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King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla's royal wedding wishes sparked 'furious debate'

Prince Harry has made new claims about the 2005 civil ceremony in his book Spare

charles camilla wedding 2005
Nichola Murphy
Deputy Lifestyle Editor
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Shortly before King Charles married his second wife Queen Consort Camilla in April 2005, a "furious debate" happened behind closed palace doors, according to his youngest son Prince Harry.

The Duke of Sussex has previously admitted he and his elder brother Prince William asked the monarch not to go through with the wedding. However, he said in his book Spare that he wanted them both to be happy after "years of thwarted longing." But one other hurdle stood in their way – where to host their second wedding since they were both divorcés. See the mishap that happened on their big day in the video below...

WATCH: Queen Consort Camilla reveals how the late Queen Elizabeth reacted to wedding mishap

"First there was the controversy over the nature of the ceremony. Courtiers insisted it would have to be a civil ceremony, because Pa, as future supreme governor of the Church of England, couldn’t marry a divorcée in the church," Harry began.

"That set off a furious debate about locations. If the civil ceremony were to be held at Windsor Castle, the couple’s first choice, then Windsor would first need to be licensed for civil weddings, and if that were to happen then everyone in Britain would be allowed to have their civil weddings there. No one wanted that.

charles camilla wedding guildhall

The couple, who had both been divorced, wanted to get married at Windsor Castle

"The decision was therefore made that the wedding would take place at Windsor Guildhall," he added.

DETAILS: Prince Harry questioned Meghan Markle about 'torrid affair' claims ahead of royal wedding

Then-Prince Charles met Camilla Shand, both 23, at a polo match in 1970, and they dated before the King-to-be was called away on naval duties overseas. He didn't ask his girlfriend to wait for him, and she went on to marry Andrew Parker Bowles in 1973.

They welcomed children Laura and Tom before splitting in 1995. Meanwhile, Charles was married to his late wife Princess Diana from 1981 to 1996, during which time they welcomed Prince William and Prince Harry. The latter has since reiterated that Camilla was the "third person" in his parent's marriage.

charles camilla wedding

King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla had a civil ceremony at Windsor Guildhall and a religious blessing at St. George's Chapel

After quietly rekindling their romance, the royal couple announced their engagement in February 2005 and tied the knot in a civil ceremony at Windsor Guildhall, Berkshire followed by an official religious blessing at St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle on 9 April.

Opening up about his feelings on their big day, Harry added: "I knew without question that this marriage would take Pa away from us…I didn’t relish losing a second parent, and I had complex feelings about gaining a step-parent who, I believed, had recently sacrificed me on her personal PR altar."

He concluded: "I was surprised to discover at their wedding that one of the things I wanted most, still, was for my father to be happy."

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