Queen Camilla – From vilified Princess to beloved Queen

Queen Camilla was born Camilla Rosemary Shand on 17 July 1947 as the daughter of Major Bruce Shand and his wife, The Honourable Rosalind Cubitt, at King’s College Hospital in London. Her mother was the daughter of Roland Cubitt, 3rd Baron Ashcombe and Sonia Rosemary Keppel. She, in turn, was the daughter of Alice Keppel, the mistress of King Edward VII from 1898 until 1910. On 1 November 1947, Camilla was baptised at Firle Church in Sussex. From the age of five to ten, Camilla attended Dumbrells before leaving to attend Queen’s Gate School. At the age of 16, she attended a finishing school in Switerzland. She then spent six months in France at the University of London Institute to learn French. She was a debutante in 1965 and lived in a flat with a friend in London. She worked as a secretary and receptionist for various firms.

Camilla met Andrew Parker Bowles in the late 1960s through his younger brother, who worked at her father’s wine firm. They dated on and off but broke up again in 1970. Camilla reportedly met Prince Charles in the middle of 1971, and they became close friends and even began seeing each other. We do not know for sure why Charles and Camilla broke up, but Camilla and Andrew eventually reconciled and were married on 4 July 1973 at the Guards Chapel of the Wellington Barracks in London. The wedding was attended by Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdown and Princess Anne and another 800 or so guests. The newlyweds settled in Wiltshire. Their first child, named Tom, was born in 1974, followed by a daughter named Laura in 1978. Andrew travelled extensively as an officer in the British army, while Camilla stayed at home with the children. After 21 years of marriage, Camilla and her husband decided to divorce, and it was finalised in March 1995. They had both been seeing other people during their marriage. Andrew remarried in 1996 to Rosemary Pitman.

Prince Charles had married Lady Diana Spencer in 1981, and they had two sons together. Their marriage had quickly turned sour, and Prince Charles later admitted that he and Camilla had rekindled their relationship after his marriage had irretrievably broken down. The media vilified Camilla, even though Charles and Diana’s marriage would have broken down regardless.

Both Charles and Camilla were now divorced, and they began appearing together at public events in 1999. On 10 February 2005, Clarence House announced their engagement, and they married on 9 April 2005 in a civil ceremony at Windsor Guildhall and a religious service of blessing at St George’s Chapel. The marriage ceremony itself was not attended by The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh nor Camilla’s father. However, they did attend the service of blessing and the reception afterwards. As a result, Camilla became known as The Duchess of Cornwall. She was officially The Princess of Wales but chose not to use the title as it remains strongly associated with Diana.

As The Duchess of Cornwall, Camilla was the patron of several charities, such as the Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, The Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists and Arthritis Research UK. She also supported organisations promoting literacy and raises awareness for Osteoporosis organisations and organisations that work with victims of sexual and domestic abuse.

On 8 September 2022, upon the death of her mother-in-law Queen Elizabeth II, Camilla became the new Queen (consort). As such, she is addressed as Her Majesty The Queen.