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| The wedding is due to take place on 8 April in
Windsor Guildhall |
The Queen will not attend the civil marriage ceremony of her son and
his new bride, says Buckingham Palace.
The Prince of Wales and Camilla Parker Bowles are getting married on 8
April at the Guildhall in Windsor.
The palace said the Queen would attend the church blessing afterwards
and was happy to host the reception.
Buckingham Palace said "this is not a snub " and added it was because
"the prince and Mrs Parker Bowles wanted to keep the occasion low key".
"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."
Prince William and Prince Harry, along with Mrs Parker Bowles'
children, Tom and Laura, are planning to attend the civil ceremony.
It could be security, that she doesn't approve, or
that she doesn't care, a position which would unite her with the majority
of her subjects
The spokeswoman said: "The Queen's prime concern is that the civil
ceremony should be as low key as possible, in line with the couple's
wishes."
Asked if this was a royal snub, the spokeswoman replied: "The Queen is
attending the service of dedication and paying for the reception - this is
not a snub."
Historian Dr David Starkey said the Queen's decision was
"unprecedented" in royal history.
"We are
into unknown territories with this decision and one can only speculate on the
reason why.
(BBC) | 
Updated: 2005-02-23 09:15