Charles takes a bride

Perhaps they thought it may never come to pass, but finally the stars did shine on these star crossed lovers eh! Charles and Camilla finally made their confessions, took their vows and headed for the Scottish Hills all in one day, no doubt not wanting to tempt the fates.

With the happy festival delayed by a day due to the death of a Pontiff, the tabloids favorite pair finally made a walk down an aisle. As far as Royal Weddings go, this one was pretty underwhelming, no breathless coverage from the networks, Canadian Television gave it a brief mention and then went back to the conspiracy and money laundering theories tied to the government of the past day, while American TV gave it some coverage but nowhere near the recent wall to wall infatuation with the Schiavo and Papal stories.

And perhaps that is as it should be, this was certainly not the wedding of the century, hell it probably won't rate as the wedding of the year should some of the Tabloids favorite movie and television stars regain their marital form. Compared to the coverage of Charles' first walk down the aisle, this was a movie trailer as opposed to a featured attraction.

But when all was said and done, the Happy Couple hopped into their car, rode off down the road and headed for a Honeymoon in Scotland. The Best wishes of their friends, family and Queen herself ringing in their ears. Her Majesty apparently showing some rare comedic form by including the race results of th day in her message to her son and latest daughter in law. One wonders if the she made a wager on the event herself, and if she selected Charles to Win, Place or Show!

The colonies paid their respects (and some former colonies their disrespects) and went back to sleep, though the latest public opinion poll suggests that Charles and Camilla won't have to pack for a trip to Canada anytime soon. For the first time since the always popular Republican question has been posed a majority of respondents suggested that Canada's ties to the Monarchy should come to an end when the Queen gives up her throne. Even the Prince's own subjects are suggesting that the hand over skip a generation with Prince William becoming the eventual ruler. All in all a nice little wedding present for the future King and his consort.

But that's all details to worry about in some long time future it seems. The Queen shows no signs of passing on the family business anytime soon, the Prince content to settle down with the woman he loves. And after the amazing zig zag course they've taken to make it to the altar you can only imagine how relieved they must be to actually have had the bloody thing actually take place. Even more relieved that Charles and Camilla are finally hitched are the many merchants who feared a glut of out of date memorabilia, it seems the change of date created a rush on mementoes as Britons scrambled to grab instant collector items. For the merchant class it is God Save the Queen and thanks for shopping!

From a confusing bit of site planning, on to suggestions that the marriage may not be legal, to external events far beyond their control it seemed like this Royal event was doomed from the start. With the original wedding day pushed back a day due to the Pope's funeral (Perhaps God's payback for that whole Henry the VIIIth situation eh) one half expected some other major event to rise up and delay their special day once more. The Prince must have entered the Church today with one eye on his bride, the other on the sky checking to see if either was going to fall before the vows were exchanged. His loyal subjects were there though to wish him well as he came out the other side, though the immense collection of headgear showcased by Royals and commoners alike, gave one the impression of an Alice in Wonderland Mad Hatters Tea party at one point. Hats, Hats, Hats in every shape and size, hat shops must have felt like they hit the lottery this week!

But now it's off to the honeymoon, a bit of quiet time in the hinterlands of Scotland while they plan their future together. With the Prince's recent tirade against the press one suspects that the quiet moments should be enjoyed this week, they may be few and far between in the future.