Camilla, Queen Consort

In April 2005, Prince Charles married his long-time companion, Camilla Parker Bowles, in a low-key civil ceremony at Windsor Guildhall. The event did not attract the fanfare and pomp that typically accompanies royal weddings, and not everyone was pleased with the match: Camilla had been vilified by the media as a “home-wrecker” for her role in Charles’s divorce from Princess Diana, and some Britons resented her for tarnishing the image of the monarchy.

Yet over the past 16 years, Camilla has quietly and gracefully carved out a place for herself within the royal family and won over many skeptics. As Duchess of Cornwall, and later as Queen Consort following Charles’s accession, she has pursued a wide range of charitable and cultural interests, taken on numerous public roles, and earned a reputation as a warm and good-humored hostess. Although she will never be as iconic or beloved as her mother-in-law, Queen Elizabeth, or her late predecessor as senior royal, Diana, Princess of Wales, Camilla has become a respected and admired figure in her own right, embodying a kind of mature, grounded dignity that has served her well in the often-turbulent world of modern royalty.

Camilla was born Camilla Shand in 1947, the daughter of a British army officer and his socialite wife. She grew up in a privileged, fairly bohemian milieu, attending boarding school at the age of 10 and spending time in Europe and India as a young woman. In the early 1970s, she met Charles at a polo match and the two began a casual romance. However, Charles soon shipped off to the navy, and Camilla moved on, marrying Andrew Parker Bowles, a longtime friend of Charles’s, in 1973.

The affair between Charles and Camilla continued, however, and as Charles’s marriage to Diana began to unravel in the late 1980s, their relationship became more serious. Camilla played a controversial and poorly understood role in the drama that ultimately led to Charles’s divorce and Diana’s tragic death in 1997. It is fair to say that for many years, Camilla was widely reviled and despised by the public, and viewed as a kind of third rail for the royal family.

Nonetheless, Camilla and Charles continued to see each other, and when they finally married in 2005, there was some grudging acceptance of the union, though it was clear that Camilla would have to work hard to convince the British people that she was a worthy consort. And work she has: since her marriage to Charles, Camilla has thrown herself into numerous charitable causes and patronages, focusing on issues such as literacy, animal welfare, domestic violence, and osteoporosis. She has become an accomplished public speaker and campaigner, and has been praised for her empathy and warmth in interacting with those she meets.

Camilla has also taken on a range of official duties alongside Charles, representing the monarchy at home and abroad. In 2019, she undertook her first solo overseas visit, to Ghana, where she met with local leaders and visited a hospital and a school. She has hosted numerous dinners, receptions, and other events at Clarence House, her and Charles’s London home, which has become something of a cultural hub for the city. She is known for her love of books, music, and art, and has made a point of showcasing British talent in these fields as part of her public role.

Of course, not everyone has been won over by Camilla’s efforts, and there are still some who view her with distrust or contempt. But overall, she has been able to build a positive reputation for herself through dint of hard work, good humor, and a genuine interest in the people and issues she encounters. As she nears her seventies, Camilla can look back on a remarkable evolution from the “other woman” to a widely respected and admired royal. In the years to come, she will likely continue to play an important role in the monarchy, supporting her husband and engaging with the world in her unique and unconventional way.