From ‘other woman’ to Queen Consort: Camilla’s royal rise

She was loathed after King Charles’ split from Princess Diana. Now Camilla has been embraced by the British public and will join her husband at the head of the royal family.

Camilla, wife of King Charles, will complete her metamorphosis from the “other woman’’ to Queen consort with her husband’s ascension to the throne.

Once reviled by the British public for her role in the breakdown of the marriage between then-Prince Charles and his first wife Princess Diana, Camilla has since won hearts with her good-humoured and no-nonsense work for charity, and for her devoted support of her husband.

Queen Elizabeth, who once referred to her in private as “that wicked woman’’ and banned her from royal residences, had in the past decade warmed to the only woman who really made her eldest son happy, and welcomed her into the family.

King Charles and Camilla greeted crowds outside of Buckingham Palace the day after the Queen’s death. Picture: Getty Images

As well as including her in the royal party at her Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 2012 and Platinum Jubilee celebrations this year, Queen Elizabeth also bestowed several honours upon Camilla, including the Royal Family Order and the Grand Cross of the Victorian Order.

In February, the Queen issued a statement saying it was her “most sincere wish” that “when the time comes, Camilla will be known as Queen Consort as she continues her own loyal service”.

Prior to this, it had been suggested Camilla’s title would be “Princess Consort”.

Queen Elizabeth’s husband Prince Philip’s royal title was inherited from the Greek royal family of his birth.

Months before her death, the Queen announced that Camilla would eventually be Queen Consort. Picture: Getty Images

Royal historian Hugo Vickers said Camilla legally held the title of Princess of Wales, “but she calls herself Duchess of Cornwall, which is another title she possesses”.

This is a “very sensible decision,’’ he told News Corp.

Mr Vickers said he suspected Charles and his advisers would have likely preferred for Camilla to be called Queen because then due respect would be shown to her, but this would prove highly controversial.

“If he sort of inflicts it upon us there will be quite a lot of people who will be quite cross, to be honest,’’ he said.

“The Duke of Windsor went through years of anguish, whining and whingeing about the fact the Duchess (Wallis Simpson) was not Her Royal Highness.

“To be absolutely honest, the only person who minded about that was himself. She didn’t mind and nobody else cared at all.

“It seems a pity to provoke a similar sort of situation.’’

Mr Vickers suggested if the palace had gone the other way, and decreed Camilla would be known by the lesser title of Princess Consort, it might have eventually swung popular opinion in favour of her being called Queen.

The Queen and Camilla were said to have much in common. Picture: Getty Images

Now 75, Camilla, was born on July 17, 1947, to wealthy wine merchant Major Bruce Shand, the Vice Lord Lieutenant of East Sussex, and his wife Rosalind. The eldest of three children, she went to prestigious Queen’s Gate boarding school and finishing schools in France and Switzerland, and socialised with royalty from a young age.

Her first interactions with Charles are hard to confirm, but the pair are thought to have met briefly in 1970 and again in 1972, when they hit it off.

King Charles and Camilla on their wedding day in 2005. Picture: Getty Images

They went on to form a decades-long relationship, although their early romance cooled when Prince Charles was posted overseas with the navy in 1973.

That year, Camilla Shand married British Army officer Andrew Parker Bowles, and went on to have two children with him.

But she maintained a close friendship with Prince Charles throughout her marriage, and even helped him to decide Lady Diana Spencer would be a suitable wife.

Princess Diana and Camilla, pictured in the 1980s. Picture: Supplied

The pair married in 1981, with the beautiful, shy Princess Diana becoming a darling of the British public with her stunning blonde looks and energetic charity work.

The marriage produced two sons, princes William and Harry, but behind the scenes, the relationship was breaking down and Charles was increasingly turning to Camilla for support and advice.

Years later Charles said he had resumed his relationship with Camilla after his marriage to Diana had “irretrievably broken down’’ in 1986.

King Charles has spoken out about the support he has received from his “darling Camilla”. Picture: Getty Images

But before that, Charles’ and Camilla’s reputations took a huge blow. In 1992 a taped telephone conversation between the pair aired, with Charles infamously expressing a desire to be reincarnated as Camilla’s tampon.

In 1995, Diana gave a TV interview in which she was asked whether Mrs Parker Bowles “was a factor in the breakdown of your marriage”. The Princess famously replied: “Well, there were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded.’’

Andrew and Camilla Parker Bowles divorced in 1995, while Charles and Diana’s divorce became final in 1996.

Camilla and Captain Andrew Parker Bowles divorced in 1995 after 22 years of marriage. Picture: Supplied

Efforts to rehabilitate Charles and Camilla’s reputations and introduce them to the British public as a couple continued slowly through the mid-90s, but the death of Princess Diana in a high-speed car accident in Paris in 1997 saw the “hearts and minds” campaign suspended.

So reviled was Camilla, she was pelted with food in a supermarket, and Queen Elizabeth became deeply concerned that Charles continued to see her, albeit discreetly.

Former Buckingham Palace press secretary Dickie Arbiter later revealed: “After Diana’s death, the Queen knew how high feelings were running about Camilla. They knew they had to get rid of the ‘mistress’ tag. But it was all about the timing.’’

After their marriage, the Queen said Charles “was with the woman he loves”. Picture: Getty Images

By 1999, she had met princes William and Harry, and later joined the princes in hosting a party for 200 guests to celebrate Prince Charles’ 50th birthday at his residence Highgrove.

The pair were married in 2005, and while the Queen did not attend the civil ceremony, she attended a later blessing and hosted a reception for them, giving a warm speech where she said she was proud of the couple.

“My son is home and dry with the woman he loves. Welcome to the winner’s enclosure,’’ she said.

While she deeply disapproved of the affair, Queen Elizabeth liked Camilla, and it was often remarked upon how much they had in common – a love of the countryside, of horses, and a no-nonsense approach to public duties.

Originally published as From ‘other woman’ to Queen Consort: Camilla’s royal rise