Royal wedding chamber

This is the first picture of the room where Prince Charles will marry Camilla Parker Bowles.

The Prince of Wales has paid £285 to hire the Ascot Room inside Windsor Guildhall for the register office ceremony on 8 April.

Even staff there admit it is in need of renovation. Black patches stain the brown carpet, there is a battery of electrical junction boxes and a sticker above the light switch reads: "Help conserve energy. Please turn off the lights."

The room is in stark contrast to the pomp and ceremony of Charles's marriage to Diana at St Paul's Cathedral in 1981.

The Evening Standard, which first broke news of the wedding, is the first media organisation to be granted access to the room.

One staff member conceded: "As you can see, some of the items in this room are in a state of disrepair.

"I believe a rug or mat will be placed over the carpet, which has seen better days."

There is a single brass chandelier in the centre of the room and 14 antique paintings hang on the beigecoloured walls. The only picture of a monarch is one of Queen Victoria.

The Ascot Room, which can seat up to 30 guests, is currently being used by a group of actors from Windsor Theatre Guild. The company is staging Noel Coward's comedy Blithe Spirit - whose main character is called Charles.

Today the room is cluttered with props from the show, including tea cups, saucers, clothing and a pack of cards. Someone has placed the king

of hearts on a sideboard. To get to the Ascot Room, Charles will have to follow in the footsteps of countless commoners and walk up the 30 concrete steps.

Before he reaches the wedding room, he will see a trophy case carrying containing silverware and then enter the room where the registrar will be waiting. The Prince insists he is happy with the location, which he says grants his wish of a low key and no-frills ceremony. A spokeswoman for the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead said: "The Prince and Camilla have asked that there be no extra cost to council tax payers for their marriage. There will be no flowers from us or anything else on the day."

It is believed the couple will arrive in separate cars and then make the short walk to Windsor Castle to St George's Chapel for a blessing. The

Queen has announced that she will miss the civil ceremony because she considers it "demeaning".

Media organisations have booked all the hotels opposite the Guildhall but the wedding will not be broadcast after Charles banned cameras from the ceremony, it emerged today.

Clarence House admitted that there would not even be an official photograph of the event for release to the public. "It will be a completely private event," a spokesman said.

It is also reported that Charles is unsure whether to admit cameras to the religious blessing at Windsor Castle. They were forced to switch the wedding from the castle to the Guildhall after realising they would then have to make the castle available to any member of the public who wished to marry there.