She Faced Incredible Obstacles
Early on in her life, Camilla Parker Bowles knew who she wanted to marry and what she wanted to be. Before she reached these goals, she’d have to face obstacles both small and absolutely humongous. In fact, an entire country—and their beloved Queen—stood in her way.
It took her an agonizing 30 years, but Parker Bowles finally got what she wanted. Not only is her trip to the throne unforgettable, but it also has an uncanny connection to the past.
1. She Was Upper Class
Camilla Parker Bowles was born Camilla Rosemary Shand on July 17, 1947, in London. She had a very ordinary childhood—well, ordinary if you were from the upper classes. This included finishing school in Switzerland and French classes in Paris. Little did she know: her future was going to be very far from normal.
2. She Wouldn’t Commit
Sometime in the late 1960s, Camilla met Andrew Parker Bowles and the two started a relationship. It was an on-again-off-again thing, and in 1970, Andrew called it quits. He dumped Bowles and started dating Princess Anne. Camilla, suddenly finding herself single, got an introduction to Charles, the Prince of Wales.
Strangely, both Camilla and Andrew had found romance in the royal family. But things were about to go very, very wrong.
3. She Couldn’t Wait
Camilla and Charles were getting quite serious—until Charles' responsibilities as Prince got in the way. You see, Charles had to leave England for his duty with the Royal Navy. The real question is why Camilla couldn’t wait for Charles to return. You’d think a Prince of England was someone worth waiting for.
The answer to this question depends on who you ask.
4. They Weren’t Destined To Be
Some blame Queen Elizabeth for sending her son away to break up his relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles. She had a bride in mind for Charles, and she would come from the Spencer family. It could also have been Lord Mountbatten’s doing. He thought Charles should marry his granddaughter. Others say that Camilla just really wanted to be with Andrew Parker Bowles and not Prince Charles.
For one or all of these reasons, Charles and Camilla ended their relationship. But there was something else standing in Camilla’s way.
5. She Wasn’t Suitable
It seemed that everyone knew that Camilla and Charles were close to a perfect match. But there was a problem. For some reason—likely because she was not part of the aristocracy—Camilla was simply not suitable to be the future king of England’s wife. For this reason, the two became friends and friends only.
Of course, that situation would change.
6. She Got A Shock
With Charles out of the picture, Camilla got back together with Andrew Parker Bowles, but the two were still unsure and refused to commit. Their parents soon put a stop to their wishy-washy behavior and decided to announce the couple’s engagement in the newspaper.
This came as a complete shock to Camilla and Andrew.
7. He Had No Choice
With the engagement in The Times, Andrew had little choice but to get down on one knee and propose. The two walked down the aisle on July 4, 1973, in front of 800 guests, which included many members of the royal family. Camilla had no idea that her future life would cause this same royal family so much hardship.
8. She Was A Shoulder To Cry On
In August of 1979, Charles faced a horrific tragedy. Lord Mountbatten, who had been Charles' mentor and friend, lost his life when the Irish Republican Army placed a bomb on his boat. Charles took the loss hard, and it was to Camilla that he turned to in his hour of need. Well, this hour of need soon turned into something longer and something a little more intimate.
Camilla was a married woman—having an affair with the Prince of Wales on the side.
9. She Had An Open Marriage
As it turned out, Camilla’s husband had no problem with his wife’s affair with Charles. In fact, Andrew also had women outside his relationship with Camilla. While the situation wasn’t ideal, at least Camilla could continue her relationship with Charles.
And then a beautiful young woman got in the way.
10. He Found A Bride
In 1977, Charles was dating Sarah Spencer and met her younger sister, the 16-year-old Lady Diana Spencer. By 1981, Charles had dropped Sarah and was preparing to marry Diana. This Spencer family was the one that the Queen had wanted Charles to select his bride from all along.
Charles was doing what was right for the royal family, but it wouldn’t end up being the right thing for him.
11. She Was A Complication
Soon after Charles married Lady Diana, the world fell in love with the new Princess of Wales. Sadly, Charles may not have felt the same love for her. He was still in love with Camilla and hoped that Diana was someone who would turn a blind eye to his clandestine relationship with Camilla. She definitely was not.
Camilla’s life was about to get very complicated.
