The Daily Express quoted an unnamed friend of the 48-year-old divorcee Parker Bowles as saying: "She wants a clear commitment to marriage with some role in a consort capacity'' when Charles becomes king on the death of his 69-year-old mother Queen Elizabeth II. It said Parker Bowles also expected to receive the title Her Royal Highness.
Charles, 47, said in a statement Dec. 21 he had no intention of remarrying after a divorce from his separated wife Princess Diana. She jetted off Wednesday for a sunny Caribbean break after a home-alone Christmas in freezing London without sons William, 13, and Harry, 11, who were with their father and the other royals.
The British media at the time interpreted Charles' Dec. 21 statement to mean he would never take a second wife. But royal sources later said he had not ruled out marrying again sometime in the future.
The report by the tabloid's royalty correspondent Robert Jobson quoted friends as saying that Parker Bowles believes only marriage to Charles can restore her tarnished reputation. They first met and fell in love in 1972.
Britons are avid for news of the royals and the stories are a mainstay of London's fiercely competitive tabloid press. Papers employ specialist news teams and maintain networks of secret contacts for inside information. The tabloids accurately predicted the Charles-Diana marriage breakup long before the separation was publicly announced in 1992. Charles and Diana married in 1981.
The queen wrote to Diana and Charles this month urging them to divorce soon. Charles has agreed. Diana has not yet replied.
Parker Bowles was divorced from her husband, Army Brig. Andrew Parker Bowles, in March. They have a son and a daughter.
The Daily Express said Mrs. Parker Bowles was infuriated by Charles' statement ruling out remarriage.
"It led to a hurried U-turn by palace officials, with them insisting the prince had not totally ruled out a future marriage,'' the paper reported.
Friends say she has hinted that like Diana she is not prepared to be set aside quietly, it said.
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