King Charles and Queen Camilla have faced some of the most challenging moments together. Their tumultuous journey began with their well-known affair, which occurred while both were still married—Charles to Princess Diana and Camilla to Andrew Parker Bowles. Although the public, as well as some members of the Royal Family, initially struggled to accept Camilla, she eventually overcame the odds and became a respected and cherished part of the monarchy.
Unlike Charles, Camilla wasn’t born into royalty. She grew up in Sussex, where she shared a close bond with her sister, Annabel. The two were inseparable, even attending the same school together. Today, Annabel has adjusted to attending high-profile royal occasions, such as the coronation of her brother-in-law, King Charles.
For much of her life, Annabel has stayed out of the spotlight, avoiding public attention. However, she recently chose to open up, offering new insights into King Charles and Queen Camilla’s marriage.
When news of the affair between Charles and Camilla became public, few believed it would end well. At the time, Princess Diana was deeply loved by the British public. After learning of Charles’ betrayal—and despite revelations that Diana had also been unfaithful—the public’s anger turned toward Camilla.
King Charles & Queen Camilla
Charles and Camilla’s connection began long before the king ever met Diana. Their relationship dates back to 1972, when they first crossed paths at a polo match.
According to Gyles Brandreth’s book, Charles and Camilla, Portrait of a Love Affair, the two were introduced by their mutual friend Lucia Santa Cruz, the daughter of the Chilean ambassador.
The pair briefly dated but went their separate ways when Charles departed to serve in the Royal Navy. By the time he returned, Camilla was already engaged to Andrew Parker Bowles.
Camilla and Bowles tied the knot in 1973, though she and Charles remained close friends. In 1980, Charles began a relationship with 19-year-old Diana Spencer.
When Diana first met Camilla and her husband, Camilla reportedly found Diana to be “sweet and cute” and approved of her. Initially, Diana and Camilla seemed to get along, but their relationship quickly became strained.
“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,” Diana shared in the book Diana: In Her Own Words.
Prince Charles’ authorized biography, as cited by Town & Country, revealed that Charles and Camilla’s affair began in 1986 while Charles was still married to Diana. Upon discovering the affair, Diana confronted Camilla directly.
From the outside, everything appeared normal for Charles and Diana, with no sign of trouble. However, it didn’t take long for the illusion of their fairytale life to shatter.
Infamous Tampongate scandal
The notorious Tampongate scandal left a significant mark on the Royal Family’s history. In 1992, Charles and Diana announced their separation but continued fulfilling their royal duties. By August 1996, their divorce was finalized.
However, long before the divorce, rumors about Charles’s relationship with Camilla had already circulated widely. An event in December 1989 provided undeniable evidence that their affair had been ongoing for years.
Shortly after Charles and Diana made their separation public, the media published the full transcript of a private phone conversation between Charles and Camilla. The recording revealed an intimate and highly personal exchange between the two. As described in The Diana Chronicles, the individual who had recorded the call held onto it for years before releasing it.
The revelations were shocking, especially since they involved the future king. Hearing him say things like “live inside her trousers” was both unexpected and seen as deeply inappropriate. According to Sally Bedell Smith’s biography, Elizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch, a public opinion poll conducted after the transcript’s release painted a grim picture. Sixty-eight percent of respondents believed that Charles had irreparably damaged his reputation, while 42 percent even suggested that Prince William should succeed Queen Elizabeth instead of Charles.
Camilla also faced heavy backlash, both from the public and members of the Royal Family. Unsurprisingly, her popularity among the British people plummeted, and she was far from being welcomed by Queen Elizabeth. In 2018, journalist and author Tom Bower revealed that the queen initially avoided any interaction with Camilla, prompting Charles to confront his mother directly.
Queen Camilla was afraid of leaving her house
As stated, the public didn’t want anything to do with Camilla, and according to royal expert Angela Levin, author of the 2022 book Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall: A Royal Survivor, Camilla had to endure “torrents” of mistreatment.
