17 jul 2022 om 06:58
The woman who stole Prince Charles from Diana: For years, that’s what people thought of the name Camilla Parker Bowles. She was therefore anything but popular for a long time, but now the wife of the heir apparent, who is celebrating her 75th birthday today, has stolen the hearts of the British people.
By: Danja Koeleman“My great-grandmother was your great-great-grandfather’s mistress. I think we have something in common.” It has never been confirmed, but according to insiders, this is the first sentence that Camilla Parker Bowles (then 23 years old) says to the then 22-year-old Prince Charles.
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The two allegedly met during a polo match. They see each other more and more and get into a relationship. And who The Crown know that the two were quite in love with each other (although, of course, not everything from the Netflix series is truthful).
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Everyone expects Charles to get down on one knee before Camilla. That’s not happening. The prince goes to work for the royal navy, is away from home for a long time and that is how his relationship with Camilla ends. The two continue their own lives: Camilla marries Andrew Parker Bowles in 1973 and Charles meets Diana in 1977, whom he marries four years later.
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Diana speaks out about affair
Still, Charles and Camilla keep in touch. It’s only friendly, claims the queen’s son. Rumor has it that it goes beyond that, which is confirmed by Diana herself in 1992. In her biography, written by Andrew Morton, the princess says that the affair has been going on for years. In an interview with the BBC she says: “There were three people in this marriage, so it was a bit too busy.”
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Camilla and Charles both break up from their marriage in the early 1990s. When the much-loved Diana suddenly dies in a car accident in 1997, the country is in deep mourning. Nevertheless, Charles and Camilla soon appeared together in public on a regular basis.
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In 1998, the prince confirmed his newfound relationship with Camilla in the British media, much to the dismay of the British people, who see Camilla as the bad guy, because she is said to have destroyed the marriage of their idol Diana. She is called ugly, gets piles of threatening letters and the photographers don’t leave her alone.
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Queen Elizabeth would also not be happy with Camilla’s arrival. Parties attended by Camilla are skipped by the British monarch. It is all the more remarkable when the two visit the same event in 2000: an implicit sign that the Queen accepts her son’s relationship.
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—Trivial facts and outpourings
In 2003 Charles and Camilla moved in together and in 2005 the couple married. Her image is not good then: a study shows that a third of the participants do not like the marriage. The couple is keeping the wedding modest, perhaps also fearing the public’s reaction.
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Elizabeth is not present, but does make her appearance at the reception. And Camilla gets a royal title: Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall. Charles’s new wife is doing more and more for the royal family, a sign that the queen takes her seriously and that she now occupies an important place in the royal family.
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Camilla is a patron of many charities and is committed to foundations against domestic violence, which arouses great sympathy among the people. And where she first rarely spoke to the press, she now gives interviews more often, so that people get to know her better. She shares trivial facts – for example, she loves the show Strictly Come Dancing – but also touches on serious topics.
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She does this, for example, in an interview with the Daily Mail, in which she talks about the time when she was frequently harassed by the (gossip) press. “It was a terribly unpleasant time and I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy,” Camilla said in 2017. “I wouldn’t have gotten through it without my family.”
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—‘She doesn’t pretend to be better than she is’
Gradually, Camilla grows into a beloved member of the British royal family. Where there is commotion elsewhere – Prince Andrew being accused of abuse, Prince Harry choosing his wife Meghan over his royal duties – Camilla never causes a fuss.
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“She’s really turned the press’ opinion of her 180 degrees,” said Roya Nikkah, royalty expert at The Sunday Times. “Just by being a normal person. She’s sober, doesn’t pretend to be better than she is.” Camilla is described by the press as friendly, warm and funny. When the (now deceased) actress Elaine Stritch tells Camilla she looks amazing, the Duchess is said to have replied: “You obviously need glasses.”
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The relationship between Camilla and her mother-in-law is now better than ever. “She likes Camilla,” Penny Juror, the author of her biography, tells Vanity Fair. “They also have a lot in common, for example they both love dogs and horses.”
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In February, Elizabeth familiar that Camilla will be given the title of king consort when her son Charles becomes king. People can therefore address her as ‘Queen Camilla’, while her title was expected to be princess. According to the BBC means that Elizabeth wants Camilla to fill a full-fledged royal role alongside Charles. Camilla takes her late father-in-law Philip as an example. “His philosophy was clear: ‘Look up and look out, say less, do more – and keep on working’ – which is exactly what I intend to do.”
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