There is no law in the UK that prohibits a person from being crowned king or queen if they have been divorced. This may surprise some who know their history (or have watched The Crown) as people will point to
Royals who are divorced or marry divorcees do not lose their position in the line of succession. Edward VIII had a number of affairs with married women including Wallis Simpson who was already divorced and still married to her second husband.
In early December 1936, a constitutional crisis in the British Empire arose when King Edward VIII proposed to marry Wallis Simpson, an American socialite who was divorced from her first husband and was in the process of divorcing her second.
Royals Are Allowed to Remarry, but It's Tricky
Meanwhile, the Queen's daughter Princess Anne (who split with her first husband in 1992) also remarried, tying the knot with Timothy Laurence that same year. However, both Charles and Anne's second marriages were kinda sneaky.
But Camilla will be the first divorcee to be crowned, and her journey to the throne has been an unusual one. When she married Charles in 2005, the palace announced she would be known as "princess consort."
Answer: The big reason Prince Charles and Camilla Shand, as she was then known, didn't get married in the early 1970s: He never asked her. And there are probably a number of reasons for that. In his early 20s, like many other young men, Charles simply wasn't ready for marriage.
Queen Consort Camilla 'Wasn't Aristocratic Enough'
Junor also said that the royal family – in particular, Charles' great-uncle and surrogate father, Lord Mountbatten – didn't think she was "aristocratic" enough to be a princess.
Divorce was considered OK, but remarriage was not. With reigning British monarchs becoming the official head of the church in Britain after King Henry VIII broke away from the Roman Catholic Church, all monarchs since Henry have vowed to uphold the sanctity of marriage in accordance with the Church of England.
A similar settlement was reached when Andrew and Fergie finalized their divorce: she no longer had an HRH title, but was styled "Sarah, Duchess of York" and continues to use that title to this day. A divorced royal who kept their title in this way, however, would lose that title should they remarry.
While royal weddings often attract much excitement and public interest, unfortunately, some marriages haven't lasted. Three of the Queen's children went through a divorce - Prince Charles to Princess Diana, Princess Anne to Mark Phillips and Prince Andrew to Sarah Ferguson.
There was also no law against marrying a divorcee. From a religious standpoint, there were more serious issues. The Church of England was strongly opposed to Anglican ministers performing marriages that involved parties who still had a former spouse living.
Henry VIII (1509-1547) is one of history's most famous monarchs. His radical political and religious upheavals reshaped the Tudor world.
Queen Elizabeth II was the longest-serving monarch in Britain's history, but it was a decision by her uncle that cleared Elizabeth's path to the throne. King Edward abdicated in 1936 so he could marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson, making Elizabeth's father the new king.
The title was originally known as the “Princess Consort” but Queen Elizabeth II announced that it was her “sincere wish” that the Duchess of Cornwall will be known as Queen Consort when Charles becomes King. From Saturday (6 May), however, Camilla will be known as Queen Camilla, not Queen Consort.
The Church of England's position on remarriage
But just because remarriage is legally allowed, that doesn't mean couples have an automatic right to remarry in church. Remarriage is always allowed if the couple's former spouses are dead.
Harry and Meghan made the choice to give up their His / Her Royal Highness (HRH) titles, meaning that they won't be referred to by their "Royal" names. This means that yes, Harry no longer wishes to be referred to as 'Prince'. Interestingly, however, the Duke of Sussex is still fifth in line for the throne.
After her divorce, she retained the title Sarah, Duchess of York. When Fergie married Prince Andrew, she received the titles of Her Royal Highness and The Duchess of York. After their split, her title became Sarah, Duchess of York, as is the customary styling for former wives of peers.
While they are no longer working members of the royal family, Prince Harry and the former Meghan Markle still hold the royal titles of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, which were bestowed upon them when they married in 2018.
On the other hand, occasionally a member of a royal family married a commoner simply due to romantic feelings or physical attraction, and possibly to endear themselves to the general population by establishing that sense of connection. This trend has accelerated and become more accepted in modern times.
KING HENRY VIII & KATHERINE OF ARAGON
Theirs was the original royal divorce: King Henry VIII famously split with the Catholic church in 1534 in order to divorce the first of his six wives, Katherine of Aragon, who had not become pregnant with a male heir throughout their marriage.
If Britain ever did decide to get rid of the monarchy, it would be a constitutional matter requiring legislation from parliament.
Camilla may have been at Diana's wedding but she was not welcome at her funeral, which was watched by an estimated 2.5 billion people around the world. Still, to many her absence echoed around the ancient hall. The Queen made it clear to Charles that he could not take his paramour to the service.
However, the royal family wasn't interested in having Camilla as its princess. For one thing, she was perceived as an “experienced” woman, which was a nonstarter for the royal family back then in terms of a suitable spouse for Prince Charles.
King Charles ascended to the throne upon his mother Queen Elizabeth's death. Prince Charles is now the King. Upon the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth at age 96 in September 2022, Charles immediately ascended to the throne, per the British line of succession.