Camilla has been an official member of the Royal Family since she tied the knot with Prince Charles, 70, in 2005. The pair said “I do” at a cicvil ceremony at Windsor Guildhall. Afterward, they went on to St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle to receive an official marriage blessing from the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Photos from the big day showed a happy crowd and smiles all around, but the day was actually full of drama and could have gone terribly wrong.
From being sick on her big day, to the public’s disapproval, here’s how Camilla almost didn’t make it down the aisle.
Private tapes
It’s no secret Camilla and Charles’ relationship got off to a slightly chequered start. In 1992, while Prince Charles was still married to his first wife, Princess Diana, private tapes were released of an intimate phone call between the Prince of Wales and Camilla – which appeared to solidify that the couple were having an affair.
Nevertheless Camilla and Charles remained together throughout his divorce with Diana and her tragic death in 1997.
However, the alleged affair hung over the couple up until their big day, with members of the public disapproving of their relationship.
The public
While most Brits eventually accepted the pair as a couple, some fans were still divided. When their engagement was announced in February 2005, they received a huge backlash.
According to Good Housekeeping, one woman stood outside Clarence House and announced that Charles should “never be king” if he was to wed Camilla.
As well as this, biographer Penny Junor recalled receiving emails from viewers of BBC Breakfast expressing their utter disgust at the news in her book, “The Firm: The Troubled Life of the House of Windsor”.
The negative response from fans is likely to have put a dampener on the big day.
Camilla’s relationship with the Queen
According to insiders, the Queen strongly disapproved of Charles and Camilla’s relationship from the start. In British journalist Tom Bower’s biography, “Rebel Prince: The Power, Passion and Defiance of Prince Charles”, the reporter wrote that the Queen allegedly called Camilla “that wicked woman” and said she wanted “nothing to do with her.”
Things are said to have got worse between them leading up to Charles and Camilla’s big day, with the Queen reportedly refusing an invite to Charles’ 50th birthday.
Nevertheless, the Queen appeared to warm to Camilla in later years, and she gave her blessings on their wedding day.
Although the Queen and Prince Phillip didn’t attend the civil ceremony, with it rumoured she “disapproved of the arrangements, not of the marriage” they did make an appearance at the reception.
In her speech, the Queen reportedly referenced the Grand National horse race, saying: “They have overcome Becher’s Brook and The Chair and all kinds of other terrible obstacles. They have come through, and I’m very proud and wish them well. My son is home and dry with the woman he loves.”
The un-royal wedding
At the time of their engagement, the Church of England was largely unsupportive of second marriages if a spouse was still living – which was the case of Camilla’s ex, Andrew Parker Bowles.
These rules threw a spanner in the works for the couple, however, to get around this, Camilla and Charles decided to do their royal wedding differently, dividing it into two parts with a civil ceremony at Windsor Guildhall, and a service at St. George’s Chapel to receive a special marital blessing.
Changed date
After the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, endorsed the marriage, saying that their arrangement was “consistent with Church of England Guidelines”, the couple looked all set to tie the knot.
However, they stumbled upon another hurdle, when they had to change their date at the last minute. Sadly, the Palace had to postpone the wedding by 24 hours, so Prince Charles could attend the funeral of Pope John Paul II on behalf of the Queen.
When the wedding day finally arrived, poor Camilla was said to be suffering from sinusitis and could barely move.
According to Vanity Fair, it was only once Camilla’s sister Annabel threatened to put on Camilla’s wedding clothes that the bride decided to get out of bed.