Love is Complicated: Match.com's Relationship Expert Judi James Asks - Is Charles a "Born-Again Romantic"?

Love is Complicated: Match.com's Relationship Expert Judi James Asks - Is Charles a "Born-Again Romantic"?

LONDON, February 10/PRNewswire/ -- 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).



Source: Match.com

For further press information or to set up an interview with Judi James, please contact: Big-mouths PR - Victoria McQuade or Alix Vonk, T - +44(0)20-7-385-0009 E - match@big-mouths.com


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