Charles, Camilla miss big wedding

Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles today pulled out of the society wedding of the year.

It is understood that Charles took the decision because he was unhappy about the treatment of Mrs Parker Bowles.

At the wedding - of the Duke of Westminster's daughter, Lady Tamara Grosvenor, to Edward van Cutsem - Charles was due to sit in front of the 650 guests, alongside the Queen, Prince Philip and Princes William and Harry.

But Camilla was to sit several rows back and, it is understood, on the other side of the aisle as a guest of the bride's family.

She and Charles were expected to arrive at Chester Cathedral separately and travel in different cars to the reception at the Grosvenor family seat of Eaton Hall.

Today Clarence House announced the Prince, who is godfather to the groom, would not attend and instead will travel to Warminster to meet families of the Black Watch soldiers redeployedin Iraq. The decision- - highly unusual at such short notice - looks set to reignite a feud between the Van Cutsem family and Mrs Parker Bowles.

There were reports the relationship between the groom's mother, Emilie van Cutsem, and Mrs Parker Bowles were strained after a disagreement over their children four years ago.

One well-placed palace source said: "It is bound to lead to talk that the Prince was unhappy with the arrangements."

A spokesman for Charles said: "He's very keen to meet the [Black Watch] families and Saturday was the earliest opportunity to do so."

He also said Mrs Parker Bowles has decided not to attend in the Prince's absence.

Charles and Camilla are due out together tomorrow evening for the book launch of her son Tom Parker Bowles, also the Prince's godson.

Officially both the Van Cutsem and Grosvenor families insist that the separation of Charles and Camilla is a matter of royal protocol.