Charles wedding is lawful

The way was cleared this afternoon for Prince Charles to marry - under the Human Rights Act.

The Lord Chancellor used an emergency statement to Parliament to declare that a register office wedding would be lawful.

It came after constitutional experts raised doubts that Charles was allowed to marry Camilla Parker Bowles in a civil ceremony.

The 1836 Marriage Act prevents any senior royal from doing so and there was uncertainty over whether the updated 1949 Marriage Act allows it.

But in today's statement, Lord Falconer said the Human Rights Act 2000 requires that all previous legislation had to be interpreted "in a way that is compatible" with the right to marry.

The full wording of Article 12 states: "Men and women of marriageable age have the right to marry and to found a family, according to the national laws governing the exercise of this right."

Lord Falconer made the decision to reveal normally secret advice to the Queen as the shambles of the wedding plans was called a "national embarrassment".

The Queen is furious at the advisers and courtiers who had been assuring her for months that her son's wedding would be problem-free.

There have been a series of setbacks since the 8 April wedding was announced.

First, Prince Charles was forced to abandon plans to get married in Windsor Castle and instead go to the local register office because the public would have had to be allowed to marry in the castle.

The move led to the Queen telling aides she could not go to the register office ceremony at Windsor Guildhall because she feared it would turn into a "media circus".

This was seen as a massive snub to the couple. Sources said she would have gone to the event if it had been held in Windsor Castle.

The dramatic intervention of the Lord Chancellor, the Queen's most senior legal adviser, came after Downing Street moved to avoid a full-scale constitutional crisis just weeks before a general election. Tony Blair's official spokesman said: "The Lord Chancellor is setting out the reasons. It is simply an explanation of the advice that has been given."

On the separate issue of who had initially advised that the civil ceremony could be held at Windsor Castle, Mr Blair's spokesman said: "That's a matter for the Palace." He added that he was not aware if the Prime Minister had been sent an invitation to the civil ceremony.

But the whole affair could yet be thrown into chaos despite the ruling. The Registrar General for Births Marriages and Deaths confirmed today that the wedding could be delayed if anyone formally objected to it.

No objection has yet been received, but under current law an investigation may have to take place that could take weeks to resolve.

The possibility of yet more legal complications will do nothing to reduce the Queen's concern at the bungling of her son's wedding, which had been supposed to be a public relations triumph.

A senior royal source said: "The situation is very clear. Her Majesty agreed to a civil wedding service at Windsor Castle followed by a service of dedication at St George's Chapel.

"She was advised by courtiers, constitutional experts and lawyers that these arrangements would be acceptable to both the Government and the Church of England.

"It seems that that advice was erroneous and as a result the Queen has been placed in this unfortunate position through no fault of her own."

The source added: "When the ceremony was going to take place at Windsor Castle, the Queen would have gone to the civil part of it.

"But after it was moved to the register office she made it plain to the Prince of Wales that she would not become part of a media circus by crossing the road to go to a town hall."

Robert Lacey, the Queen's biographer, said: "The Queen is annoyed at the succession of mistakes that have happened. She can't in the slightest be happy with the highly-paid royal advisers who haven't worked this out."

Today the Palace was trying to play down controversy by insisting the Queen and other royals would be at a service of dedication at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle.

There is mounting anger in the royal household at the failure of legal advisers to realise the problems a civil wedding could cause for Prince Charles.

Former private secretary to Prince Charles, Patrick Jephson, said there was no doubt that the fiasco had created huge tension within the royal family.

"We have to take what the Queen says on face value," he said.

The only people known to definitely be attending the civil ceremony are princes William and Harry and Mrs Parker Bowles's son and daughter, Tom and Laura. Prince Philip, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward are not expected at the town hall.

The ceremony will be conducted by a registrar before the couple cross the road back to Windsor Castle for a blessing expected to be conducted by the Dean of Windsor, the Right Rev David Conner. After the blessing there is to be a reception in the castle.