Prince Charles marries longtime companion Camilla Parker Bowles

WINDSOR, England -- Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles wed in a modest town hall ceremony Saturday with the blessing of the queen and the Church of England, sealing a tangled love affair ignited at a polo match more than 30 years ago.\nOnce married, the royals knelt beneath the towering Gothic arches of St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle, nervously pledging their undying love and confessing their "sins and wickedness" -- a phrase from the Church of England's Book of Common Prayer -- as their vows were blessed by Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams.\nDespite years of public and media criticism, even ridicule, Charles and Camilla's shared affection appeared to finally to have won them a measure of acceptance from the British public, many of whom blamed their relationship for poisoning Charles' marriage to Britain's beloved Princess Diana.\n"He did a bit of a dirty job on Diana," said Tina Quinney, 59, one of the thousands of people lining the streets of this royal town. "But the past is the past."\nThe ceremonies went off flawlessly on a bright, sunny day despite sinister omens: A change of location for the civil wedding vows, unsubstantiated reports of the queen's "fury" that the couple would wed at all, and a one-day postponement for Pope John Paul II's funeral.\nCamilla is now officially the Princess of Wales, though she will be known as the Duchess of Cornwall in deference to enduring public affection for Diana. When Charles is crowned, she will be queen -- but the prince's office says she will use the title Princess Consort.\nIt remains to be seen, however, whether the bride will ever be known as Queen Camilla.\nThroughout the day, the couple suffered from jitters and displayed tenderness, even playfulness. Their hands knocked against one another several times before they found a comfortable clasp during the church blessing. Outside, Camilla clutched her hat awkwardly in a blustery wind as she waved to well-wishers with her bouquet of spring flowers.\nBut the affection between the couple, who first met and fell in love in the early 1970s, was apparent. Charles, 56, reached over to help his new wife, 57, find her place in her prayer book as they stood before the archbishop. He gently touched her arm as a signal when it was time to kneel.\nCamilla appeared emotional at times during the service; he was fidgety and somber. Even the normally reserved queen -- whose views about her son's wedding have been the subject of endless media speculation -- beamed as she emerged from the chapel.\nThe couple sped away for their honeymoon on the prince's Balmoral estate in Scotland in a car festooned with red, blue and white balloons and the words "Just Married" scrawled on the back window.\nThe wedding, the second for both Charles and Camilla, was far simpler than his spectacular 1981 nuptials with 20-year-old Diana. Saturday, the local registrar, Clair Williams, conducted the 25-minute civil ceremony at Windsor's 17th-century Guildhall, or town hall, before fewer than 30 guests -- mostly relatives of the bride and groom.\nElizabeth and her husband, Prince Philip, stayed away out of respect for their son's wish that the ceremony be "low key." But they were very much a presence at the religious blessing afterward, being the last to arrive in their sleek, maroon and black Rolls-Royce.\nThe blessing ceremony, conducted by Archbishop Rowan Williams, was broadcast live and drew about 800 guests, including Prime Minister Tony Blair and Camilla's ex-husband Andrew Parker Bowles.\nCharles and Camilla chose a civil wedding because the Church of England, which Charles will one day symbolically head as king, frowns on divorcees remarrying. But the religious blessing led by the Archbishop of Canterbury demonstrated the Anglican hierarchy's approval of the union.\n"Heavenly father, we offer thee our souls and bodies, our thoughts and words and deeds, our love for one another," bride and groom said while kneeling before Williams. "Unite our wills in thy will, that we may grow together in love and peace all the days of our life."\nFeelings about Camilla and her new royal role were mixed among the 15,000 people who crowded the streets of Windsor. Most of those interviewed said the couple deserved happiness, though some couldn't shake the memories of Charles' infidelity during his marriage to Diana.\n"This time Charles gets to make his choice," said Irene Bellamy, 59, of Manitoba, Canada, standing across from the Guildhall. "Much as we loved Diana, this is his choice ... a love match."\nCharles has admitted an adulterous relationship with Camilla after his first marriage had "irretrievably broken down"; Diana also acknowledged that she had been unfaithful. Camilla was married to Andrew Parker Bowles until 1995, and the couple had two children. He attended the Windsor Castle ceremony, smiling and chatting with other guests.