with her husband Ascension to the throne As a continuation of that Death of Queen Elizabeth II On Thursday, Camilla became Queen Consort and will take on a new and more important role alongside King Charles III.
Just finished 25 years after the death of Charles’ first wife, DianaCamilla, Princess of Wales, remains a divisive figure in Britain.
Here’s what you need to know:
Born Camilla Shand in July 1947, she reportedly met Prince Charles at a polo match in Windsor in 1970 and they became friends.
The following year Charles joined the Royal Navy and while he was away, Camilla married cavalry officer Andrew Parker Bowles. The couple had two children in the 1970s.
Charles married Lady Diana Spencer in 1981, but he admitted having an extramarital affair with Camilla in 1994.
Camilla divorced Andrew Parker Bowles in 1995. Charles and Diana divorced the following year, and Camilla all but disappeared from public life as public and media support rallied behind the princess. Pro-Diana, anti-Camilla sentiment was fueled by an outpouring of sympathy for Diana after she was killed in a high-speed car crash in Paris in 1997.
In 1999, Clarence House began plans to reintroduce Camilla to the public with a carefully planned first appearance with Charles outside the Ritz Hotel in London. He moved to Clarence House to be with Charles, and his name began to appear in official documents.
Their story culminated in 2005 when they married in Windsor with the Queen’s approval. Camilla, now known as Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall, was confirmed as Charles’ official wife and future Queen of the United Kingdom.
The Duchess has thrown herself into a senior royal family, supporting Charles on official engagements in England and overseas tours, despite his fear of flying. He became an asset to the royal family and the British government with his common touch and ability to defuse tension in a room.
Camilla automatically became queen the moment her husband became king. However, it was long thought that she would not use the title, with Clarence House issuing a statement in 2005 that she would instead be called “The Princess Consort”. Some in the palace at the time felt that the public was not ready for Camilla to take the title destined for Diana.
But over the years, the attitude towards Camilla has softened. In 2015, a CNN poll found that one in four Britons liked her more, and even fewer opposed her being known as Queen.
Then, in February 2022, the Queen used the major milestone of her Platinum Jubilee to bless the Duchess of Cornwall to be known as Queen when the time comes. This is a very significant intervention from the King, who is the only person who can define royal titles.
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