The Spectator's Notes | 5 March 2005

If you are a monarchist, this does not automatically make you an admirer of the royal family. But it does lead you to give members of that family the benefit of the doubt, particularly when so many others so viciously do the opposite. In general, too, our monarch has shown shrewdness in preserving the institution and so one trusts her judgment more than that of her more emotional, wilful heir. But, try as I might, I cannot see that her refusal to attend the marriage ceremony of Prince Charles and Mrs Parker Bowles does anything but harm. It is easy to understand why, over the years, the Queen has opposed her son’s remarriage, but now that it is happening, matters can only be made worse by foot-dragging. On moral, ecclesiastical and prudential grounds, some people question the legitimacy of the marriage. Therefore the task for the Queen is to give it legitimacy. She has agreed to this by making Camilla ‘HRH’; now she undercuts it by not attending the legitimising moment. It is a serious mistake.

I cannot persuade anyone to share my concern about Brigadier Andrew Parker Bowles, yet the risk is real. As pointed out before in this column, the Brigadier is the only living impediment to a full church wedding for the Prince of Wales and Mrs Parker Bowles. No brigadier, no need for registry office; no registry office, no anxiety about the established Church, the venue for the ceremony or the presence of the groom’s mother; none of these troubles, no threat to the throne. Of course I am not suggesting that anyone in the circles of power is plotting anything against this gallant former soldier, but isn’t it a little surprising that a man who was head of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps does not appear in Who’s Who? It is up to the public to make sure that the brigadier is not quietly airbrushed out of our national life.