'Legend' Royal Borough registrar retires after 27 years

A Royal Borough registrar who officiated the marriage of the new King and Queen Consort has retired after nearly three decades in the profession.

Clair Coe, who lives in Flackwell Heath, has called time on her position as superintendent registrar with the council having worked in registration for 27 years, 18 of which were in Windsor and Maidenhead.

Over the years, she has conducted the wedding ceremonies for many couples at Windsor Guildhall, and the other 30 licensed venues across the borough, as well as registering births and deaths and new British citizens.

A goodbye was held for Clair earlier this month in Windsor, in the building where she married King Charles – then Prince of Wales – and his wife Camilla in 2005.

She also officiated at the wedding of Elton John and husband David Furnish shortly after same-sex marriage was legalised in the UK in 2014.

Clair’s role will now be left in the hands of registrars Andrea O'Brien and Vivienne Webster.

“It was a privilege to be a part of this profession – you are dealing with people at really important times of their lives,” Clair said.

She is the only registrar to have married an heir to the throne of England, and said the day of Charles and Camilla’s wedding went without a hitch as per Royal standards.

“Everything went perfectly – every Royal event is rehearsed,” Clair said, adding that the marriage of Elton John and David Furnish was a significant step forward in UK law, and was an ‘amazing thing to be a part of’.

Clair explained how she first fell into the role and her inspiration behind her many years working in registration.

“You have to like people,” she said. “I saw it advertised in the paper and thought that sounds like something for me. No two weddings are the same and it was just that interest value of every day being different.”

Although Clair has officially retired, she still helps out with the odd wedding on a weekend, but was looking forward to seeing more of the world in retirement as she plans to go travelling.

“It was a wonderful send-off – it was just amazing to see that colleagues are so appreciative of the work I have done over the years,” she said.

Vivienne, from Maidenhead, said that although some big boots needed filling, she was looking forward to taking on the baton from Clair.

“She is a real character and always has the best interests of everyone at heart,” Vivienne said. “’I’ve got very big shoes to fill.

“I think everybody in the job feels quite privileged to do it because you are with people at their big events. I am enjoying every day I come to work and that is a rare thing for somebody to say.

“Windsor Guildhall is steeped in history and is a very special place for a wedding.”