Cupid is a lousy shot

They were nothing if not coordinated!

The future bride wore bright red and appeared flushed with the excitement of it all – crowds of paparazzi and blinding flashes as cameras caught the moment for posterity.

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The future groom, wore – how does one describe it – what started as a traditional black tux, but ended with brilliant red lapels and cuffs. Not exactly what one expects of an aging prince (56) not given to flash and dazzle. Not bad!

It was the formal announcement of the engagement.

The kids looked happy. The bride-to-be glowed and gushed, "I'm just coming down to earth." She said her betrothed knelt to propose.

The future groom had a look on his face that would match the Cheshire cat any day. To say he looked pleased with himself would put it mildly.

He made it legal – so to speak – with the kind of ring a girl likes to show off ... casually, of course. Fashionistas would describe it as "an important piece." It's a rock! The square-cut center diamond with three baguettes on each side and set in a platinum band is, we're told, a royal heirloom. It would be crude to speculate its value.

So, if they're so happy about tying the knot and making it public, what took them so long? Approaching 35 years.

Life and royal politics got in the way. That's what happens when the future groom in question is Prince Charles, the heir to the British throne, and the future bride, Camilla Parker-Bowles, is his old (age 57 and long-time) friend, flame, confidant and mistress.

Of course, given the details of those 35 years, there are other words that could describe each of them, but they aren't words one would hear in Buckingham Palace or in polite society, at least not where anyone could be quoted. Think adulterer, two-timer, home-wrecker, pushy broad.

The story goes they met at a polo match in the early '70s. She alluded to the fact that her great-grandmother was mistress to his great-great-grandfather, and then: "So, how about it?"

What a gal.

Apparently he took to the idea – they had a romance that faded when he joined the navy in 1972. She married another in 1973, had children and life went on, but apparently the attraction remained. A few years later, they met again and became close friends.

As heir to the throne, Charles was pressured to marry and as he got older, it wasn't easy to find the virginal bride that custom demanded for the woman who would be queen. He found her in Lady Diana Spencer. She wasn't yet 20. There was a 15-year age difference. The rest, unless you've been living under a rock, is history.

Their televised wedding held the world in its spell and it appeared to be a fairytale come true.

Diana said she believed in the romance of marriage, but real life got in the way from the beginning. Charles wore cufflinks engraved "C-C" on their honeymoon. Despite two sons and a spate of tabloid headlines, they kept up the facade until the marriage was beyond repair.

In a sensational and personal TV interview on the BBC program "Panorama" in 1995, Princess Diana spoke of the "other woman" and bluntly stated: "There were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded." Asked how she felt, she responded, "A deep, deep, profound sadness." She added, "The fairytale had come to an end."

The couple divorced in 1996, and a year later, Diana was dead, killed in a horrendous auto accident in Paris.

With that, it was just a matter of time until Charles went public with his attachment to Camilla and ultimately to make it legal. The biggest snag is that Camilla's husband is alive.

Details. Details. It's just so hard for a royal to marry a divorcee. But being royal, things have a way of working out. It is easier when you make the rules!

So, it's set. The wedding will be April 8 at Windsor Castle. No doubt it will be low key, at least what passes as low key in the world of royals. The queen has given her blessing.

Because they're both divorced and Camilla's ex is still living, it will be a civil ceremony followed by a prayer and dedication ceremony conducted by the archbishop of Canterbury. That's as close as they can get to church sanction, which is interesting in that the crown is supposed to be the Defender of the Faith. Then again, this isn't the first time affairs of the heart have gotten the monarchy in marital hot water.

Camilla will not be called the princess of Wales – Diana and all that. She'll be the duchess of Cornwall. If and when Charles becomes king, Camilla will not be queen. She will be known as "her royal highness princess consort."

Consort? Sorry, that sounds somewhat seedy to me, but considering the details of this "love story," perhaps it's appropriate.

There's no word at this point as to the reaction of Camilla's children to the upcoming marriage, but Charles' two sons, William and Harry, issued their official statement: "We are both very happy for our father and Camilla, and we wish them all the luck in the future."

"Luck"? They aren't exactly bursting with enthusiasm. But given what they've been through, it's a wonder they speak to either of them or plan to show up for the ceremony!

Public reaction in Britain varies, but there was one comment that got to the heart of things.

Listening to TV news coverage of the engagement announcement, I heard one woman – I don't know who she was – summing it up perfectly: "She's a horse-faced 58-year-old and she's about to marry the heir to the British throne. It gives hope to old people!

Amen!