THE separation of the Prince and Princess of Wales produced widespread public sympathy last night, mingled with astonishment at official insistence that the decision will have ╥no constitutional implications╙ for the monarchy.
The marriage break-up brings to an end all the marriages of the Queen╒s children. Prince Charles and Princess Diana, who married on a tide of popular enthusiasm in 1981, will continue to carry out limited public engagements together, including dinner for Edinburgh summit leaders on the royal yacht tomorrow night. They will share responsibility for raising their two sons.
But they will live apart, the princess at Kensington Palace, Prince Charles at Highgrove in Gloucestershire and Clarence House, the Queen Mother╒s London residence.
╥The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, though saddened, understand and sympathise with the difficulties that have led to this decision,╙ Buckingham Palace said. ╥The fact is that, with great sadness, they have recognised that their continuing relationship would be better under separate domestic arrangements.They are still fond of one another and fully supportive of one another╒s intentions to fulfil their individual public duties as wholeheartedly as before.╙
John Major announced the separation yesterday afternoon in a statement to the Commons which echoed the virtually simultaneous announcement from the palace. It prompted supportive murmurs from MPs when it appealed for ╥a degree of privacy and understanding╙ for the couple from the tabloid press. Many ministers are now eager to punish the press with restrictive legislation for its role in the Queen╒s annus horribilis ╤ the worst for British royalty since the 1936 abdication crisis.
But the Prime Minister drew puzzled gasps from MPs when his carefully worded additional remarks included the assertion that ╥there is no reason why the Princess of Wales should not be crowned Queen in due course. The Prince of Wales╒s succession as head of the Church of England is also unaffected.'
MAIN POINTS
Ñ No plans for couple to divorce ╤ and constitutional positions unaffected.
Ñ Both will participate fully in upbringing of children.
Ñ Couple will carry out separate programmes of public engagements and occasionally attend events together.
Ñ Prince to move from Kensington Palace to Clarence House. Highgrove will remain his country residence.
Ñ Prince not barred from becoming Supreme Governor of
The Archbishop of York, Dr John Habgood, read a statement to the Lords, issued jointly with the Archbishop of Canterbury, stressing there was no difficulty in the prince becoming Supreme Governor of the Church of England.
╥We share the great sorrow which this announcement will cause to the Church and nation,╙ they said.
Downing Street and Buckingham Palace were adamant in refusing to consider the hypothetical implications of an eventual divorce. But there was little doubt that if divorce becomes the long-term reality, the already fragile unity of the Church would be hard-pressed to accommodate a divorced king.
The palace statement insisted that no third party was involved in the marital collapse.
The royal couple showed few signs of strain yesterday as they fulfilled separate engagements in different parts of the country.
In the atmosphere of respectful sympathy from the government and opposition benches at Westminster, only a Labour leftwinger, Dennis Skinner, dared to suggest the monarchy had ╥pushed the self-destruct button╙. Sir Edward Heath called it ╥one of the saddest announcements made by any prime minister in modern times.╙
Police last night provided a motor escort for the prince╒s friend, Camilla Parker Bowles, as she fled her Wiltshire home which was besieged by journalists.