12. She Made Friends With The Enemy
The thing was, Camilla and Diana Spencer were actually friends. They may not have been besties, but Diana did visit Camilla and Andrew now and again and even, since she had experience as a nanny, helped out with their children. Whether Diana knew about the true nature of Camilla’s relationship with Charles is anyone’s guess.
Diana thought she’d made a new friend, but as it turned out, this new friend was someone she should not trust.
13. She Sent Her A Note
When Diana and Charles announced their engagement, Diana got a bit of a surprise. She found a note there from Camilla inviting her for lunch. Apparently, the lunch was lively and full of gossip. But later, Diana suspected that Camilla had ulterior motives.
Motives that could end her fairy tale marriage.
14. She Had An Evil Plan
Years after the lunch date, Princess Diana had a dark thought. She wondered whether Camilla had asked her to lunch, just so she could get a glimpse into her daily routine. With that information, Camilla could figure out the best time of day to get Charles alone. Diana was heading into a troubled marriage, and she had to do something about Camilla.
15. She Found A Mysterious Bracelet
Problems started right before Charles and Diana’s wedding. The story goes that while Diana was opening their wedding presents, she found a gorgeous bracelet. When she took a closer look at the bracelet, it had an engraving on it: GF. Diana knew well enough what GF meant.
16. They Had Pet Names
Diana knew that the GF on this beautiful and expensive bracelet stood for “Gladys and Fred”. These were names Camilla and Charles used for each, and they took them from the BBC’s radio program The Goon Show.
Finding the bracelet was bad enough—but it got even worse on the honeymoon.
17. She Joined Them On Their Honeymoon
Diana had to somehow get over finding the bracelet, but then faced an even more brutal betrayal on the honeymoon. Charles and Diana were on the Royal Yacht Britannia when Diana came across something not meant for her eyes. Charles had brought a picture of Camilla along with them on the honeymoon.
Camilla was becoming a third wheel in the Prince and Princess’s marriage. Someone had to do something to stop this.
18. She Gave Them A Chance
While Camilla did attend the wedding of Charles and Diana—you can see her in pictures staring stone-faced—she did an abrupt about-face after the wedding. For the first few years, she stayed away from the couple. Maybe it was too painful to see them together. Or maybe she just thought they had a chance at happiness.
But this situation did not last.
19. She Made It Crowded
Five years after his wedding to Princess Diana, Charles started seeing Camilla again. This prompted Princess Diana’s famous line in 1995 that “There were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded.” Finding no love from her husband, Princess Diana also started affairs with other men.
Things could have gone on like this forever—until Diana decided to confront Camilla.
20. She Faced An Angry Princess
In 1989, Camilla Parker Bowles found herself at a party that Princess Diana was also attending. Diana later told her biographer that she decided then and there to confront her husband’s mistress. Apparently, Diana told Camilla that she knew everything that was going on between her husband and Camilla.
Camilla had to think fast for a reply.
21. She Appealed To The Princess
Camilla decided to appeal to the angry Princess. She pointed out that Diana had everything. A husband, lovely children, and any man she wanted. Diana said that she just wanted her husband back. Camilla survived the confrontation, but it did nothing to change her situation. Camilla’s clandestine relationship with Prince Charles returned to its position slightly under the radar.
But it was not going to stay that way.
22. There Was A Secret Recording
In 1993, several media outlets were proudly proclaiming that they had gotten their hands on a secret telephone conversation between Camilla and Charles. The conversation was just six minutes long, but the content would prove to be horrendously embarrassing for both Camilla and Charles.
23. They Had A Twisted Sense Of Humor
Probably the most embarrassing content from the tapes is when Charles suggests it would be nice to be Camilla’s tampon. Camilla doesn’t seem to find the idea distasteful and even suggests that he could come back as an entire box of tampons. The conversation is odd enough
when it’s between two people. When you read it in the newspaper, it comes across as absolutely lunacy.
The media were going to have a heyday at Camilla’s expense.
24. She Became A Villain
Of course, the media had a great time with what later became known as “Tampongate”. They joyfully turned Camilla Parker Bowles into a villain. But perhaps worse for Camilla was Princess Diana having the final word. She said it was “just sick”. Some people claimed it was so disgusting that the monarchy should be abolished.
Charles was going to have to do something to save Camilla’s honor.
25. He Said Very Little
The year following the release of the tapes, Charles decided to come clean to the media. He spoke to Johnathon Dimbleby on the documentary Charles: The Private Man, the Public Role. Charles decided to focus on the word “private” and only admitted that Camilla was a friend and she would be a friend “for a very long time”.
