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Camilla, The Duchess of Cornwall
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The Duchess of Cornwall, in Scotland known as The Duchess of Rothesay (Camilla Rosemary; formerly Parker Bowles; née Shand, born 17 July 1947) is the second wife of Charles, Prince of Wales (who is also Duke of Cornwall and Rothesay), the heir apparent to the thrones of the United Kingdom and the other 16 Commonwealth Realms.
Before their marriage she had been his long-time partner. As the consort of the Prince of Wales she is legally HRH The Princess of Wales;[2] although she is officially styled "Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall" ("Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Rothesay" in Scotland)[3]. Although this is unconventional, it avoids a conflict with the princely title which is closely identified by the public with her husband's first wife, Diana, Princess of Wales.
Early life
Christened Camilla Rosemary Shand she spent her early youth as a commoner in the village of Plumpton, East Sussex, England, where the family home stood opposite the Plumpton Racecourse.
She attended Dumb-Elles School in Sussex, as well as Queen's Gate School in Kensington; later she attended Mon Fertile, a finishing school in Switzerland.
In her youth she worked for a year at the London decorators, Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler.
The Duchess of Cornwall's parents were Major Bruce Shand, a British Army officer turned wine merchant, who died of cancer on 11 June 2006, and Hon. Rosalind Cubitt, eldest child of Roland Calvert Cubitt, 3rd Baron Ashcombe. She has one brother, Mark, and a sister, Annabel.
Before her wedding in 1973, Camilla had been one of many girlfriends of Prince Charles. However, she was seen by the Royal Family as an unsuitable bride, so they were not permitted to marry.citation needed
In 1973, the then-Camilla Shand married Andrew Parker Bowles, a Roman Catholic. They had two children together, Tom, born in 1974 and a godson of Prince Charles, and Laura, born in 1978. The children were both raised as Roman Catholics. Tom attended Eton, while Laura attended the Roman Catholic St Mary's Convent School, Shaftesbury. Andrew and Camilla were divorced on 3 March 1995.
Family history
According to genealogist William Addams Reitwiesner, her ancestry is French, English, Dutch, and Scottish.
Relationship with the Prince of Wales
The relationship between Camilla and the Prince of Wales began in 1970, after they met at a polo match before either of them were married.[4] Camilla Shand was married in 1973 to Andrew Parker Bowles, an Army officer, friend of the Prince of Wales.
The friendship and illicit affair between the Prince of Wales and Parker Bowles carried on after the marriage of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer. Charles confirmed the illicit affair in a televised interview with Jonathan Dimbleby.[5]. Camilla is known to have visited her sister in America and Charles made annual weekend-long visits to the regiment in New York City during the 1970s, and it is said that it was during this period that he discreetly resumed his illicit relationship with Camilla.
Annabel Elliot relocated as an artist in the early 2000s, having been at one time the youngest antique dealers in New York City. It was Annabel Elliot's birthday party at the Ritz, Paris, during one of her husband's many London postings, which provided the first public occasion at which Charles and Camilla allowed themselves to be photographed — the success of the opportunity provided the template for many more.
The Prince's highly popular and charismatic first wife, Diana, Princess of Wales, publicly blamed the relationship between her husband and Camilla for the break-up of the Wales' marriage. She commented in the BBC programme Panorama, "Well, there were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded." [6]; privately, the Princess referred to Camilla as "the Rottweiler".citation needed Diana reported that Camilla had known before she did that the Prince of Wales was going to propose to her.citation needed The Prince and Mrs Parker Bowles exchanged presents and used the pet nicknames of "Fred" and "Gladys" to one another. (These were based on their attachment to the British comedy group, the Goons.)
The affair became public knowledge upon the publication of Diana: Her True Story, followed by the Camillagate scandal (when a racy phone conversation between Camilla and Charles was secretly recorded and published wherein Charles stated he wished to be Camilla's tampon)citation needed and Diana's television interview about her failing marriage. These revelations made Camilla highly unpopular. However, an assertion that Camilla was pelted with bread rolls in a supermarket by shoppers, though often repeated in the media,[7] has been denied by her friends, who suggest that it was a tabloid media invention that has ended up becoming an urban myth.[8]
It is often asserted that the couple's affair had been conducted throughout the Prince's engagement, and that they had been intimate on the night before Charles's marriage to Diana, charges that were unsubstantiated.[9] Though the timing of these tangled relationships has been much discussed and dissected, reliable published reports indicate that they renewed their romantic relationship in the early 1980s. After the Prince of Wales's public admission, in a television interview with Jonathan Dimbleby, that he had committed adultery, the Parker Bowleses announced their own divorce in 1995. They had been living apart for some time, and Andrew Parker Bowles remarried a year later.
