Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall married on April 9, 2005 – more than 14 years ago. Camilla and Charles tied the knot in a civil ceremony before receiving an official marriage blessing from the Archbishop of Canterbury at St George’s Chapel. The lavish marriage of the couple was a day of jubilant crowds and high-profile royals, but in actuality, it was also a rather contentious event for many.

The couple had originally chosen Friday, April 8 as the day of their wedding.

However, as the week of their nuptials arrived, a tragic event forced the couple to delay.

On April 4, it was announced that the wedding would be postponed 24 hours until April 9, so that the Prince of Wales could attend the funeral of Pope John Paul II as the representative of the Queen.

The late pope, who had served as the head of the Catholic Church from 1978 to 2005, passed away on April 2 that year.

The postponement of Charles and Camilla’s wedding also allowed some of the dignitaries who were invited to the funeral to attend the wedding.

The last-minute switch also forced manufacturers to change the date stamped on the commemorative products churned out for the occasion.

Ahead of the passing of Pope John Paul II, the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall had already faced issues related to their wedding due to their controversial relationship.

In 1992, while Charles was still married to his first wife Princess Diana, private tapes revealing an intimate phone call between himself and Camilla were released.

The exchange proved the two were having an affair.

Charles and Diana separated later that year and eventually divorced in 1996.

During Charles’s divorce from Diana, her tragic death in 1997, and in the years that followed, Camilla and Charles remained together.

Only months ahead of the pair’s wedding, Charles and Camilla faced new troubles.

On February 17, Clarence House announced the marriage’s change of venue from Windsor Castle to the Windsor Guildhall.

This substitution came about when it was discovered that the legal requirements for licensing the royal castle for civil weddings would require opening it up to other prospective couples for at least three years.

The Prince was the first member of the Royal Family to marry in a civil ceremony in England.

On February 22, Buckingham Palace also announced that the Queen would not attend the wedding ceremony, but would attend the church blessing and host the reception afterwards.

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