CTV
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/
1112966987583_108376187/?hub=TopStories
Royal couple will apologize for their sins
Fri. Apr. 8 2005
CTV.ca News Staff
As final preparations for the royal wedding wrap up in Windsor, there are reports that Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles will have to confess their sins to their loyal subjects.
In the service of blessing after the civil ceremony, the couple will acknowledge "sins and wickedness." The strongly worded penitence will be taken from the 17th century Book of Common Prayer.
"We acknowledge and bewail our manifold sins and wickedness which we, from time to time, most grievously have committed," the confession reads.
Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams will also ask the heir to the throne: "Charles, have you resolved to be faithful to your wife, forsaking all others so long as you both shall live?"
The couple will be married Saturday at a civil service at Windsor town hall, west of London, at 12:30 p.m. (7:30 a.m. ET).
That will be followed by a service of prayer and dedication at St. George's Chapel, up the road from Windsor Castle, at 2:30 p.m. (9:30 a.m. ET).
The wedding is the culmination of a 35-year affair that has outlasted failed marriages for both the bride and groom.
Prince Charles and Parker Bowles announced their engagement in February. Since then, the wedding has appeared to be jinxed.
The most recent mishap occurred earlier this week, when journalists alleged they were able to drive a fake bomb into the grounds of Windsor Castle undetected. The two police officers who allowed the van to drive through have been moved from their duties, according to the website of the British Broadcasting Corp.
That incident has prompted even tighter security for the event.
As well, the wedding day had to be postponed 24 hours out of respect for Pope John Paul's funeral. Prince Charles attended the service in Rome, where he was criticized for shaking hands with Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe.
Mugabe sidestepped a European Union travel ban to attend the funeral. The ban does not apply to the Vatican.
Parker Bowles is still facing criticism herself from some Britons, who blame her for the break-up of Prince Charles and Princess Diana.
And then there was the venue change, after a mix-up over marriage licences, and the apparent snub by Queen Elizabeth, who has refused to attend her eldest son's civil wedding ceremony.
The Queen and Prince Philip will attend the blessing ceremony at St. George's Chapel at Windsor castle.
About 800 guests have been invited to the prayer and dedication service, including Gov. Gen. Adrienne Clarkson and a host of celebrities, such as Joan Rivers and Kenneth Branagh.
Clarkson and her husband, John Ralston Saul, will be bringing with them a bowl made of hand-cast pewter as a gift for the royal couple.
After the ceremonies, Prince Charles and his new bride will honeymoon in a cozy Scottish hunting lodge that previously belonged to the prince's grandmother.
Birkhall mansion in the Scottish highlands is about 20 kilometres from Balmoral Castle, where the Queen spends her summer holidays.
With files from The
Associated Press
Further Reading:
