'Two old people getting hitched'

By Paul Majendie

Windsor - British heir to the throne Prince Charles finally marries Camilla Parker Bowles on Saturday, his lover for the past 35 years who will be forever blamed for destroying his marriage to Princess Diana.

Crowds gathered in bright sunshine and a chilly breeze in the riverside town of Windsor, west of London, to catch a glimpse of the couple as they drive from the imposing castle to the local town hall for a 30-minute civil ceremony.

Amid the flag-waving supporters, Maria Ramsay said: "Charles has been having a hard time since Diana died. I'm here to show people we are behind him."

Norma Southwood made her point by draping a giant banner across the barriers saying: "They are two dignified and decent people who deserve our respect."

The wedding - seemingly jinxed from the moment the two middle-aged divorcees got engaged - has won support from largely indifferent Britons but they do not accept the idea of Camilla ever becoming queen.

Memories of the glamorous Diana, who died in a Paris car crash a year after she and Charles divorced in 1996, remain strong and the possibility of a protest by her supporters is among police security concerns.

Camilla, hoping in vain for a low-key ceremony, said her big day was just a case of "two old people getting hitched".

But the matronly mother-of-two faces an uphill battle winning the affection of Charles' future subjects.

Former BBC royal correspondent Jenny Bond defended Camilla, saying: "I don't think she should be walking around in a hair shirt saying 'Mea Culpa - I committed adultery.' So did Charles and so did Diana."

The contrast between the weddings could not be more stark.

Charles and Diana married amid much pomp and circumstance in London's grandiose St Paul's Cathedral. On Saturday, just 30 people will witness his nuptials in the town hall's Ascot Room.

The ceremony was originally going to be held in the castle but had to be switched after an embarrassing mix-up over wedding licences.

It was the first of a series of setbacks.

Queen Elizabeth raised eyebrows by declaring she would not attend the marriage of her eldest son, merely the religious blessing in the castle afterwards.

And then everything had to be postponed for a day to avoid a clash with Friday's funeral of Pope John Paul.

Opinion polls show a majority accept Charles and Camilla finally tying the knot - but less than one in 10 support her becoming Queen one day.

"Who knows whether people will chuck tomatoes or rotten eggs at them," said Judy Wade, royal correspondent for the celebrity magazine Hello. "This is another nail in the coffin of the monarchy," she said.

Charles' spokesperson Paddy Harverson admitted: "There certainly have been some twists and turns along the way but most importantly, polls point to people supporting the wedding."

After delicate backroom negotiations with the British establishment, Charles, 56, and Camilla, 57, have won the tacit approval of church and state.

Prime Minister Tony Blair will attend the blessing afterwards in the chapel at Windsor Castle, to be conducted by Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, spiritual leader of the world's 77 million Anglicans.

In the service, a penitent Charles will acknowledge and solemnly bewail his "manifold sins and wickedness" and promise to be faithful to Camilla.

The honeymoon is to be spent in Scotland.

- Additional reporting by James Kilner and Andrew Cawthorne