The statement also said: "I am pleased that Prince Charles and Mrs Camilla Parker-Bowles have decided to take this important step. I hope and pray that it will prove a source of comfort and strength to them and to those who are closest to them."

It was announced from Clarence House that after the marriage Mrs Parker Bowles will use the title HRH The Duchess of Cornwall, and that, when the Prince accedes to the throne, she will use the title HRH The Princess Consort.

The Church of England's official practice concerning the marriage of divorcees has undergone many changes since the Abdication crisis in 1936, which followed King Edward VIII's decision to marry the American divorcee Wallis Simpson. At that time, there was a prevailing view in the Church of England that marriage was indissoluble.

The most recent changes were finalised in November 2002, when the General Synod rescinded resolutions of the Convocations of Canterbury and York requiring that the Church of England marriage service was not to be used for a divorcee whose former spouse was still living. The decision is now left with the officiant, who is expected to seek his or her bishop's advice.

Since the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, from whom Prince Charles was divorced, his marital status has presented no obstacle to a church wedding. Mrs Parker Bowles, however, is a divorcee, with a former husband still living.

The House of Bishops' advice to the clergy on deciding whether or not to allow a marriage in church is contained in the June 2002 report Marriage in Church after Divorce.

The report advises the parish clergy to ask themselves, among other questions: "Would the effects of the proposed marriage on individuals, the wider community and the Church be such as to undermine the credibilty of the Church's witness on marriage?" and "Would permitting the new marriage be tantamount to consecrating an old infidelity?"

The Common Worship Order for Prayer and Dedication after a Civil Marriage is the current version of a service introduced nationally in 1985, when the General Synod was in an impasse in its discussions on marriage after divorce.

The Bishop of Gloucester, the Rt Revd Michael Perham, in whose diocese the couple live and worship, welcomed yesterday's announcement, and said: "The issue of marriage in church is a sensitive one. We need to trust the judgement of the Dean of Windsor, if that is where they are to be married, as to what kind of service would be appropriate and helpful. In that respect they are like any other couple in similar circumstances seeking the blessing of the Church on their marriage."

Since St George's Chapel is a Royal Peculiar, there must be some doubt whether it is bound to adhere to provisions in Common Worship. But the Common Worship Order of Prayer and Dedication, popularly referred to as a "service of blessing", includes optional opening prayers of penitence, and an optional blessing of wedding rings, for which the couple's hands are extended; but there is not an exchange of rings.

The order may take place within a celebration of holy communion. It may include a sermon and hymns. The dedication of the couple ends with a prayer that the couple may have grace to persevere, and a blessing over them (separately from the final blessing of the congregation). "Other prayers" may be used.

The couple "enter the church without ceremony and sit together at the front of the church"; there are no banns, nor any entry made in the marriage register. The order need not be led by a priest. If the Common Worship order is used, it can be assumed to lie mainly within the discretion of Dean of Windsor how far in other respects the service will resemble a Church of England wedding.

Prince Charles and other members of the royal family have consistently shown a preference for services or prayers from the 1662 Prayer Book or, in practice, the Church of England's lightly revised version of some of the services in that book, known as "Series 1" and based on the abortive 1928 revision.

Is the Archbishop of Canterbury right to conduct a service of prayer and dedication for the Prince and Mrs Parker Bowles? Vote here.

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