Prince Charles and his long-time companion Camilla Parker Bowles are to wed. Clarence House has put an end to speculation about the couple’s future by confirming they will walk down the aisle on April 8.

The marriage will be a civil ceremony followed by a service of prayer and dedication in St George’s Chapel, Windsor, presided over by the Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams.

As the Prince of Wales’ wife, Camilla will be given the title HRH Duchess of Cornwall. Representatives for the pair have also revealed that when Charles accedes to the throne, his wife will be known as the Princess Consort instead of Queen Camilla.

The news comes after years of public debate as to whether the two should make their vows. Opinion polls have suggested the public is in favour of them marrying, but there is less sympathy for the idea of Camilla becoming queen.

Her future mother in law was among the first to offer her congratulations. “The Duke of Edinburgh and I are very happy that The Prince of Wales and Mrs Parker Bowles are to marry,” said the Queen in a statement released by Buckingham Palace. “We have given them our warmest good wishes for their future together.”

Charles’ relationship with Camilla, whom he first met at a polo match over 30 years ago, has been a source of controversy for some time. Princess Diana famously named her as a factor in the breakdown of her marriage to the Prince. And conservative voices in the Anglican Church have expressed displeasure at the idea of the man who will one day become their Supreme Governor wedding a divorcee.

The church is officially neutral on the issue, though, and the former Archbishop of Canterbury has given his blessing to the union. “He is heir to the throne and he loves her,” said Lord Carey last year. “The natural thing is that they should get married.”

Uncertainty surrounding the status of Camilla’s relationship with Charles has also proved problematic at social functions, when she has sometimes been seated away from her partner. Her inclusion on his accounts for the first last year provoked debate, although there had been numerous other signals that the couple were moving towards an official union.

Number of British Americans

According to 2000 Census figures, there are 60.7 million Americans of self-reported British Isles ancestry today. These include:

* 28.2 million English

* 20 million United States or American by ancestry (the overwhelming majority of these being originally British ancestry)

* 5.4 million Scottish

* 5.2 million Scotch-Irish

* 1.9 million Welsh

These figures make British Americans the largest ethnic group in the U.S. when counted collectively (although the Census Bureau does not count them collectively). More than 30% of the white non-Hispanic population in America is of British ancestry.

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