King Charles and Queen Camilla’s wedding reportedly became a smaller civil ceremony due to Church of England “rules” surrounding remarriage after divorce. The couple had hoped to exchange vows at St George’s Chapel in 2005, but former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams later revealed that the option was ruled out.
Instead, Charles and Camilla exchanged vows at Windsor Guildhall in front of just 28 guests. The decision has resurfaced after Williams publicly addressed why a wedding at the chapel was not possible.
King Charles and Queen Camilla reportedly couldn’t wed in St George’s Chapel because of ‘rules’
As per a Daily Mail report dated August 7, 2026, Rowan Williams explained the decision surrounding King Charles and Queen Camilla’s 2005 wedding. Williams was Archbishop of Canterbury at the time of their marriage.
Speaking to Richard Eden in his column about whether he believed he had made the right decision, Williams replied, “That was the decision we made, yes.” Speaking at The Oldie magazine’s literary luncheon, he added, “Those were the rules.” The report noted that the couple were therefore unable to exchange their vows at St George’s Chapel.
Meanwhile, the wedding was moved to the local register office, with the Daily Mail reporting that just 28 guests attended the civil ceremony. Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip were absent from that part of the day.
However, Williams later led a blessing service at St George’s Chapel, which the late Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh attended. Hello! also reported that the wedding took place on April 8, 2005, after being delayed by one day.
However, the rules did not impose a blanket ban on divorcees marrying in church. According to the Daily Mail, Church of England rules introduced in 2002 allowed Anglican priests to marry divorcees at their discretion.
Hello! quoted the church website as saying that every vicar would “want to help you.” However, it also noted that some vicars might not “feel able” to conduct such a wedding. For King Charles and Queen Camilla, this ultimately meant a civil ceremony followed by a blessing at the chapel, creating one of the most closely scrutinized royal wedding arrangements.
For the unversed, Charles had previously married the late Princess Diana in 1981 before their 1996 divorce. Meanwhile, Camilla had also been married to Andrew Parker Bowles from 1973 to 1995, making their eventual 2005 union a second marriage for both.
