Noticia nº31.871

/noticias.info/ LONDON, February 10 -- As Prince Charles announces plans to marry his long term partner Camilla Parker-Bowles, Judi James - relationship expert for the UK's leading online dating site Match.com - says there could be a close connection between the timing of the announcement and Valentine's Day, just four days away.

"By announcing the wedding so close to Valentine's Day the question has to be asked, is Prince Charles a closet romantic? When his engagement to Diana was announced he turned a nation off with his unfeeling, unromantic quote when asked if he was in love with her and he said, 'Whatever love is'. Research undertaken by Match.com echoed the public mood and he was seen as the UK's least romantic man because of his attitude and demeanour. Perhaps his choice of date reveals he wants to be seen now as a born-again romantic with this second stab at wedded bliss."


The path ahead will be far from simple, says Judi. "Young love tends to be simple but by middle age we carry complications. The Romeo and Juliet boy-meets-girl becomes boy meets in-laws, step-kids, ex-husbands, pets, etc etc. Charles and Camilla have more baggage than most so it's interesting to see how their relationship has survived for so long.

Charles has been caught between a cleft stick. By marrying Camilla he risks denting his popularity by sticking his head above the parapet and seeing how the public respond. And yet by not marrying her he was getting accused of dragging his heels and failing to commit."

There are four relationships here: His with her, his with Diana, his with his mother and his with his subjects. People like to identify with the relationships they see from their celebrities. One of the key issues here will be that of 'marrying the mistress'. Diana is still alive in many peoples' minds and so the fact that Charles is a widower is almost less important. Will mistresses across the UK now see a role model for their cause? Camilla's core value seems to be patience.

But with the announcement coming just four days before Valentine's Day, is this a romantic step or a calculated one?

"I think ultimately people will see it as romantic. Charles has had one thing in his favour that most modern couples lack: time. He has eased Camilla into his life so the transition to wife is almost seamless."

Exclusive research undertaken by Match.com suggests that singles are looking for a return to romance for 2005 - perhaps, at last, Charles is falling in line with the public mood?

Match.com is the world's biggest online dating site. Each year, more than 200,000 people find the sort of happiness through the site that Charles and Camilla have demonstrated they have by their announcement today.

Judi James appeared on "Camilla - the Uncrowned Queen" for television and is available for interview and comment today


About Match.com

Match.com is the world's biggest online dating and personals property, according to the December 2004 global ranking of the Personals category by industry-leading independent measurement firm comScore Media Metrix. Match.com operates leading subscription-based online dating sites in 32 countries, in 18 languages and spanning six continents. The site has fifteen million members, and each year 200,000 people tell us they have found the person they were looking for through the site. Match.com powers online dating on MSN across Europe, Asia, the United States, Australia (NineMSN) and Latin America and is the premier provider of personals for Love@AOL in the United States. Match.com is an operating business of IAC/InterActiveCorp (Nasdaq: IACI).