Though she maintains a residence in Wiltshire, the Duchess of Cornwall primarily lives at Highgrove House and at Clarence House, the former residence of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, which is now the Prince of Wales's official London residence. He spent his early childhood in the house, which was the first residence of his newlywed parents, the present Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and the Duke of Edinburgh. British newspapers reported in early 2005, in articles about the finances of the Prince of Wales, that, even though they were not married at the time, the prince paid for her jewels and designer wardrobe (among the designers are Giorgio Armani and Oscar de la Renta) and the decoration of her two-room Clarence House quarters by designer Robert Kime.
Since the civil marriage of Charles and Camilla, it has been revealed that they are ninth cousins once removed.[10]
Marriage to the Prince of Wales
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On 10 February 2005, it was announced that Camilla and the Prince of Wales would marry on 8 April 2005 at Windsor Castle with a civil service followed by a Church of England service.
On 4 April, it was announced that the civil wedding would be postponed 24 hours until 9 April, so that the Prince of Wales could attend the funeral of Pope John Paul II as the representative of the Queen.[11]
The civil marriage ceremony took place at the Guildhall, Windsor, instead of the castle, as a wedding licence for Windsor Castle would have been required and a standard condition would be for it to accept public weddings for a minimum of three years. The service was attended by close members of the couple's family.
The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh did not attend the civil marriage ceremony. The Queen's reluctance to attend a civil marriage ceremony arose from her position as Supreme Governor of the Church of England.[12] The Queen and Duke did attend the Church of England service of blessing at St George's Chapel following the civil ceremony (officiated by the Archbishop of Canterbury, The Most Revd Dr. Rowan Williams), and held a reception for the couple in Windsor Castle afterwards.[13]
Following the wedding, the couple travelled to Birkhall, the Prince's country home in Scotland, near Balmoral Castle. The new couple carried out their first royal duties together during their honeymoon. To the surprise of her critics, Camilla's choice of clothes for her wedding day won widespread media praise, with the News of the World calling her outfits "sensational".[14]
Since her marriage, Camilla has been known as HRH The Duchess of Cornwall, except in Scotland, where she is styled HRH The Duchess of Rothesay.
Royal duties
Following the royal wedding, the Duchess of Cornwall began to undertake a range of royal duties. Initially, these involved accompanying the Prince of Wales in his official obligations, however the Duchess also began to perform her own solo duties, first visiting a hospital in Southampton. She attended the Trooping the Colour ceremony in London for the first time in June, 2005, and made her first appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace afterwards. The following month Camilla accompanied her husband on a visit to St. Mary's Hospital in Paddington, to meet with victims of the July 7 bombings.
Camilla began to participate in overseas visits, starting with, along with Prince Charles, a royal tour of the United States in November 2005. In March the following year, the couple went on a royal tour through Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and India, throughout which Camilla won praises for her persistence and down-to-earth attitude. The Duchess has also visited Pakistan, Kuwait, Qatar, the UAE, and Bahrain.
