- Queen Camilla is the wife at King Charles' side
- Behind the two lies a turbulent history
- We look back on Camilla's life
Queen Camilla is always at King Charles' side and it's hard to imagine the Royal Family without her. However, for a long time she had a bad reputation. Her relationship with Charles was the result of an affair. Here's what you need to know about Camilla.
King Charles' spouse: the life of Camilla Rosemary Shand
The current monarch was born Camilla Rosemary Shand in London in 1947, the daughter of Bruce Middleton Hope Shand and Rosalind Maud Cubitt. She grew up in East Sussex with her two siblings, Sonia Annabel and Mark Roland.
Camilla attended Dumbrells School in Sussex until the age of ten, and later went to Queen's Gate School in Kensington. She continued her schooling in Switzerland and Paris. In 1965, she finished school without a baccalaureate.
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King Charles' spouse: Camilla was already married
Little is known about Camilla's professional career. For one year she worked for the interior design firm Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler. In contrast, her private life quickly became the focus of public attention. The reason for this was the then Prince Charles.
The two met and fell in love at a polo match in 1970. Since Camilla was neither a virgin nor a member of the British aristocracy, marriage seemed out of the question for the couple at the time, and the drama took its course.
Camilla instead married the officer Andrew Parker Bowles in 1973. The two had two children, Thomas (*1974) and Laura (*1978). Charles is even godfather of the former, but the Royal did not attend the wedding at that time.
In 1981, Charles finally gave his consent to Lady Diana (†36). However, he still had a deep love affair with Camilla. The affair of the two became an open secret a few years later and one of the reasons for the divorce of both marriages.
After Camilla's marriage broke up in 1995, she withdrew more from the public eye and it became quiet around the current Queen.
But two years after Diana's death, she and Charles were spotted together again. In 2003, Camilla officially moved in with him at Clarence House. In 2005, the couple finally exchanged wedding vows.
King Charles' spouse: This is what makes Queen Camilla tick
In the meantime, Camilla has become an integral part of the royal family. Not only at her husband's side, but also on her own, she repeatedly makes appearances, supports charitable causes and takes on important royal tasks.
Camilla is also interested in art and culture, and is even patron of the London Chamber Orchestra. Horses and dogs are also among her great passions. She probably had that in common with her late mother-in-law Queen Elizabeth (†96).
