roses in my heart

The Duchess of Cornwall...and then someday, The Princess Consort

Now I am not a royal watcher, so it even seems odd to me that I am about to comment on Prince Charles' recent wedding to Camilla Parker Bowles, henceforth known as 'The Dutchess of Cornwall'...

Pardon me, but isn't Charles the Prince of Wales? (yes...) Then that should make Camilla the current Princess of Wales. (Blasphemy you say?!) And if Charles becomes King someday, then, in my mind, Camilla becomes Queen! (Please don't throw anything at me!)

There has been quite a bit of negative press about this all. In people's hearts there is only one Princess of Wales, and that is Diana, and it just seems plain unfair for that title to go to the woman that Charles secretly loved better than Diana (blasphemy again!). I'm not saying that Charles' unfaithfulness was right (neither was Diana's, by the way). I'm just saying that Diana passed away and that these titles do get passed on through the generations. I don't mean any disrespect to Diana... As a child, I actually remember sleeping on the couch and staying up most of the night to see Diana wed Charles. It was the stuff fairy-tales were made of (at least on the outside, anyway).

...And on the inside, I doubt that any of us know the full truth of what took place. But it seems that in the aftermath true love did survive. If the reports I've heard are right, Charles fell in love with Camilla when he was young, before he went off in service. Apparently the Queen wasn't in favour of the match, and Camilla felt no assurance that Charles would come back for her, so she married another. Charles returned and married Diana. I make no excuses for anyone's behaviour beyond that point, but a tiny part of me is warmed that they still love each other so and that they are finally united.

Camilla, in grace and humility has said that she does not wish to be known as the Princess of Wales. She will be the Duchess of Cornwall. Further, should Charles become King, she does not wish to be known as Queen. She will be the Princess Consort. But in my mind, this does not change the reality of the matter.

I've been thinking about this in terms of the relationship I have with my Lord. There are things I've done at times in the past that have gotten in the way of that relationship. I'm not a perfect follower, but He is a perfect Lord...and regardless of any estrangement or unfaithfulness in our pasts, He is my (our) Father, the King of Kings, and so I, by relationship, as his daughter am known as His Princess regardless of any foibles in my past. I guess I'm glad that the public doesn't get a say in whether I'm worthy of that title, only the One with whom I have the relationship has a say in that and He calls me Princess. The Princess of what, I'm not exactly sure, but if I could be Princess of anything, I'd chose the heart, so that is my prayer, Lord give me a princessheart:) (Princessheart, now that has a better ring to it than duchessheart, don't you think?!)