ell, Mortals ---- the following simply speaks for itself. Here is the Associated Press news item out of London, as of February 10th, 2005, Mortal-reckoning:ell, Mortals ---- the following simply speaks for itself. Here is the Associated Press news item out of London, as of February 10th, 2005, Mortal-reckoning:
LONDON --- Prince Charles said Thursday he will marry his divorced lover, Camilla Parker-Bowles, in April, all but putting an official seal on a long romance that the late Princess Diana blamed for the breakdown of her tempestuous marriage to the heir to the Britsh throne. The announcement, however, ruled out the possibility that Ms. Parker-Bowles would become Queen.
The Prince of Wales and Ms. Parker-Bowles will marry on Friday, April 8th, at Windsor Castle, said Clarence House, Charles' office and residence.
During a visit to London's Financial District on Thursday morning, Charles accepted congratulations on his impending Royal Nuptials.
"Thank you very much. You're so kind," the Prince is reported to have said. "I'm very excited." Parker-Bowles will use the standard Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cornwall after the marriage ceremony. Once Charles becomes King, however, she will not be known as Queen Camilla, but rather, as the Princess Consort, according to Charles' office.
That decision by the Prince appeared to be a nod to public opinion, which has never warmed to Camilla. As for the marriage itself, it will be a civil service, and not an official Church of England service. "There will subsequently be a service of prayer and dedication in St. George's Chapel, to be presided over by the Archbishop of Canterbury," the statement from Charles' office continued.
The decision as to that specific type of service reflects the fact that both bride-to-be and groom-to-be are divorcees, and that Parker-Bowles' ex-husband is still living. In general, the Church of England, the legally established faith of the nation, disapproves of the remarriage of divorced people in church. As Britain's Monarch, King Charles III would be the supreme governor of the Church of England. Some Anglicans could potentially oppose his holding that role as a divorcee who remarried outside his own church.
The announcement received the blessings of both Queen Elizabeth II and Prime Minister Tony Blair, both of whom expressed delight at this news. Archbishop of Canterbury Dr. Rowan Williams also gave the announcement a thumbs-up, saying that the wedding service plans "have my strong support and are consistent with Church of England guidelines concerning remarriage."
Yet neither Charles nor Camilla possess the star-power of Diana, whose memory remains strong on Britain, despite the fact that theirs has been a peculiarly deep love story: one that has endured time, scrutiny and so much intense criticism that Parker-Bowles was once regularly insulted in the streets.
At this point, methinks I shall stop quoting from the above long enough to put my own two cents in on this obviously developing story. There are a good many Mortals, your Dragonmaster among them, who have pretty much feared the coming of this announcement. After Prince Harry's recent shenanigans with that bogus Nazi costume, I never dreamed that the House of Windsor would become this insane. Now, however, the asylum's key cast of inmates have, I would suppose, risen up in rebellion.
To make a long point short, Mortals, the House of Windsor is on its last legs --- and the spin doctors of Buckingham Palace know it. The problem is simply that they do not wish you the public to know it.
When all is said and done, my friends, the first British Coronation of the 21st Century may very well be the last of its kind --- no matter what the tourists or the BBC may tell you. Perhaps Obi-wan's ancient wisdom should be essential remembering, even if you are not browsing these Dark Chambers from London: "Your eyes can play tricks on you. Never trust them."
Why, Master Blackwolf, I hear you asking, should words like these come from the lips of a Wizard --- and, come to that, a Mage who has devoted several of his many adventures to behaving politely among Monarchs? I'll tell you why. Royalty, like some things, is not a concept, nor is it a trend. It is something that must be earned. More to the point, a true Royal must earn his or her right to claim his or her Kingdom's Throne at the expense of sacrificing all that is Mortal of him or her. And, even though I am loathe to utter the words here, that includes the emotion of love. As we all know, King Edward VIII was not willing to make such a sacrifice when he encountered his beloved Wallis Simpson; as a result, the world remains forever haunted by his final words to his people that rainy December dawn in 1936, when he declared: "....But you must believe me when I tell you that I have found it impossible to carry out the heavy burden of responsibility and discharge my duties as King as I would wish to do without the help and support of the woman I love."
And so, dear friends, you now know why I see a rather harsh moon rising on the House of Winsdor. Simply put, folks: the beginning of the third Charlesian Era may yet spawn the coming of the next great, and possibly tragic, annus horribilis.
Of course, these be thy Dragonmaster's commentaries. I could in fact be incorrect, Lords and Ladies.