Speaking with OK!, Levin claimed the now-queen was pretty much forced to spend most of her time at her home to avoid backlash. Moreover, the expert claims Camilla was afraid to leave the house to shop or visit stores. Instead, she had to send her friends to do her errands.
“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,” Levin said.
It has been reported Charles himself paid for Camilla’s security, hiring two full-time protection officers. When they married in 2005, she qualified for publicly funded security, meaning Charles no longer had to pay them out of his pocket.
Levin 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.”
Fortunately for Camilla, she became increasingly popular as the years went by. Even so, Angela Levin suspects she “must still bear the scars of it all.”
“She still gets nervous about things,” Levin added. “She can never be sure how people are going to react towards her,” the royal expert and author added. “There’s a small but very harsh group of people who still think she’s the wrong woman for him.”
“I don’t think she will ever be truly loved”
Today, the public view of Camilla is completely changed. According to public relations expert Luana Ribeira, the queen has performed a “PR miracle”, though that doesn’t necessarily mean that she has won the hearts of the public.
“I’m not sure Queen Camilla will ever fully win over the hearts of the people,” Ribeira told GB News. “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.”
She added: “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.”
Moreover, Ribeira advised Queen Camilla on how to win over the public, which is to continue “exactly as she is.”
“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.”
While Queen Camilla’s way to the royal summit has been filled with adversity, she’s benefitted from the great support of her husband and most of the Royal Family. Then, of course, there’s the one person who always has stood by her no matter what has happened: Annabel Elliot.
Camilla and Annabel grew up together in Sussex. As the Express reported, they were described as “perfect” and inseparable. They attended the same schools throughout their childhood and the same Pony Club events as they grew up. As they got older they also became party buddies.
Annabel reveals new details on Queen Camilla and King Charles’ marriage
By all accounts, Camilla and Annabel followed each other wherever they both went. Later in life, they married their respective husbands in the same year and even had children simultaneously. Needless to say, they went on lovely family holidays together and created unforgettable memories with their family.
Annabel has kept herself out of the spotlight throughout the years, though her family has been in the public eye. Recently, she decided to speak out as the new BBC1 documentary, Charles III: The Coronation Year, was released. It turns out that Camilla and Annabel’s close sibling bond is finally getting some attention, with Annabel describing Camilla as King Charles’ “rock” during many tough and challenging years.
“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, who works as an interior designer, said in the documentary.
The queen’s sister added: “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.”
Richard Jackson, Bishop of Hereford, one of the two Bishops Assistants to Queen Camilla for the coronation, added: “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.”
“It was quite a moment”
For more than 30 years, Anabel has run her show, Annabel Elliot Interior Design and Antiques, in Dorset. In 2014, she was named the fifth most influential female interior designer in the UK.
Annabel has also worked closely with King Charles. She was first employed to work on Charles’s house Llwywormwood, in Wales, which he bought in 2006.
According to The Telegraph, Annabel Elliot was given more than $380,000 for her work between 2005 and 2008. Some politicians thought it was a matter of cronyism, but that’s not how Charles viewed it.
“There was no tender. The Prince knows her and likes her work. Annabel Elliot is an established interior designer,” a Clarence House spokesperson said at the time.
Queen Camilla and the Royal Family members travel the country week in and week out, meeting members of the public and learning more about what is happening in the country. However, despite Camilla having many aides and advisers, Annabel is constantly at her sister’s side, advising her on all matters.
When King Charles was crowned at Westminster Abbey, Annabel was, of course, present, supporting her sister, who was to become Queen.
The documentary Charles III: The Coronation Year gave viewers a behind-the-scenes look. Annabel watched Camilla heading to Westminster Abbey to be crowned, and grew visibly emotional.
Along with Fiona, the Marchioness of Lansdowne, Camilla’s close friend, Annabel had the formal role of Lady in Attendance to the Queen during the coronation.
“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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