Before then-Prince Charles met Diana, he met Camilla, back in 1972. They met at a polo match. Charles was going to serve in the Royal Navy, and for that reason they didn’t start to a relationship.
When Charles returned, Camilla was engaged to Andrew Parker Bowles. They married in 1973, but Charles and Camilla remained close. In 1980, Charles started dating Diana Spencer.
In the book Diana: In Her Own Words, Diana talked about how she met with Camilla as, “I met [Camilla] very early on. I was introduced to the circle, but I was a threat, I was a very young girl, but I was a threat.”
Charles and Camilla started to their affair in 1986, according to Charles’ authorized biography. Charles was married to Diana, and she confronted Camilla once she learned the affair.
In 1992, Diana and Charles got separated and in 1996, their divorce was finalized.
What revealed the affair in public was the leaked phone talks of Camilla and Charles, where they were talking were explicitly sexual.
Camilla was criticised a lot, and she was even afraid to go to street. She didn’t leave her home for quite a while.
When Angela Levin, royal expert, talked about the time when Camilla hid in her house.
“It was very difficult for her, as she was portrayed as the most wicked woman in the world. She was constantly called nasty names like ‘rottweiler,’ and it must have come as a huge shock that people were so vile about her,” royal expert said.
“I don’t think Charles realised how awful it was for her. He was often away on engagements and working hard for the country and Commonwealth, and at the time, Camilla didn’t have protection officers because she wasn’t part of the Royal Family. But when Charles finally realized, he did get protection for her, which he paid for himself.”
PR expert Luana Ribeira shared that Queen Camilla had a “PR miracle,” when she talked about her transformation in the public view.
“I’m not sure Queen Camilla will ever fully win over the hearts of the people,” PR expert shared. “The mere fact there even is a Queen Camilla is a PR miracle of sorts when you consider the vehement feelings the British public had about her during the 1990s.”
“Queen Camilla is the kind of straight-talking, no-nonsense person who is never going to make people dewy-eyed at the sound of her name. I don’t think she will ever be truly loved by the British public but I think she has earned their grudging respect.”
“Queen Camilla has proved herself to be a loyal and devoted partner, even during the years she was demonised as Britain’s most hated woman.”
“She has shown us that she isn’t going anywhere and she will continue to show up and carry out her duties, regardless of what people may think about her. This ‘keep calm and carry on’ spirit is a crucial part of her redemption arc.”
But Camilla always had a loyal companion: Annabel Elliot, her sister.
The sisters grew up together as they were incredibly close to one another. They were practically inseparable.
For years, Annabel stayed out of the spotlight, despite her sister become the Queen. She later talked when BBC1 documentary, Charles III: The Coronation Year, was released.
“She is his rock, and I can’t actually emphasize that enough. She is somebody who is completely loyal, and she isn’t somebody who has huge highs and lows,” Annabel said of her sister.
“He brings to her everything. I’m not talking about all of this, but you know he has such a knowledge and interest in so many different things which she wouldn’t really have been open to if she hadn’t met him. They are their yin and yang really, they really are polar opposites, but it works brilliantly.”
Bishop of Hereford Richard Jackson shared, “I think what struck me particularly is how extraordinarily affectionate they are. They’re clearly a very close family of all the generations, and in a sense, you felt you were part of a family occasion as well as a royal occasion and a national occasion.”
“When I thought back to being two years old and watching the Queen’s Coronation on a tiny black and white television and there goes this golden coach with my sister in it. I can’t explain the feeling because it’s so surreal. This cannot be happening. It was quite a moment,” Annabel said.
“Going into the Abbey, I think I had that nervousness all the time, she’s quite a bit smaller than I am. I’m feeling: ‘Is she going to be all right?”
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