Camilla’s engagement story is straight out of a soap opera.
Back when Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, wasn’t a duchess and went by her maiden name of Camilla Shand, she met Andrew Parker Bowles. Years later, the two would get married. Keep reading to learn the crazy way they got engaged, which sounds almost too outlandish to be true.
How Camilla met Andrew Parker Bowles
Camilla and Andrew met in 1965 at her debutante party. Author Penny Junor wrote about the couple’s first meeting in her book, The Duchess: Camilla Parker Bowles and the Love Affair That Rocked the Crown.
“He was 25 and a rather beautiful officer in the Household Cavalry; she was 17 but remarkably self-assured,” Junor wrote. “Andrew went over to her and simply said, ‘Let’s dance.’ They danced and she fell in love.”
Camilla and Andrew dated, then she met Prince Charles
Camilla and Andrew began dating but broke up and that’s when she met Prince Charles in 1970 at a polo match where they were introduced by a mutual friend, Lucia Santa Cruz.
“He [Prince Charles] loved the fact that she smiled with her eyes as well as her mouth, and laughed at the same silly things as he did,” Junor wrote in her book, according to People. “In short, he was very taken with her, and after that first meeting he began ringing her up.”
Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles are seen together in late 1979 | Tim Graham/Getty Images
She and Prince Charles started dating but split up when he left on the HMS Frigate with the Royal Navy at the beginning of 1973. Although they both liked each other, the couple didn’t have a conversation about remaining together while Prince Charles was with the Royal Navy.
When Prince Charles went away, Camilla and Andrew reconnected and rekindled their romance from years earlier.
How Camilla and Andrew got engaged
Camilla’s father and Andrew’s brother conspired together to get the couple to the altar. They published an engagement announcement in a local newspaper for Camilla and Andrew even though they weren’t engaged, according to Good Housekeeping.
Camilla Shand marries Major Andrew Parker-Bowles at the Guards Chapel, Wellington Barracks, 4th July 1973. | Wood/Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Andrew, a known bachelor, proposed to Camilla after the two men forced his hand. Camilla and Andrew were married on July 4, 1973.
Marriage devastated Prince Charles
Camilla’s marriage to Andrew reportedly devastated Prince Charles. “It seemed to him particularly cruel, he wrote in one letter, that after ‘such a blissful, peaceful and mutually happy relationship’, fate had decreed that it should last a mere six months,” Junor said.
Camilla and Andrew’s children
Camilla had two children with her first spouse just like Prince Charles did during his first marriage.
Camilla and Andrew welcomed their son, Tom, on Dec. 18, 1974. Today, Tom is a food critic and has two kids. He’s also written cookbooks.
Camilla Parker Bowles with son, Tom, and daughter, Laura, at an unspecified event | Tim Graham/Getty Images
“I loved eating and could just about string a sentence together, so I thought I could write about food,” Tom said about becoming a food critic.
Four years after Camilla and Andrew welcomed Tom, they had their second child, a daughter named Laura, on Jan. 1, 1978. Laura grew up to co-found an art gallery in Belgravia. In 2006 she married Harry Lopes, a former Calvin Klein model.
Divorce
Andrew and Camilla got divorced in 1995 after more than 20 years of marriage. During their marriage, Andrew reportedly knew of Camilla’s affair with Prince Charles.
“Andrew was in no position to complain; and when he discovered what was going on, he wisely didn’t make a fuss,” Junor wrote in her book.
“Some would say that a part of him actually quite enjoyed the fact that his wife was sleeping with the future King; he might have felt differently had Charles been a traveling salesman.”
News
Prince William needs ‘handling with kid gloves’ during his clashes with King Charles: Royal insider
Tensions arise between King Charles and Prince William despite Kate Middleton’s attempts to help. When the Prince of Wales gets angry, he often raises his voice. Prince William needs ‘handling with kid gloves’ during his clashes with King Charles: Royal…
The risky hobby of Prince William that the royal family does not like
King Charles III is very displeased with the attitude of the Prince of Wales Prince William reappears after the controversy surrounding the latest images of Kate Middleton Prince William is going through a tough time. A few months ago, it…
Kate Middleton nearly refused Princess of Wales title to avoid Princess Diana comparisons: report
9 Kate Middleton reportedly once considered “refusing” the title of Princess of Wales.SplashNews.com Kate Middleton once debated refusing the Princess of Wales title to avoid “stressful” comparisons to her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana. In Robert Jobson’s new book, “Catherine, The Princess…
Prince William cuts Queen Camilla’s sister from royal payroll after two decades
Prince William has cut Queen Camilla’s sister from the royal payroll after two decades of service, according to The Telegraph. Annabel Elliot, 75, has been paid hundreds of thousands of dollars over the past 20 years for her services as an…
Prince William ‘clashed’ with King Charles, late Queen Elizabeth over flying family in helicopter: report
Prince William’s annual salary revealed after receiving title changePrince William’s annual salary revealed after receiving title change Prince William reportedly “clashed” with King Charles III and Queen Elizabeth II over flying his family around the UK in a helicopter. The…
Princes William and Harry’s uncle Lord Robert Fellowes dead at 82
7 Lord Robert Fellowes, pictured above in 2013, died Monday.Getty Images Prince William and Prince Harry’s uncle Lord Robert Fellowes died Monday. He was 82. The cause of death is “undisclosed,” according to his obituary published in the London Times Wednesday. Fellowes became…
End of content
No more pages to load