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Camilla, the wife of British Crown Prince Charles, holds many titles. In England, for example, she is the Duchess of Cornwall, and in Scotland, the Duchess of Rothesay.
Legally, she was called the Princess of Wales, but she did not use that title. As for Charles, she is simply “my dear wife”.
And Queen Elizabeth II announced, recently, on the occasion of her celebration of the Platinum Jubilee (the seventy years since her enthronement on the throne of Britain). She wants to make Camilla, Queen Consort, when her son, Prince Charles, ascends the throne.
perfect childhood
Camilla Rosemary Shand was born at King’s College Hospital on June 17, 1947. Her father, Bruce, was an army officer and was awarded the Military Cross twice, before being wounded and captured by the Germans during the Battle of El Alamein in Egypt during World War II.
Father spent the rest of the war in captivity and after returning to Britain at the end of the war he became a liquor merchant.
One of the first to be named Person of the Year for cigar smoking was her mother, Rosalind, and is the granddaughter of Alice Cable, mistress of King Edward VII.
The family home was a large 18th century house at the foot of the South Downs in Sussex.
Every year, its beautiful gardens were opened for the summer celebrations of Britain’s Conservative Party.
Camilla, the couple’s eldest daughter, had a happy childhood in the upper echelons of society and described her childhood as “perfect in all respects”.
The home I grew up in was a relaxed atmosphere full of children, books and pets. I attended an elementary school in the village where children were served fresh milk from a farm directly across from the school.
She covered her bedroom with flowers that she had won in sports. She was also fond of horses as a teenager.
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Beginning to appear in society
In 1958 she attended Queen’s Gate School in Kensington, London, but left to finish her studies in Switzerland at the age of sixteen.
“I guess in those days we weren’t encouraged to go to college,” she remembers.
“I think the smart girls kept on studying but nobody gave us much inspiration to keep going. So, we turned to exploring the University of Life.”
Camilla studied French at the British Institute in Paris.
Her parents threw a cocktail party for her at Searcy, a posh venue in Knightsbridge, London, attended by 150 people, including many wealthy prospective speakers. One of them was a handsome officer named Andrew Parker Bowles, with whom he had been on and off for seven years.
Andrew has dated other women, some of whom are Camilla’s friends. Camila once wrote a letter of jealousy in lipstick on his windshield, and fiddled with his tires.
Camila practiced many jobs, including interior design, which did not last more than a week, as she was fired from work for arriving late despite the proximity of her place of residence to the workplace.
لقاء Prince Charles
The Prince of Wales Charles was 22 years old when they met. He had just graduated as a pilot in the RAF and was about to join the Royal Navy.
They were introduced to each other by a mutual friend, the Chilean historian Lucia Santa Cruz, in the early 1970s. According to his royal biographer Penny Junor, Santa Cruz teased them jokingly about the relationship between King Edward and his mistress, Alice Cable, Camilla’s grandmother.
And she would tell them, “You two be very careful, there is a genetic precedent.”
As Parker Bowles began dating Princess Anne, Camilla began seeing Charles.
It was believed that Camilla did not meet the conditions required for a future queen because she did not belong to the aristocracy, and because of her long history of affair.
While Charles was thousands of miles away, aboard a frigate in the Caribbean, Camilla told him she was going to marry Andrew. “The feeling of emptiness will eventually vanish,” the prince wrote to her sadly.
first marriage
The wedding took place in 1973 and was the community event that year, with Princess Margaret, Princess Anne and the Queen Mother among the 800 guests.
Prince Charles was invited, but he apologized for attending as he was still serving in the West Indies.
Camilla insisted not living in the army’s condominiums, so Andrew spent a lot of time away from her and dated other women in the process.
It was a nuisance to Camilla, but she was enjoying the stable home life she wanted, a life full of school events, hunting and polo parties. The couple put the interests of the children in the first place without thinking about divorce.
After the birth of her daughter, Camilla reunited with Charles. Camilla provided emotional support for the prince, who was trying to play the role of heir to the throne.
The prince desperately needed a companion close to him who could tell her what was on his mind.
Andrew Parker-Bowles learned of their relationship, but decided not to make a fuss, believing that the relationship was fleeting and would not reach a disturbing stage.
Camila divorce
Andrew and Camilla lived apart for a long time but eventually decided to divorce.
Camilla found herself under the censorship of newspapers without the kind of protection that the royal family enjoyed. She was also witnessing a slow deterioration in her mother’s health due to osteoporosis.
When Prime Minister John Major announced Princess Diana’s split from Prince Charles in Parliament, he added that the prince “has no intention of remarrying”.
It was a statement to appease the Anglican Church and public opinion that blamed Camilla for the deterioration of Charles and Diana’s relationship and seemed to doom her to forever mistress.
In 1997, when Diana died in a car accident in Paris, there was an angry public backlash against the royal family, especially against her ex-husband Charles. Camila did her best to stay out of the media and limelight during that stormy phase.
The Queen was against Camilla and Charles’ relationship out of fear that they would cause further damage to the royal family, but for Charles his relationship with Camilla was “non-negotiable”.
Two years later, the mood subsided, and a picture of Charles and Camilla together appeared for the first time.
Camilla met the Queen in a private party in the year 2000 and most importantly developed a strong relationship with Charles’ children, William and Harry.
Their engagement was officially announced in February 2005.
Duchess of Cornwallato
The couple could not have their civil marriage contract in the chapel of Windsor Castle, so it was decided to hold a wedding ceremony in the Guildhall Building in Windsor.
Camilla was very nervous during the party for fear that a fan of Princess Diana would throw an egg at her.
The Queen, as head of the Anglican Church, did not attend the wedding. But she did host a reception and gave a short, touching speech at it. Camilla has since become Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall.
Camilla has made royal tours to many countries such as America, Australia, New Zealand and Jordan, as well as sponsoring many charitable causes, such as raising funds for victims of domestic violence, those with osteoporosis, or illiterates who cannot read and write.
On the other hand, Camilla has maintained a good relationship with her ex-husband, Andrew B and has kept her home in Wiltshire where she can spend time alone with her children and grandchildren.
In February 2022 Queen Elizabeth expressed her “sincere desire” for Camilla to be known as the Queen Consort when Charles inherits the throne.