King Charles

The late Queen was head of the Church of England in 2005, not the then Prince of Wales.

Slight error jaberwok ?

Sorry, should have said the "future" Head of the Church of England.

A marriage in the Anglican Church is open to the public

I know I am an unrepentant pedant, but I have to post that nobody in the UK gets married in a registry office. They are married in a registrar's office. A registry office – a now archaic concept – was a place to seek housemaids, parlour maids, footmen, butlers, lady's maids, kitchen maids, cooks, nursery maids and whatever other servants ultra rich people required.

Am with you absent.

‘Registry office’ sets my teeth on edge.

I always say ‘register office’, not sure if that is strictly correct either though.

Wish icanhandthemback would explain how as a divorcee she remarried in church in 1996 yet the church didn’t allow marriage of divorcees until 2002

My cousin married a divorcee in her local parish church. This was back in 1985! I’m sure his ex was still alive.

I thought if the priest was willing to do it, and the divorced person was ‘repentant’, (don’t know how else to describe it), it could take place.

He was the guilty party also!

And it was a ‘proper’ wedding, not a blessing.

I and my family were guests.

It wasn’t voted on until 2002,

Didn’t mean it wasn’t happening as posts here confirm

My Sister in Law was married to a divorced man, in her local CofE church in 1970.

Perhaps in some cases it was 'don't ask, don't tell'?

This is an interesting speech which covers many of the questions and the history of divorce and remarriage
shared-conversations.com/2023/11/14/no-more-delays-what-the-history-of-the-remarriage-of-divorced-people-says-to-the-llf-debate/
Briefly before 1978 you needed the permission of the bishop.

I think you’re probably right Grantanow. The family weren’t church goers at all, but as the groom was from Cheshire, divorced by his wife years earlier, with no children, I suspect his marital status wasn’t queried nor any information freely given.

I can send you a copy of my marriage certificate if you like, Anniebach. I resent the implication that I might be telling an untruth.

At the time of our marriage, it was within the remit of individual clergy to make their own decisions on this according to their conscience. Our vicar believed that anybody who wished to access the church should be allowed to do so. He knew my husband and I because we had both had reason to work with him over the years and he was well aware that we had both been married before. To be honest, when we went to see him about being married in church, we weren't expecting to be allowed to but we knew he had married other couples where one person had been divorced so we thought we'd give it a try. My husband actually questioned him on why he was allowing it (I was kicking him under the table) and he said that if you barred people from weddings and Christenings, they stood little chance of finding God.
Our vicar was a true Christian who was allowing the homeless to access his church way before other clergy were allowing it. He was the sort of person who made a positive impression on just about everybody he met including the most ardent disbelievers. He was a very big loss to our community when he retired.

Thank you, explains,

In my teens I was aware that one married couple at our church didn’t take communion, because one of them had been divorced and had a former spouse still living. So within my lifetime, it wasn’t just that marriage after divorce couldn’t happen in church: it disbarred you from receiving the sacrament

Only in 2002 ..... was church marriage after divorce allowed; but only in ‘exceptional’ circumstances, respecting clergy consciences.

shared-conversations.com/2023/11/14/no-more-delays-what-the-history-of-the-remarriage-of-divorced-people-says-to-the-llf-debate/

It's interesting isn't it that things happened when individual vicars took decisions which were quite ahead of the rest of the church.
I suppose if it was someone high profile like Princess Anne there was less chance of keeping things quiet.

absent

I know I am an unrepentant pedant, but I have to post that nobody in the UK gets married in a registry office. They are married in a registrar's office. A registry office – a now archaic concept – was a place to seek housemaids, parlour maids, footmen, butlers, lady's maids, kitchen maids, cooks, nursery maids and whatever other servants ultra rich people required.

I think you have been overly pedantic on this one. The correct term is Register Office as per gov.uk not Registrar's Office.

I think nowadays anyone can take communion, whether confirmed or not.

Being divorced certainly wouldn’t matter.

No one seems bothered about it.

My friend married a divorced man; she is Roman Catholic therefore has been living in sin for 50 years and their son is illegitimate in the eyes of her church. She cannot take communion.
She goes to an Anglican Church on the occasions when she needs to attend anything.

Presumably these rules were made up by men in charge of canon laws.

Callistemon21

My friend married a divorced man; she is Roman Catholic therefore has been living in sin for 50 years and their son is illegitimate in the eyes of her church. She cannot take communion.
She goes to an Anglican Church on the occasions when she needs to attend anything.

Presumably these rules were made up by men in charge of canon laws.

It depends where her husband’s first marriage took place. If he was a baptised Christian ( not necessarily Catholic), and was married in a Christian ceremony, then he was married in the eyes of the Catholic church. If it was a civil ceremony in a registrar’s office, then he was never married in the eyes of the Catholic church.

Grantanow

Perhaps in some cases it was 'don't ask, don't tell'?

If it was in the C of E, then the marital status of each has to be declared on the Banns form - Single (formerly Bachelor/Spinster), Widow(er), Previous Marriage Dissolved.

I can't remember ever hearing the status read out in church when the Banns were called but it used to be.

The status is also entered in the marriage registers and on the marriage certificate.

Daddima

Callistemon21

My friend married a divorced man; she is Roman Catholic therefore has been living in sin for 50 years and their son is illegitimate in the eyes of her church. She cannot take communion.
She goes to an Anglican Church on the occasions when she needs to attend anything.

Presumably these rules were made up by men in charge of canon laws.

It depends where her husband’s first marriage took place. If he was a baptised Christian ( not necessarily Catholic), and was married in a Christian ceremony, then he was married in the eyes of the Catholic church. If it was a civil ceremony in a registrar’s office, then he was never married in the eyes of the Catholic church.

Interesting.
I would think he got married in an Anglican church but I'm not sure.