This wasn’t the tell all the media was looking for. That would come later.
26. He Set The Record Straight
Shortly after the airing of Charles: The Private Man, the Public Role, Charles had a little more to say. In a 1986 interview, he acknowledged that his connection to Camilla had rekindled when his own marriage was breaking down. The truth was finally out there, but it certainly did nothing to improve Camilla’s public image.
27. She Wanted Out
In July 1994, Camilla Parker Bowles lost her mother to osteoporosis. This loss hit Camilla hard, and it may or may not have instigated her next move. She decided to end her marriage to Andrew Parker Bowles. They’d been husband and wife for 21 years, but were at this point living completely separate lives.
Now the ball was in Charles’ court.
28. They Were Both Single
In 1996, Charles and Diana also made a big decision. Encouraged by both the Queen and the Prime Minister, they decided to divorce. Camilla and Charles were now both finally—and legally—single. But would the British public have a stomach for a marriage between Charles and the despised Camilla?
29. She Was Not Forgiven
Diana did eventually forgive Charles, and the two managed to co-parent their children with some amount of goodwill and even humor. But Camilla did not receive the same forgiveness from Diana. Diana and those who loved her were definitely on team “hate Camilla”.
And a fateful accident was about to make that even worse.
30. They Hated Her More
Princess Diana lost her life in a tragic car accident in 1997. This did nothing to improve Camilla’s reputation with the press and the people of England. While no one could exactly blame Camilla, you could reason that if Diana had stayed with Charles, she wouldn’t have been in Paris on that tragic evening.
Camilla’s reputation was nose-diving, she had to do something.
31. She Needed A Doctor
To fix Camilla’s broken image, Charles brought in Mark Bolland, who you could call the Prince’s spin doctor. Bolland was an expert at manipulating the media and changing the public’s opinion. In fact, he’d saved Charles' reputation after Diana’s tragic accident. Bolland got to work on making the public like Camilla.
It was going to be an extremely hard job.
32. She Met The Kids
One step to improve Camilla’s reputation was to have her meet Charles’ sons. After their mother’s tragic passing, the two boys received an outpouring of love from the public. The idea here was that if these two boys accepted Camilla, maybe the rest of England would too.
But they’d forgotten another very important person that Camilla would have to win over.
33. She Took A Step Back
In July 1998, Charles celebrated his 50th birthday, and they thought it would be a great photo op to have Camilla in attendance. What they didn’t see happening was the Queen’s response. She flatly refused to publicly celebrate her son’s 50th just because Camilla would be there. The absence of the Queen at this event was a major step back for Camilla’s acceptance.
34. They Made a Public Appearance
Even though everyone knew that Camilla and Charles were a couple, they still hadn’t officially stepped out together. That changed at a birthday party in 1999. While the two arrived at the Ritz Hotel separately, they definitely left together. It was official. Camilla wasn’t going anywhere.
But there was still the problem of the Queen.
35. She Got The Green Light
It was another birthday party that saw Camilla get acceptance from the Queen. Camilla attended the 60th birthday of the King of Greece, and the Queen also attended. Without a word, the Queen had told her people that Camilla had her seal of approval.
With the OK from Queen Elizabeth, it was finally time to shack up.
36. She Moved In
In 2003, Camilla and Charles found a place they could live in together. This was the royal residence known as Clarence House. While Camilla certainly had permission to move in, there was one stipulation. The Royal family was not going to pay to decorate her rooms.
All that was left for Camilla now was the wedding she’d been waiting for for so many years.
37. A Wedding At Last
Camilla Parker Bowles was finally about to get what she wanted. She would finally have Charles as a husband. They set the date for April 8, 2005—but there was a snag. Pope John Paul II passed, and Charles had to attend the funeral. The couple didn’t postpone their nuptials for long. They became husband and wife the day after.
Now that she was the wife of Charles, she had to figure out who she actually was.
38. She Declined The Title
When Camilla married Charles, he was still the Prince of Wales, so everyone expected Camilla to take the title Princess of Wales. Camilla didn’t do that. Some say she declined the title because of her respect for Diana. She certainly didn’t want anyone comparing her to the much-loved Lady Diana.
Camilla was now the wife of a Prince. Next on her list was something much, much loftier.
