Prince Charles and his longtime love, Camilla Parker Bowles, arrived at Windsor Castle tonight beneath an illuminated Round Tower, specially lit on order of the Queen to celebrate their engagement.
It was their first public appearance together since the rush announcement of their impending nuptials earlier today, and will mark the start of a legitimised public life for the future king and his princess consort-to-be.
After years of speculation and denial about their relationship, Clarence House announced this morning that the prince and Mrs Parker Bowles will marry in a civil ceremony on Friday April 8 at Windsor Castle. The wedding will be followed by a service of prayer and dedication in St George's Chapel, at which the Archbishop of Canterbury will preside.
The issue of whether Mrs Parker Bowles could ever become Queen Camilla has been central to debate about whether she and Charles would marry. The couple have carefully sidestepped the issue; when Charles ascends the throne, she will be known as the princess consort.
More immediately, Mrs Parker Bowles will take the title Her Royal Highness, the Duchess of Cornwall, after the wedding. The choice avoids the controversy that would have been caused by her sharing the title of Princess of Wales with the prince's first wife, Diana, who died in a Paris car crash in 1997. She and the prince had divorced a year earlier.
In a Buckingham Palace statement, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh expressed their "warmest good wishes" for the couple's future. "The Duke of Edinburgh and I are very happy that the Prince of Wales and Mrs Parker Bowles are to marry," the Queen said.
Clarence House said the prince's two sons, Prince William, 22, and 20-year-old Prince Harry, were "delighted" for their father. Mrs Parker Bowles has two children by her former husband, Andrew Parker Bowles, 30-year-old Tom and Laura, 26.
The prime minister, Tony Blair, described the announcement as "very happy news", adding that the cabinet sent "congratulations and good wishes". "We all wish them every happiness for their future together," Mr Blair said.
Mrs Parker Bowles will debut her diamond and platinum engagement ring tonight. A royal family heirloom, it features a square-cut central diamond with three smaller diamonds on either side.
The question of whether Prince Charles, as heir to the throne, could marry his divorced companion had previously caused controversy within the Anglican church. The prince would become the head of the church on becoming king, and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, today released a statement in which he endorsed the marriage.
"These arrangements have my strong support and are consistent with Church of England guidelines concerning remarriage, which the Prince of Wales fully accepts as a committed Anglican and as prospective Supreme Governor of the Church of England," the statement said.
In June, the former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey suggested that the church would accept their marriage when he gave a newspaper interview in which he said Charles and Camilla should marry. "He is the heir to the throne, and he loves her. The natural thing is that they should get married," he said.
The prince first met Mrs Parker Bowles at a polo match in Windsor in 1970. Their relationship continued over the decades, including during Charles's 15-year marriage to Diana, causing the Princess of Wales to complain that there were "three people" in the marriage.
Following the princess's death, Mrs Parker Bowles kept a low profile. She and the prince were careful not to upset the British public by appearing together as a couple too soon after Diana's death.
However, in January 1999 they began a long and understated PR campaign to encourage acceptance of her as the prince's companion. That year, they made their first public appearance as a couple at a 50th birthday party for her sister at the Ritz hotel in London. Nevertheless, uncertainty over Mrs Parker Bowles's position created problems, including her being seated away from the prince.
Last June, Mrs Parker Bowles was mentioned in the prince's accounts, moving her into a new realm of acceptance. This week, there was further controversy over the cost of her lifestyle and how it was funded by the prince.