TWO tiny kisses, light pecks, on either cheek. Such a familiar sight among London luvvies and the county set. But this time, it sent tremors around the world, seismic rumblings from the countless camera shutters that captured the moment for the world to gorge on.

It sent the royal conspiracy theorists scrambling for their notes as the world debated the moment Prince Charles demonstrated public affection for Camilla Parker Bowles for the first time.

The exchange came as Mrs P, patron of the National Osteoporosis Society, officially welcomed the Prince as a guest to a drinks party to celebrate the charity's 15th birthday.

She greeted him with a smile. He put his left hand on her arm and kissed her lightly on both cheeks, mouthing an affectionate "hello".

Playing the perfect host, she met him at Somerset House and shared an intimate moment with the rest of the world - and in front of the children too, with Laura and Tom witnessing the scene, before tucking into canapes.

Social niceties out of the way, guests greeted, hands shaken, the Prince left the party, stopping only to wave goodbye to his host. It was a brief gesture, his palm held up to her as a big grin spread across his face.

Camilla, standing a few feet away, responded with a matching smile, a wave of her fingertips and a barely audible "bye". The minimalist language of soul-mates.

And all the time, despite the scrutiny of the masses, their manners remained relaxed. They were comfortable in each other's presence in a way he and Diana never were. They were at home despite living apart.

Their latest kiss was the antithesis of the infamous incident when disillusioned Diana turned her mouth away from Charles so he had to peck her cheek, a clear indication of a couple mismatched.

And since Tuesday's revealing charity function, so much has been made of so little. Overnight, the bookmakers slashed the odds for the Prince of Wales to marry Camilla. Punters kissed goodbye to odds of 10-1, until then being offered by William Hill. Instead, the best price you can get today is 5-1 that they will wed within the next two years. Odds that brush aside the constitutional crisis that could follow if a divorced heir to the throne marries a divorced woman.

"Speculation has been rife for some while that they will eventually wed and we have taken plenty of bets on them doing so," says William Hill spokesman Graham Sharpe. "But a public kiss seems to move the possibility forward considerably, so we have cut the odds to reflect the increased likelihood of a royal wedding."

If you want better odds, then take up William Hill's current offers of 20-1 on Charles renouncing his right to the throne within a year - it wouldn't be the first time this has been done for love, look at King Edward VIII and another divorcee, American Wallis Simpson - and 16-1 on the Queen announcing her abdication before December 31, 2002.

The relationship between Charles and Camilla has been the worst-kept royal secret for years. They first met at a polo match in 1973, after being set up by a friend. They always got on famously, the prince appreciating her irreverent informality and riotous sense of humour. In his younger days, they would reduce each other to tears with their love of the downright silly, an unsophisticated Goons-type humour that would leave them rolling with laughter.

But she married another man, Andrew, and he another woman, Diana, and they tried to set their love aside as something that was simply not meant to be. His parting gift of a bracelet, inscribed GF, for Girl Friday - his pet name for her - caused him more than enough trouble with his new and insecure wife Diana, a matter made worse when he insisted on presenting it to Camilla personally.

After that, pictures of the couple together were non-existent. When Diana was killed in August 1997, there was plenty of talk that his relationship with the now divorced Camilla, might be rekindled. But it wasn't until January 1999 that they finally walked out together, when they emerged from the Ritz Hotel in London, in a carefully managed operation, before hundreds of photographers.

Since then, pictures of them have appeared with increasing frequency as they become more relaxed about being seen in public together - some would say in a carefully-orchestrated public relations exercise.

Camilla is also a regular guest at official functions held by the Prince and, last month, she attended a dinner at Buckingham Palace while the Queen was in residence.

According to royal watcher, Royalty magazine, there is no grand plan, save a wish that the country can now accept the once-reviled Camilla. "Their relationship has been moving at a glacial pace towards acceptance by the man and woman in the street," says its publisher Bob Houston. "I don't think the kiss was part of any grand plan, mastered by spin doctors.

'Quite honestly, it could have been spontaneous. But he would know that it would end up on every front page around the world. It was one small peck for mankind, one giant leap for their relationship. But it didn't tell us anything we hadn't already surmised anyway."

The fact that it was a public kiss is an indication that Charles is trying to say something about his relationship with Camilla. "He was saying 'this is the one who is my soul-mate and that is that'," says Mr Houston. "Whatever the constitutional ramifications may be, he is prepared to ignore them - at the moment. When the Queen dies, all bets might be off, we don't know. Camilla doesn't seem to have any immediate ambitions to be queen. And while the Queen is alive, they seem very happy to get on with their lives."

So he doubts whether anything grand is afoot. It's just that Charles is keen to end the days where Camilla's name was accompanied by snorts of indignation.

"Charles would be happy for the country to come round to her, slowly but surely winning public acceptance."