As head of church I cannot attend wedding, Queen says

The Queen will not attend her son's wedding to Camilla Parker Bowles because she feels it is incompatible with her role as leader of the Church of England, it was claimed last night.

The Queen will not attend her son's wedding to Camilla Parker Bowles because she feels it is incompatible with her role as leader of the Church of England, it was claimed last night.

She told a friend that her role as head of the Church of England must come before family feelings, and therefore she cannot attend a civil marriage ceremony, particularly one involving Prince Charles, the heir to the throne.

She told her friend,"I am not able to go," The Sunday Telegraph reports. "I do not feel that my position [as Supreme Governor of the Church] permits it." Buckingham Palace had previously said that the Queen would not attend the ceremony in the Guildhall at Windsor on Friday because Prince Charles and Mrs Parker Bowles wanted a "low-key" ceremony.

The friend said the Queen was disappointed that her decision to stay away from the wedding has been seen as a snub. The paper added that the Queen privately disapproves of the relationship and feels her son has put personal concerns before duty.

A senior royal official said: "The Queen takes her position as Supreme Governor of the Church of England incredibly seriously. She also has great personal faith."

The Queen will, however, attend the later service of dedication of the couple conducted by Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury. She is also hosting a wedding reception for more than 700 guests. The Princess Royal, the Duke of York and the Earl of Wessex will attend the wedding.

Royal officials believe that the Queen has never attended a civil marriage ceremony during her 53-year reign as head of the Church of England. Hugo Vickers, who is writing a biography of the Queen Mother, said: "She is quite right not to attend - she is the head of the Church of England, after all.

"It never occurred to me that she would attend the register office ceremony and when people talk about it being a snub, it's nonsense. A snub is when no member of the Royal Family attended the marriage of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor in Paris in 1937."