After a 35-year relationship, Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles -- both divorced and in their 50s -- were married in a modest, civil ceremony, in Guildhall outside Windsor Castle, in nuptials limited to nearly 30 guests and the children of the bride and the groom.
Charles's wedding plans were dogged by hitches since he announced in February he was to marry Camilla in a civil ceremony. Some constitutional experts even questioned the legality of the pair marrying outside of a church. Their wedding venue was switched following a mix-up over marriage licenses and then had to be rescheduled to avoid a clash with the funeral of Pope John Paul II at the Vatican.
Camilla is now officially the Princess of Wales, although she will be known as the Duchess of Cornwall in deference to enduring public affection for Diana. When Charles is crowned, she legally will be queen, but wishes to be known as Princess Consort -- a bow to opinion polls that show 70 percent of the population opposed to Queen Camilla.
Diana died in a 1997 auto accident in Paris that shocked the world and sparked widespread grief. It was 1999 before Charles made a public appearance with Parker Bowles as his companion, and her public profile has been carefully cultivated in an attempt to ingratiate her with Britons.