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The long-standing relationship between Charles and Camilla is one of the most controversial affairs in recent royal history. They met and dated when they were young, and although they went on to marry other people, it was never quite as special as what they had. While their ongoing romance may have been deceitful and hurt others, there is something that hooks you about a couple who waited 35 years to get their happy ending.
Let's take a look at the complicated and unconventional love story of Fred and Gladys (that'll make sense later). Click through the gallery to get started.
Camilla Parker Bowles was born Camilla Shand in the English county of Sussex in 1947. She was born in July, making her 16 months older than King Charles. Her father was Bruce Shand, a successful wine merchant and high-ranking military officer.
She had a privileged life, growing up on a large country estate with her two siblings, and attending the elite Queen's Gate school in London. She later attended finishing schools in France and Switzerland. Her family regularly socialized with members of the British royal family.
Camilla first met the then-Prince Charles at a polo match in Windsor Great Park. They both loved sports and the outdoors, so it was no surprise that they should meet at such an event. They hit it off right away.
They also shared a similar sense of humor. Charles and Camilla are still regularly seen giggling together at royal engagements to this day. On their first meeting, Camilla is said to have opened with a joke about a story that her great-grandmother had an affair with King Edward VII!
Camilla reportedly said to Charles, “My great-grandmother was the mistress of your great-great-grandfather. I feel we have something in common.” Luckily, they had everything in common except DNA...
They began dating after this meeting in 1970, but Charles had to leave to serve in the Royal Navy for eight months. When he got back, Camilla was already engaged to someone else.
In July of 1973, Camilla married her betrothed, Andrew Parker Bowles. He was an Army cavalry officer who was seven years older than her. He also happened to have dated Charles’ sister, Prince Anne!
Camilla and Charles remained friends even after the marriage, as they always had fun together. In fact, Charles was named the godfather of one of Camilla’s children.
It’s rumored that Charles asked his good friend Camilla to help him settle on a suitable girl that would make his family happy and satisfy expectations.
Several years down the line in 1980, a 31-year-old Charles began dating an 18-year-old Diana Spencer. They had actually met through Diana’s older sister, Sarah, whom he had previously dated.
Charles proposed to Diana in 1981 and they got engaged. This was followed by a notorious interview after their announcement, where Charles makes a comment that would foreshadow their tumultuous marriage. A reporter asks them if they're in love and Diana answers “of course” with a blush and a smile. Charles simply adds “whatever love means.”
Diana had learned that Charles and Camilla still used the nicknames “Fred” and “Gladys” for each other, taken from characters in ‘The Goon Show.’ Days before the wedding, Diana found a bracelet that had been sent to Charles with the engraved letters ‘G’ and ‘F.’
On July 29, 1981, Charles and Diana got married with a record-breaking 750 million viewers worldwide. It was referred to as “the wedding of the century,” and Diana’s dress would be the template for the most fashionable wedding dresses for the rest of the decade.
Princess Diana gave birth to Prince William in 1982, and Prince Harry in 1984. The marriage had reportedly already become rocky at the time, and personal accounts from Princess Diana state that she was struggling with a despondent husband. There’s evidence to suggest that Charles’ close relationship with Camilla was one point of contention between them.
Charles revealed in his authorized biography that his extramarital affair with Camilla began in 1986, two years after Prince Harry was born.
The affair carried on for several years. Charles and Camilla often met during social weekends away at their friends’ country estates. They also met at Charles’ own country retreat, Highgrove House.
Highgrove House was a countryside mansion with expansive grounds that Charles purchased in the ‘80s. He was much more of an outdoorsman than Diana and often visited Highgrove without her. It happened to be located quite close to Camilla’s home, Bolehyde Manor.
In 1989, Diana took Camilla aside at a party and confronted her about the affair. She described the conversation in a shocking interview several years later. Diana claims that Camilla said, “You've got everything you ever wanted. You've got all the men in the world falling in love with you and you've got two beautiful children, what more do you want?” Diana’s answer was quite simple: “I want my husband.”
In the following years there were two scandalous public admissions of the affair. Diana had agreed to interviews with author Andrew Morton, who released the book ‘Diana: Her True Story’ in 1992. The book gave a detailed account of the breakdown of her marriage.
At the end of 1992, "Camillagate" happened. A taped phone conversation between Charles and Camilla from 1989 was released to the public. They are heard to flirt in a manner that could only be attributed to a couple who know each other well. Charles joked that he wished he was her tampon so he could live inside her trousers. Naturally, this sent the media into a frenzy!
Around the same time, it was confirmed that Charles and Diana were officially separating. The tabloids had a field day with the leaked tapes and reports of both parties engaging in extra-marital affairs.
Charles attempted to repair his reputation and welcome Camilla into the fold of the royal family more officially at this point. He threw her a lavish 50th birthday party at Highgrove House. That same year, Diana was killed in a tragic car accident, and all else was overshadowed by the devastating event.
The worldwide grief and near deification of Diana after her premature death made it nearly impossible to ingratiate Camilla as his new romantic partner, particularly with his own sons.
By 1998, Charles had continued his efforts to legitimize his relationship with Camilla, but it’s reported that the Queen would not support them. She allegedly refused to attend Charles’s 50th birthday party because Camilla would be there.
In 1999, Charles and Camilla leave a birthday party at the Ritz together and are met with a crowd of photographers. It was the first time they officially appeared in public together. Later that year, Charles and Camilla went on holiday together with his two sons.
Small steps were made in the early 2000s to introduce Camilla into the royal family. The Queen finally agreed to attend an event that Camilla was also attending. In 2003, Camilla moved into the royal residence of Clarence House with Charles.
In 2005, at the ages of 57 and 58, 35 years after they first met, Charles and Camilla were finally married. They had a small civil ceremony with Prince William as the best man. Queen Elizabeth attended the wedding reception afterward.
The issue of Camilla’s title after the marriage was a contentious one. Charles’s first wife Diana was titled the Princess of Wales. She kept this title after her divorce, so it could not be given to Camilla. Instead, Camilla was named the Duchess of Cornwall. Upon Charles' succession to the throne, it would normally be the case that his wife is named the Queen Consort. However, Camilla was predicted to be named the Princess Consort due to their murky history and her role in ending his first marriage.
Seven months later, on September 8, 2022, Queen Elizabeth passed away at her beloved Balmoral Castle. Charles instantly became King Charles, and Camilla Queen Consort. However, after the coronation, and thanks to Charles' Royal Warrant, her title is now Queen Camilla. This marks the beginning of a new era in British royal history, led by Fred and Gladys.
Sources: (Town and Country) (Biography) (Insider) (Harper's Bazaar)
See also: This Australian executive fell in love with a tourist. Today, she is the queen of Denmark
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CELEBRITY Royals
The long-standing relationship between Charles and Camilla is one of the most controversial affairs in recent royal history. They met and dated when they were young, and although they went on to marry other people, it was never quite as special as what they had. While their ongoing romance may have been deceitful and hurt others, there is something that hooks you about a couple who waited 35 years to get their happy ending.
Let's take a look at the complicated and unconventional love story of Fred and Gladys (that'll make sense later). Click through the gallery to get started.