On 8 June 2007, the Duchess conducted the naming ceremony for HMS Astute, the first of a new class of attack submarine for the Royal Navy. Following this, it was announced in September that Camilla would name the new Cunard cruise ship, MS Queen Victoria,[15][16] regarding which it was claimed that The Queen had expressed "surprise"[17]. The Duchess conducted the ceremony at Southampton on 10 December 2007, accompanied by the Prince of Wales, where the traditional champagne bottle failed to break on impact – sometimes regarded as an ill-portent for the cruiser.[18][19]
Camilla was praised by war reporter Michael Yon for her unstinting support of the troops of 4 Rifles during Operation Telic including sending bottles of whiskey to the wounded men.citation needed
The Duchess of Cornwall's Patronages
Animal Care Trust (under the umbrella of The Royal Veterinary College) Patron (from 12/09/2005)
President (from 03/10/2007)
- British Equestrian Federation
Patron (from 06/04/2006)
- Brooke Hospital for Animals
President (from 01/11/2006)
- Cornwall Community Foundation
Patron (from 12/09/2005)
- Crathie Opportunity Holidays
Patron (from 28/11/2007)
President (from 18/10/2006)
- Desert Rats 7th Armoured Division Thetford Forest Memorial Association, The
Patron (from 27/07/2007)
- Honorary Member (from 14/08/2006)
- Devon County Agricultural Association, The
President (from 20/07/2006)
President (from 25/08/2006)
- Elmhurst School for Dance
Patron (from 29/09/2006)
Patron (from 25/08/2006)
- Friends of Lacock Church Appeal
Patron (from 24/02/2006)
- Friends of Westonbirt Arboretum
Patron (from 19/10/2005)
Patron (from 13/12/2006)
Patron (from 18/01/2007)
- Kennel Club Charitable Trust, The
Patron (from 06/09/2007)
- Langford Trust for Animal Welfare
Patron (from 20/11/2006)
Patron (from 12/09/2005)
Patron (from 29/03/2006)
Patron (from 03/03/2008)
- National Osteoporosis Society
President (from 01/10/2001)
- New Queen's Hall Orchestra
Patron (from 14/12/2004)
- Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre
Patron (from 08/09/2006)
- Public Catalogue Foundation's Cornish Catalogue
Patron (from 24/10/2005)
- The Royal British Legion Women's Section
Life Member (14/05/2007)
- Royal National Hospital For Rheumatic Diseases
Patron (from 03/05/2006)
- The Royal School Hampstead
Patron (from 06/12/2006)
- Scotland’s Gardens Scheme
President (from 12/09/2005)
- Scottish National Equestrian Centre
Patron (from 01/01/2007)
- Scottish Women's Rural Institute, The (Ballater branch)
Honorary Member (from 20/09/2006)
President (from 07/08/2007)
- The Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists
Patron (from 12/09/2005)
- St John's Smith Square Charitable Trust
Patron (from 30/10/2003)
Patron (from 16/09/2001)
Patron (from 15/04/2008)
Patron (from 03/05/2006)
- Unicorn Theatre for Children
Patron (from 18/10/2005)
- The Upper Deeside Art Society
Patron (02/09/2007)
Patron (from 10/07/2007)
- Wilts and Berks Canal Trust
Patron (from 19/04/2006)
- Wiltshire Bobby Van Trust
Patron (from 06/06/2005)
Patron (from 12/09/2005)
Personal life
She is a dedicated horse-rider and was a fox hunter until it was banned under the Hunting Act 2004.
In March 2007 she had a hysterectomy,[20]. However, no details of the reasons for the procedure have been confirmed.
On Sunday 26 August 2007, in a statement released to the press, Camilla announced that she would not be attending Diana's Memorial Service on Friday 31st August, as she wished not to "divert attention from the purpose of the occasion which is to focus on the life and service of Diana". Camilla had already initially accepted the offer from her stepsons Princes William and Harry in December 2006, and after advice and discussions came to the conclusion that she would rather not attend, in order not to provoke any tension between the public and herself, due to continued public appreciation of Diana, Princess of Wales. [1]
Camilla became a grandmother on 9 October 2007, when her son Tom Parker Bowles and his wife Sara had a daughter named Lola. On the 17th January 2008, her second grandchild, Eliza, was born to her daughter Laura Lopes.
Titles, styles, honours and arms
Titles and styles
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- in Scotland: Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Rothesay
Camilla's full titles are Her Royal Highness The Princess Charles Philip Arthur George, Princess of Wales and Countess of Chester, Duchess of Cornwall, Duchess of Rothesay, Countess of Carrick, Baroness of Renfrew, Lady of the Isles, Princess of Scotland[21]
Duchess
As she is the consort and wife of the Prince of Wales, Camilla legally holds the title of Princess of Wales. Because this style is so strongly associated with Diana, Princess of Wales, by authority of the Queen, Camilla is styled with the feminine form of her husband's subsidiary title, Duke of Cornwall, rather than Princess of Wales.[22] However, in Scotland both Charles and Camilla are formally styled as Duke and Duchess of Rothesay, a title historically associated with heirs to the Scottish throne.
