?w=640&h=320 640w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Prince-Charles-Camilla-Duchess-of-Cornwall-Prince-Harry-Prince-William-Tom-and-Laura-Parker-Bowles-Prince-Philip-Queen-Elizabeth.jpg?w=1024&h=512 1024w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Prince-Charles-Camilla-Duchess-of-Cornwall-Prince-Harry-Prince-William-Tom-and-Laura-Parker-Bowles-Prince-Philip-Queen-Elizabeth.jpg?w=768&h=384 768w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Prince-Charles-Camilla-Duchess-of-Cornwall-Prince-Harry-Prince-William-Tom-and-Laura-Parker-Bowles-Prince-Philip-Queen-Elizabeth.jpg?w=1536&h=768 1536w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Prince-Charles-Camilla-Duchess-of-Cornwall-Prince-Harry-Prince-William-Tom-and-Laura-Parker-Bowles-Prince-Philip-Queen-Elizabeth.jpg?w=620&h=310 620w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Prince-Charles-Camilla-Duchess-of-Cornwall-Prince-Harry-Prince-William-Tom-and-Laura-Parker-Bowles-Prince-Philip-Queen-Elizabeth.jpg?w=300&h=150 300w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Prince-Charles-Camilla-Duchess-of-Cornwall-Prince-Harry-Prince-William-Tom-and-Laura-Parker-Bowles-Prince-Philip-Queen-Elizabeth.jpg?w=200&h=100 200w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Prince-Charles-Camilla-Duchess-of-Cornwall-Prince-Harry-Prince-William-Tom-and-Laura-Parker-Bowles-Prince-Philip-Queen-Elizabeth.jpg?w=902&h=451 902w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Prince-Charles-Camilla-Duchess-of-Cornwall-Prince-Harry-Prince-William-Tom-and-Laura-Parker-Bowles-Prince-Philip-Queen-Elizabeth.jpg?w=120&h=60 120w” sizes=”(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px”><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>King Charles, Camilla Parker Bowles, Prince Harry, Prince William, Tom and Laura Parker Bowles, Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth | Corbis via Getty Images</figcaption></figure>
<p id=”par-4_41″>Later that same day, Prince Philip and Camilla Parker Bowles had a Service of Prayer and Dedication at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle. The<a href=”https://www.churchofengland.org/life-events/your-church-wedding/planning-your-ceremony/wedding-blessings” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”> Church of England’s official website</a> details what that type of service means for a married couple.</p>
<p id=”par-5_48″>It says, “The Church of England service is called a Service of Prayer and Dedication, often known as a blessing. It is a simple service acknowledging the commitment between husband and wife during a civil ceremony and asking for God’s blessing and guidance in your new life together.”</p>
<p id=”par-6_29″>Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip attended that ceremony, which was held later the day the couple legally married. They hosted a wedding reception for the newlyweds at Windsor Castle.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-king-charles-butler-shares-thoughts-on-the-day”>King Charles Butler shares thoughts on the day</h2>
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<iframe loading=”lazy” title=”The Royal Wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles (2005)” width=”925″ height=”520″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/CgeXK5cKatA?feature=oembed” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” referrerpolicy=”strict-origin-when-cross-origin” allowfullscreen></iframe>
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<p id=”par-7_33″>King Charles’ former butler, Grant Harrold, told<a href=”https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/reports/a39671767/why-queen-wasnt-at-charles-camilla-wedding/” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”> Cosmopolitan UK</a> that despite rumors to the contrary, Queen Elizabeth supported King Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles’ relationship because she sensed how happy her son was.</p>
<p id=”par-8_32″>Harrold says, “The biggest misconception about the wedding is that the Queen didn’t enjoy it or wasn’t supportive; it’s complete nonsense.” He added that Elizabeth was “really happy” for her oldest son.</p>
<p id=”par-9_54″>However, “We talked about twenty-odd years ago, and then Charles was a divorcee marrying a Catholic. All the things that have lost monarchy in the past, so possibly the Queen felt that being a traditionalist, she didn’t want to be at the blessing for personal reasons because her faith was very strong,” Harrold said.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-queen-elizabeth-paid-for-and-attended-the-couple-s-reception”>Queen Elizabeth paid for and attended the couple’s reception</h2>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-large” id=”emb-3″><img decoding=”async” loading=”lazy” width=”1800″ height=”900″ src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/king-charles-camilla-parker-bowles-queen-elizabeth.jpg?w=1024&h=512&strip=all&quality=89″ alt=”King Charles, Camilla Parker Bowles and Queen Elizabeth in 2005.” class=”wp-image-3650175″ srcset=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/king-charles-camilla-parker-bowles-queen-elizabeth.jpg 1800w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/king-charles-camilla-parker-bowles-queen-elizabeth.jpg?w=640&h=320 640w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/king-charles-camilla-parker-bowles-queen-elizabeth.jpg?w=1024&h=512 1024w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/king-charles-camilla-parker-bowles-queen-elizabeth.jpg?w=768&h=384 768w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/king-charles-camilla-parker-bowles-queen-elizabeth.jpg?w=1536&h=768 1536w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/king-charles-camilla-parker-bowles-queen-elizabeth.jpg?w=620&h=310 620w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/king-charles-camilla-parker-bowles-queen-elizabeth.jpg?w=300&h=150 300w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/king-charles-camilla-parker-bowles-queen-elizabeth.jpg?w=200&h=100 200w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/king-charles-camilla-parker-bowles-queen-elizabeth.jpg?w=902&h=451 902w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/king-charles-camilla-parker-bowles-queen-elizabeth.jpg?w=120&h=60 120w” sizes=”(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px”><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>King Charles, Camilla Parker Bowles and Queen Elizabeth in 2005 | ROTA-Pool/Getty Images</figcaption></figure>
<div class=”related-article related-article–simple”>
<span class=”related-article-flag”>Related</span>
<p class=”related-article__title”>
<a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/king-charles-turns-away-camilla-parker-bowles-amidst-royal-family-turmoil-correspondent.html/”>
King Charles Turns Away From Camilla Parker Bowles Amidst Royal Family Turmoil: Correspondent </a>
</p>
</div>
<p id=”par-10_42″>The<a href=”http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4289225.stm” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”> BBC</a> quotes a spokeswoman for the royal family, who weighed in on rumors that Queen Elizabeth was planning to “snub” King Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles on their wedding day. They clarified the monarch’s attendance and her participation in the day.</p>
<p id=”par-11_41″>“The queen and the rest of the royal family will, of course, be going to the service of dedication at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle,” the spokeswoman said. “She is very pleased to be giving the wedding reception at the Castle.”</p>
<p id=”par-12_41″>The spokeswoman continued, “The Queen’s prime concern is that the civil ceremony should be as low-key as possible, in line with the couple’s wishes. The Queen is attending the service of dedication and paying for the reception—this is not a snub.”</p>
<p id=”par-13_32″>Queen Elizabeth made a memorable and funny toast to her son and his wife during the reception. This moment was recreated for the final season and last episode of Netflix’s <em>The Crown.</em></p>