> When the Queen dies or abdicates, Prince
Charles will become King Charles III. He is
currently divorced, and although Princess
Diana has since died, there is currently a
constitutional discussion about whether a
Monarch of England can be re-married, as he
is dating Lady Camilla Parker-Bowles. The
difficulty arises as the monarch is aslo head
of the Church of England, which prohibits
re-marrage. If it is allowed, someone will have
to decide if she can take the title of "Queen" of
if a new rank will have to be created to cover
her.

From what I've heard (which admittedly isn't
very much), I thought that Ms. Parker-Bowles
was a "commoner." Is there a past precedent
for a commoner attaining royalty status by
marriage like that?

> Also on Charles' coronation, his eldest son
(Prince William) will take all the titles that are
attached to the Heir Apparent. These include
Prince of Wales, Duke of Cornwall and the
Grand Cross Knight of the Order of the Garter,
to name but a few.

"Order of the Garter?" Where do all these
interesting names and titles come from?

> winter"Did that help clear up the
confusion?"mute

Yes, quite a bit, thank you. Of course, as often
happens, the explanation has led to more
questions...

> * Yes, she did take the title of queen when
her husband became king, but I only gave her
maiden name in a feeble attempt to make this
easier to understand. She currently holds the
title of "Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth the
Queen Mother", a title created especially for
her - presumably "Dowager Queen" sounded
a bit off.

Wow, I had no idea that the mother of Queen
Elizabeth II was still alive!

Gri"learning something every day"shny