Queen toasts 'winner'
2005-04-09 22:29
Windsor, England - Queen Elizabeth II toasted Prince Charles and his bride Camilla on Saturday, hailing her son for overcoming "terrible obstacles" and animating her speech with a joke that filled Windsor Castle with laughter.
The queen, the host of the reception at her weekend residence west of London, told the 800 guests at the royal wedding that she was "proud" of Charles, according to witnesses.
The guests were also treated to a moment of levity with the sovereign as she made the first toast to the heir to the throne and the former Camilla Parker Bowles, now known as the Duchess of Cornwall.
"I've got two things to announce to you of the greatest importance," the queen said, according to comedian Stephen Fry.
She then proceeded to announce the winner of the Grand National horse race - held just after Charles's and Camilla's civil ceremony and religious blessing.
Only afterward did she toast the newlyweds.
First, the Grand National
"The first is that the Grand National was won by Hedgehunter," Queen Elizabeth said.
"The second is to say to you that despite Becher's Brook and The Chair (fences in the race) and all kinds of other terrible obstacles, my son has come through and I'm very proud and wish them well."
Guest Colonel Addy from the Canadian Scottish Regiment, headed symbolically by the prince, praised the queen for her unexpected wit.
"She always says things that people don't expect, and they're always humorous. I think that's a sign of charisma, a sign of charm, and she is a wonderful lady," he said.
The queen and her husband Prince Philip attended the blessing at Saint George's Chapel although they skipped the civil ceremony at the Guildhall in Windsor.
Royal watchers claim that she missed the town hall service because it was incompatible with her official status as Supreme Governor of the Church of England, one her son will assume when he ascends to the throne.
But the move was widely seen as a snub to her son's second wedding, which comes 24 years after his "fairytale" marriage to the late Princess Diana, who died in 1997.
- AFP