THE Prince of Wales will return to Britain to a warning from a leading figure in the Church of England that his civil marriage will disqualify his wife from becoming Queen.

The former Archbishop of York, Lord Hope of Thornes, who retired this year to become a parish priest and was subsequently ennobled, is concerned that the Prince will seek to change the Duchess of Cornwall’s proposed status from Princess Consort to Queen when he succeeds to the throne.

Lord Hope, who is a traditionalist and a favourite of the Queen, decided to speak out after he was reported to have been the biggest single obstacle to the royal wedding during the ten years that he was Archbishop. He contrasted the civil ceremony at Windsor Guildhall with the funeral of the Pope the day before, at which the Prince of Wales represented the Queen.

Lord Hope told The Times: “It was salutary to observe that within 24 hours the Prince of Wales went from the intensely religious celebration of the Pope’s funeral in Rome to the intensely social blessing of the civil ceremony that was his marriage. The different ethos of the two Christian events was noticeable. I was extremely uncomfortable with it.”

These remarks are the most pointed public criticism of the register-office ceremony by a senior member of the clergy.

A friend of Lord Hope’s said: “He believes that when Prince Charles becomes King he should also become Supreme Governor of the Church of England. The anointing of the monarch at the Coronation is one of the most sacred ceremonies in the Church of England. Lord Hope is concerned about the role of the future King’s wife from that moment.

“He believes that unless there is radical revision to centuries of tradition she could not be Queen. The wife of the Supreme Governor of the Church of England surely has to have been married in the Church of England?” A source close to the Archbishop of Canterbury said that the royal wedding had caused a strain in relations with Lambeth Palace. The source said that he had not spoken to the Archbishop directly about the Duchess of Cornwall’s future role but continued: “He would not be enthusiastic about her becoming Queen Consort. As Queen Consort she would be anointed and crowned during the ceremony.” The Prince of Wales, who has been on his first overseas tour with the Duchess of Cornwall, will be concerned by the intervention of Lord Hope.

When the engagement was announced Clarence House said that Mrs Parker Bowles would be HRH the Duchess of Cornwall rather than the Princess of Wales. The Clarence House statement added: “It is intended that Mrs Parker Bowles should use the title the Princess Consort when the Prince accedes to the throne.”

While Clarence House maintains that the intention is for her to be Princess Consort, it has deliberately left room for manoeuvre so she can become Queen if public opinion and the Prime Minister of the day were supportive.

The Royal Family is in uncharted territory because in the past the wife of the Prince of Wales has always been the Princess of Wales and automatically became Queen on accession.

The title of Princess Consort was created by Clarence House to avoid comparisons with the late Diana, Princess of Wales, and reflect the fact that public opinion in Britain is not yet ready for Queen Camilla.

The source close to the Archbishop of Canterbury added: “Rowan is not a fan of the Prince of Wales. The wedding arrangements did upset him. It is a shame because the Prince of Wales could have had a nice ally in Rowan.”

Lord Hope left Bishopthorpe Palace in York at the end of January. His new parishioners in Ilkley know that he will not remarry divorcees in his church but will offer a blessing in certain circumstances.

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