Camilla Parker Bowles will now officially be Queen Consort once Queen Elizabeth II passes and here’s everything you need to know about her and Prince Charles’ controversial marriage.
All hail the future queen! Camilla Parker Bowles is Prince Charles’ wife and his mother, Queen Elizabeth II recently decreed that in her passing, Camilla will become Queen Consort. “I know you will give [Charles] and his wife Camilla the same support that you have given me; and it is my sincere wish that, when that time comes, Camilla will be known as Queen Consort as she continues her loyal service,” she said in a statement published on Twitter.
While it is traditional for the incoming King’s wife to become Queen Consort, there was debate as to whether Camilla should be deemed Princess Consort due to Charles’ first wife Princess Diana’s tragic death. The Queen has officially put that debate to rest as it is her wish for Camilla to be Queen Consort as traditional would rule. Here’s everything you need to know about Prince Charles’ wife and future Queen Consort, Camilla Parker-Bowles.
Who is Camilla Parker Bowles?
Camilla Parker-Bowles was born into a well-to-do family on July 17, 1947. Her father was Vice Lord Lieutenant of East Sussex and her mother hailed from an aristocratic family. She grew up going to private boarding schools across Europe and landed a job as a receptionist at a Mayfair-based decorating firm. She married her first husband Andrew Parker Bowles in 1973 and had two kids with him, Thomas in 1974 and Laura in 1978.
When did Prince Charles and Camilla meet?
Prince Charles and Camila met at a polo match in 1971, just before she got married to Andrew and they were instantly drawn to each other. They stayed in touch and became close friends. However, once Camilla’s daughter was born in 1978, their relationship turned romantic. Prince Charles got engaged to Princess Diana in 1981 and while he insists he was faithful to Diana until their marriage started crumbling apart, he and Camilla still spent plenty of time together. The affair reportedly ramped up again in 1986, five years into his marriage with Diana. Their affair was exposed in 1994 which led to Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s divorce in 1996.
Prince Charles and Camilla’s wedding
Prince Charles and Camilla continued their relationship despite Queen Elizabeth II’s and practically everyone else’s disapproval. After Princess Diana’s death in 1997, Prince Charles and Camilla laid low and didn’t make a public appearance together until 1999. 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.” Regardless, the couple went on to tie the knot on April 9, 2005, in a civil ceremony in Windsor and Camilla gained the title Duchess of Cornwall. By this point, the Queen came around and, according to History Extra, she toasted the happy couple, saying, “They have come through and I’m very proud and wish them well. My son is home and dry with the woman he loves.”