The Duchess is the second highest-ranking female royal in the United Kingdom Order of Precedence (after only the Queen). Her degree of acceptance within the Royal Family was shown in the decision to allow her to borrow and wear one of the tiaras of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother.[23] Her Royal Highness has also received the Royal Family Order of Queen Elizabeth II, two years after her marriage. She first wore the honour in public during the 2007 Saudi state visit to Britain with the Honeycomb tiara which had belonged to the Queen Mother.
Royal consort
Clarence House has indicated that when Charles ascends the throne it is intended that she will use the title HRH The Princess Consort[24]. Commentators have pointed out that unless a specific Act of Parliament is passed to the contrary, she will, as a King's wife, legally be Queen, regardless of whether she uses that title or not.citation needed
The matter was discussed by historian Sir Roy Strong, who gave his personal opinion that Camilla will be crowned Queen.[25]
Honours
Honorary military appointments
- Royal Colonel, of 4th Battalion The Rifles
- Commodore-in-Chief, of Naval Medical Services
- Lady sponsor, HMS Astute
According to Michael Yon, Camilla sent a hand-written letter to every wounded soldier and to the family of every soldier that died when 4 Rifles was in Iraq. She also sent expensive scotch and invited families to her home.[27]
Arms
The Coat of Arms of The Duchess of Cornwall
On 17 July 2005, the Duchess's 58th birthday, Clarence House unveiled a coat of arms for Camilla's use. It impales her husband's main coat of arms to the dexter (viewer's left) with her father's to sinister (viewer's right), all surmounted by her husband's coronet as heir-apparent.
According to reports in the news media, the arms were authorized and granted by the Queen, who was said to have taken a "keen interest" in its development, along with Charles and Camilla; the arms itself were prepared by Peter Gwynn-Jones, Garter Principal King of Arms.[28] However, aside from the invention of a boar supporter (reflecting her paternal arms) for the sinister side, the arms are entirely consistent with the historical heraldic arrangement for a married woman who is not herself a heraldic heiress.
Ancestry
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Ancestors of Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall |
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References
- ^ As" a titled royal, Camilla holds no surname, but, when one is used, it is Mountbatten-Windsor
- ^ A spokesman for the Department of Constitutional Affairs told the Sunday Times "[Camilla] automatically takes the title Princess of Wales and all the other titles that go with her marriage to the Prince of Wales." The Sunday Times. 03.04.2005.
- ^ " TRH The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall
- ^ BBC News "Profile: Camilla Parker Bowles"
- ^ Dimbelby, Jonathan, The Prince of Wales, A Biography, p.395<ref>. Camilla and her husband carried on illicit extramarital affairs during their marriage. It is said that Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles became lovers during this time, while her husband Andrew Parker Bowles took a long-term companion, Rosemary Pitman (née Dickinson), whom he later married. <!-- Image with disputed fair-use status removed: [[Image:Charles and Camilla.jpg|thumb Charles was at this time Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Regiment of Wales. During this time he spent a lot of time in [[New York City]], USA. It was here that he met Annabel Elliot, Camilla's Sister who was an artist in the city<ref>[http://www.annabelelliotlimited.com/about_Annabel_Elliot.htm About Annabel Elliot, interior design and antiques<!-- Bot generated title -->]</li> <li id="cite_note-5">'''[[#cite_ref-5|^]]''' Bradford, Sarah, ''Diana''(2006),p.294</li> <li id="cite_note-6">'''[[#cite_ref-6|^]]''' See [http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/europe/02/10/charles.history/ CNN story "Love spans more than 30 years" claims bread roll pelting.]</li> <li id="cite_note-7">'''[[#cite_ref-7|^]]''' The author [[Jilly Cooper]], a close friend of Camilla, on [[RTÉ]]'s ''[[The Late Late Show]]'', [[12 May]] 2006.