Queen will become the first monarch in 142 years to miss the wedding of one of her children. Photo by www.tpl.toronto.on.ca
Buckingham Palace announced that the Queen will not attend Prince Charles civil marriage ceremony which is due to take place at the Guildhall outside Windsor Castle, becoming the first monarch in 142 years to miss the wedding of one of her children.
The Queen will, however, attend the church blessing of the marriage at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle.
A spokeswoman for the Queen has said that her decision was "not a snub", rather it was taken because she wanted the ceremony to be low-key.
The Queen's decision will be seen across the world as a massive snub to Charles and - particularly - the bride, Camilla Parker Bowles.
In a separate move The Sun newspaper cited a retired nanny, who reckons Camilla is pregnant. Marigold Coleman, 61, has bet GBP 50 on it, saying this explained the rush about the wedding. Bookies William Hill gave her odds of 100-1 so she stands to make GBP 5,000 if proved right.
Camilla's love relationship with the heir of the British throne is dated back to the time when the prince was still married to media icon Princess Diana.
Charles and Diana were already divorced when she died in a car crash in Paris 1997. They have two sons, William and Harry.
Prince Charles has faced persistent criticism from the community and from the Royal family for his affair with Camilla, before she could be finally accepted as an equal social partner to the Prince.