There was a time, when King Edward, abdicated the throne so as to marry an American and a divorced woman.
Time has changed, and so have the royal family and church rules.
Prince Harry married an American and divorced woman, Meghan Markle, but the Queen gave her blessing. Confused? There was a time when Prince Harry marry Meghan Markle would have been a scandal so large, that it would shook the British monarchy to its core. Comparisons of Meghan Markle to Wallis Simpson and the Abdication aren’t without their logic.
There’s a striking difference between Harry’s father, Prince Charles’s own wedding. Charles married Camilla, in 2005 in a civil ceremony at the Windsor Guildhall. Then, they received a church blessing at the chapel afterwards.
Also read: Prince Charles’ speech about Harry at the wedding made everyone cry. Look what it was?
Just like Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Cornwall, Camilla is also a divorcee and was married to a catholic. But, back at that time, the wedding venue was an issue, and this time it isn’t.
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Duncan Larcombe, a royal author gave a statement saying: “I really think it is just a reflection that time’s moved on, things have changed. As a general rule, the royal family tend to be about 25 years behind the rest of the society”. About a century ago, Edward had to give up the British throne in order to marry a divorced woman. But, society has a much different view of divorce today.
Divorce is no longer a major scandal: The Church of England allows, in special circumstances, for people to remarry in the church even if their former spouse is still living. It is a decision that is left up to the individual priest.
Of course, Prince Charles’ second marriage received an endorsement from the Archbishop of Canterbury. Yet, he chose to marry in a civil ceremony, which suggests there was another issue at play here.
What was the whole issue about?
While there is a bit increase in Camilla’s popularity, 87.78 % of Britons do not think she should be Queen, and only 12.22 % think she is fit for the role. The British public still hasn’t forgotten the part Camilla played in Charles and Diana’s divorce.
Hence, it’s possible that the palace thought people wouldn’t look kindly on a big church wedding. In contrast, people around the world were filled with love for Meghan and were curious to learn more about her wedding to Prince Harry.
Also read: Meghan Markle’s pregnancy diet advice.
Charles and Camilla reportedly opted for a civil ceremony and not a church wedding to keep things low-key.
At first, they wanted the civil ceremony to be held at Windsor Castle, but it was later moved onto Windsor Guildhall. Why? Because, if they licensed the castle for wedding ceremonies, the private residence would have to be open to members of the public to get married there for three years.
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