Charles and Camilla's wedding legal

Britain's chief legal officer says the forthcoming civil marriage of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles will be legal, countering speculation by some legal experts that the wedding might contravene a 19th-century statute.

Last week the BBC quoted two constitutional experts as saying civil weddings for members of the royal family are prohibited under the 1836 Marriage Act.

But Lord Falconer, the Lord Chancellor, said the Government had "considered every aspect and taken all the appropriate advice. I remain confident the Prince and Mrs Parker Bowles can marry in a civil ceremony".

Government legal experts say the 1836 legislation was superseded by the 1949 Marriage Act, which does not specifically exclude royals from civil marriages.