Religious "storms" on the English throne

Courtesy of the AP

Here is a look at some of the strains between royal romance and religious rules in Britain since Henry VIII broke with the Vatican in the 16th century.

1625: Charles I takes the throne and marries Henrietta Maria, a Roman Catholic. A furor erupts over suspicion Charles would ease restrictions on Catholics and weaken Protestantism. Puritans and others continually accuse Charles of Vatican sympathies and criticize his interest in the elaborate High Anglican form of worship.

1785: The future George IV - then Prince of Wales - secretly weds a Roman Catholic, the twice-widowed Maria Anne Fitzherbert. But the bond is never legally recognized under the act that required monarch's approval for the prince's marriage. An earlier rule also banned those married to Catholics from succeeding to the throne. George winds up in loveless marriage with his cousin Caroline.

LATE 19TH CENTURY: The future King Edward VII begins affair with Alice Keppel, the great-grandmother of Camilla Parker Bowles.

1936: King Edward VIII relinquishes the throne in order to marry a twice-divorced American, Wallis Simpson. At the time, Church of England leaders steadfastly opposed idea of monarch marrying a divorced woman. In a farewell radio address, Edward told the nation: "I have found it impossible to carry the heavy burden of responsibility and to discharge my duties as king as I would wish to do without the help and support of the woman I love."

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