“Rottweiler”, “horse”, “royal sleeping pill” – Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, who turns 75 on Sunday, has had to endure many abuses. The wife of the British heir to the throne, Prince Charles (73), was long considered persona non grata by the British public. Many felt that she had pushed her way into the relationship between Charles and Princess Diana, who was revered as the Queen of Hearts.
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First hated, now liked
But time heals all wounds. Camilla is now a respected member of the royal family. 40 percent of Britons say they like them. She is now also receiving recognition from Queen Elizabeth II (96) – who recently announced her wish that after her death Camilla should bear the title “Queen Consort”.
This role of the Duchess was not foreseeable. She was born Camilla Rosemary Shand in London in 1947 to a wealthy businessman. Camilla went to a girls’ boarding school in Switzerland and studied French literature in Paris. But one of Camilla’s ancestors, Alice Keppel, had already gained respect and influence at court as the mistress of the former British King Edward VII. Legend has it that Camilla approached the shy Charles on the sidelines of a polo tournament in the early 1970s and said, “You know, sir, my great-grandmother was your great-great-grandfather’s mistress. How about it?”
It is doubtful whether the same thing happened, the Telegraph reported, citing the couple’s biographer Gyles Brandreth. But the attraction between the two was “immediate, mutual and passionate,” the newspaper quoted Brandreth as saying. In a wiretapped conversation between the two, Charles is said to have later expressed the wish to transform himself into one of their tampons.
Despite the relationship with Charles, Camilla initially married officer Andrew Parker Bowles in 1973. The marriage produced two children, Tom (47) and Laura (44). Camilla has long been a grandmother and has a close relationship with her grandchildren. But Camilla and Charles’ relationship picked up speed again a few years after their marriage. The two also met after the Prince of Wales married Diana Spencer, then just 20, in 1981. The British public was horrified when it was revealed that Charles was cheating on the beautiful and extremely popular Diana with Camilla, who was considered tomboyish.
It was only after Diana died in an accident in 1997 that nothing seemed to stand in the way of a public relationship between Charles and Camilla. But they didn’t rush into anything. When the two married in a modest ceremony in Windsor in 2005, Brits had already made up with them. They are now increasingly representing the Queen in public affairs and Camilla’s activities include helping women victims of domestic violence and running an online book club.
The fact that she was photographed for “Vogue” should have done Camilla, who was often ridiculed for her style of clothing, good. It is never extravagant, always exudes a certain simplicity. She wants to celebrate her birthday with a small group. That suits her too.
floral dress and doggie
In a photo released by the palace, the wife of heir to the throne Prince Charles presented herself in a dress with a blue and black floral pattern. In front of her are a teacup and a bowl of peaches. Like Prince Charles, Camilla is an avid gardener and grows her own peaches at her country home in Wiltshire, where the picture is said to have been taken.
The official Royal Family Twitter account also published a photo of the Duchess of Cornwall in the same dress sitting on a kind of camping barrel with a puppy on her lap. The caption read “Wishing the Duchess of Cornwall a wonderful 75th birthday!” Congratulations also came from Prince William and Duchess Kate. On her Twitter account, Camilla was seen surrounded by forest flowers.
Source: Nachrichten
