The shifting of the venue of the royal wedding, between Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles on April 8, has left the Queen upset and the Thames Valley Police in a quandary. The venue of the wedding, which was to be Clarence House in Windsor Castle, has now been shifted to the Guildhall registry office.
Under British licensing laws, registering the castle as a wedding venue means that it would have to be thrown open to the weddings of commoners for a period of three years. To avoid this situation, the venue has been shifted to the local town hall, where thousands of Britons exchange their marital vows every year. After the ceremony, however, a blessing led by Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams will take place at the castle's St George's Chapel. A reception at the castle's state apartments would follow the blessing.
According to certain media reports, the Queen of England is 'appalled' at the prospect of a ceremony she regards as 'common' and unfit for the heir to the throne - she is definately not amused!. The Prince of Wales has also expressed displeasure at the fiasco. The British media, having a field day at the expense of the royal family, has dubbed the chaotic preparations for the wedding, a ‘royal fiasco’ and a ‘common wedding’.
This shift of venue, which is likely to further drain the already limited resources, is expected to push the cost of the wedding to £1 million GBP or approximately $2 million US Dollars.
The royal family isn’t the only one displeased with venue shift. Thames Valley Police, which is responsible for Windsor castle, will now have to make more elaborate security arrangements. A wedding in Windsor Castle, with about 700 guests, would cause minimal security concerns. Now, the police will have man the entire route between the castle and the Guildhall, and scan it for possible explosives. Police snipers will have to be positioned on rooftops and helicopters will provide aerial security. The cost, of course, will have to be borne by the local council taxpayers.
According to a royal source, “Inside the castle we knew exactly who was where. Now that the wedding has been moved into the town centre, we have lost a lot of control. This is not what was intended by a low-key, tightly controlled wedding.” Another problem that will arise out of the shift in venue is that earlier 700 guests were to be invited to the wedding. But the Guildhall has a capacity of 200 only. The guest list will now have to either be cut back or made into a two-tier system whereby the most important dignitaries will be invited to the actual ceremony.