39. She Became the Queen
On September 8, 2022, the world began to mourn the passing of Queen Elizabeth. Of course, to Charles, this was a life-changing moment. He would now be the King of England. As his wife, Camilla would hold the title of Queen Consort.
Which raises an interesting question. What happens when Charles passes?
40. She Has A Strange Future
If Camilla outlives King Charles, some people imagine she will become the Queen of England. There’s actually no chance of that happening. When Charles passes, the monarchy goes to his son Prince William, and his wife, Catherine, Princess of Wales, will then become Queen. Camilla will receive the not-so-happy-sounding title, Queen Dowager.
Camilla’s future as Queen Dowager has one not-so-pleasant side to it.
41. Her Future Is In His Hands
What Camilla does as Queen Dowager will be up to just one person: Prince William. Since Camilla was “the other woman” in the relationship between Charles and his mother, William doesn't look too fondly on Camilla. To put it bluntly, William will have his chance to get back at the woman who destroyed his parents’ marriage. Only time will tell if he takes it.
Luckily, Camilla has a place she can go and get away from any royal drama.
42. She Has Her Own Place
Because Camilla didn’t grow up as a royal, she finds she still needs a place to get away from the spotlight that the royal family lives in. Ray Mill House has acres of land, beautiful gardens, and its own swimming pool. It also has a TV, which is vital for one very important reason.
43. They Don’t Agree
As it turns out, Camilla Parker Bowles just doesn't use her private residence to get away from being part of the royal family. She also occasionally needs to get away from her beloved Charles. While most report that the two get on very well, they do have one major difference of opinion. Camilla likes to watch the beloved British soap opera Coronation Street and Charles does not.
Thanks to her own private residence, she can watch it in peace. Camilla does feel like she belongs with the royal family, but that wasn’t true from the beginning.
44. She Became Suitable
Remember, back when she was first seeing Charles, many thought that Camilla was not the right kind of person to be the Queen. Well, time does change things. Some of these same people who thought she didn’t have what it took to join the folks at Buckingham Palace now see her as a welcome and down-to-earth addition.
There’s something about Camilla that makes her a very special royal.
45. She’s Funny
One thing that many feel the British royal family lacks is a sense of humor. That’s the thing that Camilla Parker Bowles brings with her. It’s also the thing that often gets her through situations that could easily make someone stuffier descend into awkwardness.
But there is one place where Camilla rarely sees a funny side.
46. She Has A Phobia
While Camilla seems to be able to see the humorous side of most situations, there’s one situation that is no joke for her. She has an intense fear of flying. If she has to fly, she’ll do it, but if the trip is optional, she’ll take a pass. Even if it's a glamorous trip to an exotic place, she’d rather just be in her garden.
I’m sure Camilla must now and again reflect. What if she hadn't met Charles on that fateful day?
47. It Started At A Polo Match
Camilla’s extraordinary life seems to have started its strange trajectory after one chance meeting. She met Prince Charles at Windsor Great Park at a polo match. Little did she know that this meeting would start a 30-year courtship that would completely shake up Britain's Royal family.
But there is something she said that day that suggests she had an inkling of what to expect.
48. They Had History
When Camilla first met Charles, her opening line was a doozy. She said, “My great-grandmother was the mistress of your great-great-grandfather. I feel we have something in common.” In an even racier version of the story, she then asked him: “So how about it”?
So who was she talking about? Well, King Edward VII had a mistress named Alice Keppel, who happened to be Camilla’s maternal great-grandmother. You could say this relationship had destiny written all over it.
49. She Was Always Saying The Right Thing At The Wrong Time
As mentioned earlier, Camilla Parker Bowles was in attendance at Prince Charles’ wedding to Princess Diana. Considering Diana’s insecurities, it must have been a source of pain—but it gets even worse. Right before Diana walked down the aisle, she saw Charles was on the phone with Parker Bowles, and according to Diana, they were whispering “murmuring endearments” to each other. Hey, anything is better than tampon talk, right?
50. She Has A Brutal Nickname
Camilla Parker Bowles holds so many official titles that ordinary folk may well be confused about what to call her. She's Her Royal Highness, the Duchess of Cornwall, and the Duchess of Rothesay. But if you ask me, Camilla's most colorful nickname came from her mortal enemy: Princess Diana. She called Parker Bowles "The Rottweiler." Ouch.
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