Speculation that Prince Charles could finally marry Mrs Camilla Parker Bowles has been dramatically revived by Queen Elizabeth's decision to meet her son's long-time love.
Prince Charles was said to be "extremely happy" at the queen's decision to break her previous vow not to meet Mrs Parker Bowles, because of her part in the break-up of his marriage to the late Diana, Princess of Wales.
The historic meeting took place on Saturday at the prince's Highgrove home during a lunch party honouring the 60th birthday of King Constantine of Greece. It was witnessed by Prince William and Prince Harry, the King and Queen of Spain and an assortment of other British and European royals. Its significance was immediately recognised by a British press which yesterday reported the laying to rest of the final legacy of "the War of the Waleses" and, more crucially, the public healing of a long and bitter rift between Buckingham Palace and the Prince's court at St. James's.
Authoritative royal commentators said the queen had finally decided the time had come to accept Mrs Parker Bowles as part of her son's life, and that Prince Philip, who was not present on Saturday, had supported the monarch's decision.
It was immediately stressed that this was "a family matter" which did not herald the start of any public role for Mrs Parker Bowles. The official position was maintained that Prince Charles still has "no intention" of remarrying. And there was no indication that Mrs Parker Bowles would now be added to the guest list for next month's celebrations of the 100th birthday of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.
However the widespread perception was that the queen's decision to "sit down" with Mrs Parker Bowles - albeit at different tables - marked a significant point in the discreet campaign to gain public acceptance of her relationship with Prince Charles, which began in the months prior to Diana's death just under three years ago.
The constitutional expert Lord St John of Fawsley said the meeting marked a healing of a long-running rift in royal circles but did not mean a marriage between Prince Charles and Mrs Parker Bowles was likely. "It is essentially a private meeting," he said, "but the queen is very well aware of the significance which will be attached to it."
While it was "a long step" to concluding marriage would follow, Lord St John suggested Queen Elizabeth was unlikely to use her powers under the Royal Marriages Act to block such a union. "The queen is cool in her judgment and she would have assessed the whole issue. She has clearly concluded that the time has come for them to end what has been a point of contention."
However Mr Harold BrooksBaker, the publishing editor of Burke's Peerage, went further, suggesting the meeting could signal a marriage within a year. While noting that Prince Charles could freely marry the divorced Mrs Parker Bowles in the Church of Scotland, he thought Prince Charles would wait until the Church of England changed its rules on the remarriage of divorcees in church.
"This meeting means that Camilla Parker Bowles could be queen one day," he said: "The Prince of Wales obviously wishes it to be known that the queen accepts the idea of them living permanently together."