LONDON, Feb 10: British heir to the throne Prince Charles announced on Thursday he will marry long-time lover Camilla Parker Bowles, the woman blamed for destroying his "fairytale" marriage to the late Princess Diana.

Aware of public misgivings over his lover, Charles ruled out Camilla becoming queen once he assumes the throne.

His mother Queen Elizabeth, who had been slow to accept the divorced mother of two, wished the pair well for their April 8 wedding in Windsor Castle, west of London.

The couple - lovers during Charles' tumultuous marriage to Diana - plan a quiet, civil ceremony, in sharp contrast to the dazzling church wedding to Diana, which was beamed worldwide from London's St Paul's Cathedral.

"It will not be huge like St Paul's. It is a largely private, family affair," a senior palace official said.

Camilla, 57, will take the official title of Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall after marriage. Once Charles becomes king, his wife will be called Princess Consort, a fudge aimed at killing off constitutional controversy.

"She would have to take the status of Prince Charles and ultimately queen unless there is legislation passed to the contrary. You would have to pass a special act of parliament," constitutional expert David Starkey told Reuters.

Royal aides insisted there was no need for new legislation and said her title was chosen because "they feel it is right".-Reuters