IN A few days Prince Charles will finally marry Camilla Parker Bowles.
But the controversy over whether she will become queen, if he becomes king, looks set to continue for a very long time.
In truth, from the moment the wedding was announced the whole affair has been nothing less than a public relations fiasco.
Despite the announcement that Camilla would take the title Princess Consort the Government has been forced to admit that, as the law stands, she would indeed be queen.
Then we heard that the Queen and Prince Philip will not be attending the civil ceremony.
Although, why courtiers made this announcement weeks after we were officially told Charles and Camilla were to marry remains a mystery.
And to make matters worse, the venue had to be changed after it was discovered that, should the wedding ceremony take place in Windsor Castle as planned, then, for a period of three years, other couples wishing to tie the knot could choose the castle as their wedding venue, too.
As seems usual for Prince Charles, he has buried his head in the sand and continues in the vain hope that public opinion will change as time goes by.
But the chances are it won't.
The tidal wave of criticism over every aspect of his and Camilla's wedding and long-standing relationship continues to leave him bemused.
He may well feel he deserves some peace and should be allowed to marry Camilla and get on with his life.
However, he was born into great privilege and with that comes responsibility.
If he is to become king in the future, he will have to have the backing of the British public.
But, following the way he and his Clarence House advisers have handled this whole wedding affair, he must know there's no hope of ever getting the public to accept his new bride as their queen.
