Camilla Parker Bowles: from the Duchess of Cornwall to the future queen consort

She was the lover of Prince Charles, now she is the queen consort of Charles III. A look at the course of Camilla’s life.

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Elizabeth II had made a symbolic decision. On Sunday 6 February, on the occasion of her 70th anniversary, the queen had expressed the “sincere desire” to see Camilla Parker Bowles become queen consort when her son, Prince Charles, would succeed her on the throne of England . While the Queen of England has just died, Camilla is now Queen Consort, a title that was last worn by Elizabeth, mother of Elizabeth II, often referred to as the Queen Mother. With this official title, Camilla is validated by Elizabeth II, and enters even more in the hearts of the public. Following this announcement, the husband wanted to express his gratitude to his mother through a press release.

The disenchantment of the British

Until then, there was some confusion over the future title of Prince Charles’ second wife. After her marriage to the latter, on April 9, 2005, Camilla had chosen not to be called Princess of Wales out of respect for the late Princess Diana, who tragically died in 1997. For many years she had been hated by the British who saw her responsible. of the divorce between Carlo and Diana. Since then she had worked to restore her image of herself to the people and to win the hearts of those around her husband.

Read also: Lady Di faces Camilla Parker Bowles on her wedding day, or the royal coup de grace

Restore your image

Because, if she seems to have made a clean sweep of the past by giving this title to Camilla, Elizabeth II had a hard time accepting this relationship. In particular, she did not wish to participate in her civil marriage to Prince Charles at Windsor in 2005. The Duchess of Cornwall later found support from her Prince Philip who “taught her everything,” according to royal expert Russell Myers. Thanks to her hard work on her image of her, Camilla has managed to gain visibility and popularity over time. In one poll, broadcast by “20 minutes,” many even acknowledged the positive impact she had on her husband.

The royal couple met in 1970 during a polo match. Coming from the provincial upper middle class, Camilla Parker Bowles frequented the same social circles as the heir to the throne. They quickly become friends and then lovers. But their relationship hasn’t lasted long since Charles joins the Royal Navy. Meanwhile, Camilla marries agent Andrew Parker Bowles. A few years later, the Duchess of Cornwall even encouraged the Prince of Wales to marry Princess Diana. But Charles can’t hold back from his relationship with Camilla, and Diana finds it very difficult to find herself in the middle of a love triangle. The divorce between the Prince and Princess of Wales was then pronounced in 1996. For her part, Camilla had broken up her marriage a year earlier.

Read also: Royal scandal: wiretapping of Prince Charles, or the birth of “Porta Camilla”

From shadow to light

After this separation, Camilla and Charles begin to appear together in public. But Diana’s tragic death forces them to be discreet and sends the Duchess back into her shadow. The couple continued their relationship in private and did not make a public appearance until 2000, in the presence of the queen. Prince Charles worked long to win back the favor of the British. Over the years, the English people seem to have forgiven him for his divorce from Lady Di.

Since then Camilla has become Charles’ right hand man at every official event. After the marriage, she became the royal godmother of the English branch of Emmaüs and of the Barnardo’s association, which helps children in great difficulty. She is constantly committed to the causes that are close to her heart, in particular violence against women and access to reading. She is president of the Society for the fight against osteoporosis, a disease that killed her mother, Rosalind Cubitt, in 1994, but also her grandmother, Sonia, in 1986. She also promotes the literacy of poor populations around the world. world and fights for animal welfare. She now provides almost daily commitments for the crown of England.

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