Late Queen had guests roaring with laughter at funny and heart-warming wedding speech for Charles and Camilla

The late Queen Elizabeth II reportedly had guests in fits of laughter with her funny and heartwarming speech at the wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles. The Royal nuptials, which took place in a civil ceremony at Windsor Guildhall on April 9, 2005, were highlighted by the Queen's sentimental words during the reception.

Despite her absence from the civil ceremony due to her position as the Head of the Church of England, which traditionally frowns upon divorce, the late Queen Elizabeth II made her presence felt at the subsequent religious blessing in St George's Chapel and the grand reception held at Windsor Castle for over 700 attendees.

Andrew Alderson, writing for The Telegraph in April 2005, shed light on the Queen's decision to skip the civil service, stating: "The Queen has let it be known that the reason she will not be attending the wedding of Prince of Wales is because she is putting her duties as the head of the Church of England before family feelings."

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Yet, it was at the castle where the Queen delivered a touching and, on occasions, very light-hearted tribute to Prince Charles and his bride, Camilla. Woman and Home Magazine reported that Queen Elizabeth gave an "unusually sentimental" address to the assembled guests, reports the Express.

In front of a crowd of around 700 invitees, the late sovereign began her eagerly awaited speech with a reference to horseracing, one of her most enduring interests.

Speaking about the challenges faced at Aintree Racecourse during the iconic Grand National, she remarked of Charles and Camilla: "They have overcome Becher's Brook and the Chair and all kinds of other terrible obstacles.

"They have come through and I'm very proud and wish them well. My son is home and dry with the woman he loves."

In her 2022 book 'The New Royals', author Katie Nicholl reflected on the Queen's words, noting: "It was an unusually sentimental speech from the monarch and it captured the visceral sense of relief the couple had, in their fifties, being able to make their enduring love official."

The ceremony was attended by key members of the Royal Family, including Prince William and Prince Harry, as well as Camilla's children Tom Parker Bowles and Laura Lopes. Prince Charles and Camilla opted for a civil ceremony instead of a Church of England service, marking Charles as the first Royal to have a civil marriage ceremony in England.

Although the Church of England sometimes allows divorced individuals to remarry, it is believed that the decision for a civil ceremony was made in deference to Charles' future position as head of the Church, given both he and Camilla were divorcees.

Following the civil ceremony, a religious Service of Prayer and Dedication was held at St George's Chapel in Windsor, officiated by the then Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams. As per the Royal Marriages Act of 1772, the late Queen's consent was required for the marriage of Charles and Camilla to proceed.