UK legal proviso prompts change in royal wedding venue News
UK legal proviso prompts change in royal wedding venue

[JURIST] What appears to have been a legal oversight has prompted the office of the Prince of Wales at Clarence House to announce that the official wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles has been moved from Windsor Castle to Windsor's Guildhall [backgrounder, photos], the local town hall. Under Britain's 1994 Marriage Act [text], venues licensed for civil weddings must be made available to the general public on a regular basis for at least 3 years, a rule which raised the possibility that couples would apply for weddings at the royal residence. Read the official Clarence House announcement. AFP has more information. The Queen is reported to be unhappy with the change in venue, believing that Prince Charles has rushed through the planning process for the event. The Melbourne Herald Sun has more on the Royal reaction.