Camilla mum on outfit
2005-04-06 21:45
Londong - She is not really your average bride, but Camilla Parker Bowles shares one characteristic with other women when they marry: she is keeping the wedding outfit a secret.
However, there are some clues in her choice of British couture house Robinson Valentine to design the gown she will wear to wed Prince Charles on April 9: they are known for their flattering evening dresses, slim columns of glimmering silk that flatter the figure.
"The dress will definitely be elegant, but not edgy, probably classic with a modern twist," said Emily Bolitho, retail editor of Brides magazine.
She noted that the design duo of Anna Valentine and Antonia Robinson, favourites of Parker Bowles's "country set", create beautifully cut and sculpted clothes.
Robinson Valentine, who have dressed Cherie Blair, Prime Minister Tony Blair's wife, are considered a classy choice - if somewhat safe.
Sophisticated royal consort
Parker Bowles, who discovered Robinson Valentine through a friend, has employed their skills to transform her somewhat matronly look to that of a sophisticated royal consort.
Charles' longtime love wore a cream silk crepe evening gown by Robinson Valentine with turquoise scarf and matching handbag to a charity ball in London in July 2002.
She wore a navy velvet gown with satin panels and sheer sleeves for a concert at the Albert Hall in October 2003.
Milliner Philip Treacy, who has created hats for everyone from Madonna to Marilyn Manson and is known for outlandish creations, including a birdcage hat and a pair of giant ram's horns, will be producing something more conservative for the royal bride.
As for accessories, she may opt for a brooch given to her by the prince. It features a rare black pearl surrounded by diamonds in the shape of the Prince of Wales's feathers.
Not the first mistress
It is reported to have been commissioned by Charles's great-great grandfather King Edward VII for his mistress, Alice Keppel, who was Parker Bowles's great-grandmother.
The engagement ring is made from platinum and has a square-cut central diamond, with three diamond baguettes - rectangular diamonds - on either side, which reportedly belonged to Charles's late grandmother, Elizabeth the Queen Mother.
Following royal tradition, the gold for the wedding rings will come from the Clogau St David's mine in Bontddu in north Wales and was mined by Cambrian Goldfields Ltd.
Previous royal wedding rings were made from 22-karat gold from the same mine.
The rings are being crafted to a traditional design by London-based private jewellery firm Wartski, which was established in 1865 and has held Charles's royal warrant since 1979.
The couple will arrive for the ceremony in a 1962 Rolls Royce Phantom V previously used by Charles's grandmother, the late Queen Mother.
There will also be a poem by poet laureate Andrew Motion to commemorate the occasion.
- AP