Charles And Camilla’s Long And Controversial Romance In Photos
King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla weathered a lot of storms before they were able to settle into life as Britain’s head power couple. Let’s take a look at their relationship from the very beginning — before the days of headline-grabbing scandal, even — and see how they’ve evolved over the years. One thing is clear: nothing was ever going to split them apart.
First meeting
Prince Charles and Camilla Shand first met in 1970 at a Windsor polo match, and Camilla knew full well at the time what her family connection with the Windsors was. Allegedly she joked to Charles at that fateful first encounter, “My great-grandmother was the mistress of your great-great-grandfather. I feel we have something in common.” What a fabulous pickup line.
Something in common
Just that one meeting proved that, yep, Charles and Camilla did have an awful lot in common. They began dating, but the royal family wasn’t too impressed with Camilla. She was too “experienced” for Charles, having had other boyfriends, and she simply wasn’t rich enough. So, her fling with Charles ended and she married Andrew Parker-Bowles. Charles, of course, married Diana Spencer.
Bad times
Everyone knows what happened next. Charles cheated on Diana with Camilla, and the fallout was terrible. Charles and Diana got a controversial divorce, and then Diana died in a tragic car accident. Charles was then faced with an impossible task: get the British public to accept Camilla, the woman he should have married in the first place, as his wife.
Slow moving
Over the next few years, Charles began carefully integrating Camilla into his royal life. She met Charles’ sons William and Harry, the newspapers reported, and before too long the couple were appearing in public together. There was little doubt that Charles wanted to make her his wife, but would such a move by the heir to the throne even be allowed by the Queen?
