Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall

Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, is the second wife or Prince Charles. She was born in London on 17 July 1947 and spent her early life in Plumpton, East Sussex. Her father was Major Bruce Shand and mother Rosalind née Cubitt. She has a brother Mark and sister Annabel. She was educated at Dumbrells School in Sussex, Queen’s Gate school in London and finishing schools in Switzerland and France.

Her relationship with Prince Charles started at a polo match in 1970 before either of them was married. She was one of a number of girl friends Charles was seen publicly with at the time and before he was under pressure to marry. In 1973 Camilla married Andrew Parker Bowles an Army officer, and they had two children Tom born in 1974, who is a godson of Prince Charles, and Laura 1978. Her husband was Roman Catholic and both children were raised as Roman Catholics. Tom attended Eton College, and in Laura St Mary’s Convent school in Shaftesbury.

Prince Charles and Camilla rekindled their relationship in the 1980s during his marriage to Diana and, after Charles publicly admitted adultery, Camilla and Andrew were divorced in January 1995. They had been living apart for sometime and Andrew Parker Bowles remarried a year later. Charles and Diana divorced in 1996 and following Diana’s death in 1997 Charles and Camilla were increasingly seen together. Following their divorces and the public mourning of Diana, it took several years before Camilla was considered acceptable as a possible second wife of Prince Charles and future Queen consort.

Their wedding was announced on 10 February 2005, and they were married on 9 April 2005 in a civil ceremony at the Guildhall, Windsor. Neither the Queen nor Prince Philip attended the ceremony. Camilla was given the title Duchess of Cornwall and in Scotland the Duchess of Rothesay. Following their wedding the Duchess began to take on a number of royal duties including accompanying Charles on visits to the United States and the Middle East. Her interests include horse riding and hunting. She became a grandmother in October 2007 when her son Tom Parker Bowles and his wife Sara had a daughter Lola.

Date: 2015-02-03; view: 833