The Duchess of Cornwall celebrates her birthday on July 17.
Camilla Rosemary Shand was born into the upper class. He was the first born in his family of three children.
Camilla showed self-confidence from an early age. He followed his father in both riding and hunting.
As an upper-class girl, Camilla hung out in royal circles.
Prince Charles’s they met for the first time at a polo match in the summer of 1970. Humor connected and the two became friends.
In 1972, friendship turned into love. Camilla was the first woman Charles dated.
However, Camilla was unsuitable for the future king’s spouse. She wasn’t aristocratic enough in background – and no longer a virgin.
Charles and Camilla in 1975. PDO
First marriage
Camilla married her previous swing, by Andrew Parker Bowleswith in 1973. The couple had two children: Tom was born in 1974 and Laura in 1978.
The circles were so small that Prince Charles became Tom’s godfather. Charles and Camilla continued to keep in touch anyway. In the late 70s, their relationship was romantic again.
Andrew and Camilla divorced in 1995. At that time, Charles was still married to Princess Diana, but the union dragged on and the couple already lived separately.
Diana had known all along that Charles was having an affair with Camilla. During the wedding, Diana even found out that Charles had bought Camilla a bracelet on which he had engraved the initials of the couple’s nicknames, Fred and Gladys.
And the jewelry gifts didn’t end there. Diana has said that Charles had the cufflinks Camilla gave him on his honeymoon.
Camilla and Charles in 1975. PDO
A sense of humor has united Charles and Camilla. PDO
A seal for a relationship
In 1993, a secretly recorded phone conversation between Charles and Camilla became public, in which Charles wished he was Camilla’s tampon.
Diana retaliated by giving an interview to the BBC in which she referred to Camilla by saying:
– There have been three people in our marriage, so it’s a bit crowded.
Queen Elizabeth could not stand the trio’s private affairs being torn up in public. He forced Charles and Diana to officially divorce.
Camilla was accused of breaking Charles and Diana’s union and breaking up the home. She became the most hated woman in Britain.
The people barked at Camilla, even though her husband was also said to have cheated on several occasions.
Despite everything, Camilla and Charles got married on April 9, 2005. The on-off relationship of over thirty years was sealed.
It was feared in advance that Diana’s supporters would rise up and sabotage the wedding. However, everything went smoothly.
Charles and Camilla were finally married in 2005. PDO
Cursed woman
Camilla has been married to Charles for 17 years now. The storms have calmed down and the duchess has claimed her place.
– It has not been easy. I lived under surveillance for so long. Nobody wants to be the object of criticism all the time… But I just had to get used to it. And finding my own Way to live, Camilla referred to the past in a recent Vogue interview.
Even Charles and Diana’s children, Princes William and Harry, have accepted Camilla as part of the family.
It has previously been assumed that when Charles became king, Camilla would receive the title of princess consort. However, in February, Elizabeth announced that she hoped that Camilla would be called queen consort.
After all the twists and turns, this is a big hand out from the Queen. However, the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law was cold for decades. At least the fact that the queen happened to be the godmother of Andrew Parker Bowles, aka Camilla’s ex, didn’t improve the situation!
It is said that at one point the Queen even refused to acknowledge Camilla’s existence. He removed her from the royal guest list and banned her from Buckingham Palace.
In 1998, the Queen was rumored to have sipped martinis and called Camilla a cursed woman.
Camilla has taken her place next to Charles. Photo from 2000. PDO
Seal of approval
When Charles and Camilla formalized their relationship in 1999 by appearing together at Camilla’s sister’s birthday, Elisabet reconciled. For him, the boy’s public togetherness with Camilla was a better solution than a secret relationship. Charles and Camilla’s love seemed permanent.
In 2002, Elisabet gave Camilla permission to attend her Golden Jubilee party. Camilla had managed to prove not only her true love but also her diligence and competence as a companion to the future king.
At the wedding of Camilla and Charles, the queen already gave a warm speech to the couple.
Important years
Camilla has endured a lot. Today, she looks really happy next to her Charles.
Since both are busy, however, joint relationship time is on the cards.
– Often we are like two ships at sea, we only meet quickly. But we try to organize time together every day. We sit down, have a cup of tea and talk about the day’s events.
– It’s also wonderful just to be quietly present. We might sit in different corners of the room reading a book, without saying anything, Camilla has revealed about living together with Charles.
For her age, Camilla could already enjoy a leisurely retirement. Cat’s whiskers!
She still has important years ahead of her as the king’s consort. And Camilla is not just a supporter, she also has her own tasks. Currently, the hard-working duchess is, for example, the president of more than 90 charitable organizations.
The duchess is devoted to animal rights, among other things. He has also spoken on behalf of victims of domestic violence and rape. In addition, Camilla is the president of the British Osteoporosis Society – and a lover of literature. She runs an online reading circle, The Duchess of Cornwall’s Reading Room.
Camilla has numerous tasks. PDO
As a person, Camilla has been characterized as funny, friendly and humorous. He has a twinkle in his eye and a knack for making people feel good.
The grandmother of five grandchildren is also a loving grandmother.
Camilla has finally been accepted into the royal family. Photo from 2019. PDO