</li> <li id="cite_note-8">'''[[#cite_ref-8|^]]''' While Charles and Camilla were alone together for periods, it was in a room to which other guests and members of staff regularly walked in unannounced. No one reportedly witnessed any indications of sexual activity and the risks of engaging in such activity in a room where anyone could walk in at any time was highlighted as evidence that no such activity was likely to have happened, contrary to Diana's claims. ''The Sunday Times.'' 03.04.2005</li> <li id="cite_note-9">'''[[#cite_ref-9|^]]''' [http://landing.ancestry.co.uk/famoustree/strange/charles/tree2.aspx?sourceCode=17004 Strange Relations: Prince Charles and Camilla are Ninth Cousins Once Removed]</li> <li id="cite_note-10">'''[[#cite_ref-10|^]]''' [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4412347.stm BBC News "Fans 'panic buy' 8 April mementos"]</li> <li id="cite_note-11">'''[[#cite_ref-11|^]]''' [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4289417.stm BBC News "Q&A: Queen's wedding decision"]</li> <li id="cite_note-12">'''[[#cite_ref-12|^]]''' [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/04/09/world/main686994.shtml CBS News "Charles and Camilla Finally Wed"]</li> <li id="cite_note-13">'''[[#cite_ref-13|^]]''' [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4429447.stm BBC News "Fashionistas praise Camilla style"]</li> <li id="cite_note-14">'''[[#cite_ref-14|^]]''' [http://www.cunard.com/AboutCunard/NewsReleases.asp?Cat=&View=ViewArticle&Mode=News&ContentID=6779&Active=News Cunard Line: ''Her Royal Highness The Duchess Of Cornwall To Name Cunard's New Queen Victoria''; September 10, 2007]</li> <li id="cite_note-15">'''[[#cite_ref-15|^]]''' [http://www.theroyalist.net/content/view/3115/1/1/0/ The Royalist – Camilla Prepares To Make Royal History]</li> <li id="cite_note-16">'''[[#cite_ref-16|^]]''' [http://www.theroyalist.net/content/view/3083/2/ The Royalist – Queen Expresses "Surprise" Over Camilla Invite]</li> <li id="cite_note-17">'''[[#cite_ref-17|^]]''' [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hampshire/7135972.stm BBC News – Camilla names new Cunard 'queen']</li> <li id="cite_note-18">'''[[#cite_ref-18|^]]''' [http://www.theroyalist.net/content/view/3115/1/1/0/ The Royalist – A Not-So Smashing Time For Camilla & Victoria]</li> <li id="cite_note-19">'''[[#cite_ref-19|^]]''' [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6418201.stm BBC News "Charles sees Camilla in hospital"]</li> <li id="cite_note-20">'''[[#cite_ref-20|^]]''' [http://www.princeofwales.gov.uk/personalprofiles/theprinceofwales/abouttheprince/titles/" Prince of Wales - Titles]</li> <li id="cite_note-21">'''[[#cite_ref-21|^]]''' name="trh"</li> <li id="cite_note-22">'''[[#cite_ref-22|^]]''' [http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/royal_family/Royal+News+Duchess+of+Cornwall+wears+Queen+Mothers+Tiara-14899 "Duchess of Cornwall wears Queen Mother's Tiara"]</li> <li id="cite_note-23">'''[[#cite_ref-23|^]]''' [http://www.princeofwales.gov.uk/mediacentre/pressreleases/announcement_of_the_marriage_of_hrh_the_prince_of_wales_and__167 Clarence House press release], 10 February 2005</li> <li id="cite_note-24">'''[[#cite_ref-24|^]]''' [http://www.theroyalist.net/content/view/1667/2/1/0/ The Royalist – Royal Friend Declares: Camilla WILL Be Queen]</li> <li id="cite_note-25">'''[[#cite_ref-25|^]]''' [http://www.monarchist.ca/new/docs/honours Honours of the Crown—The Monarchist League of Canada<!-- Bot generated title -->]</li> <li id="cite_note-26">'''[[#cite_ref-26|^]]''' {{cite web |url=http://www.michaelyon-online.com/wp/men-of-valor-part-iii.htm |title=Men of Valor: Part III |accessdate=2007-12-15 |last=Yon |first=Michael |date=2007-11-29}}</li> <li id="cite_note-27">'''[[#cite_ref-27|^]]''' [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4689987.stm BBC News "Camilla's coat of arms unveiled"]</li></ol></ref>
Books, letters, articles
- Sarah Bradford, Diana (Penguin Group, 2006) ISBN 13: 978-0-670-91678-8
- Jonathan Dimbleby, The Prince of Wales, a Biography (Little, Brown and Company, 1994) ISBN 0-316-91016-3
- Whitaker, James (4 April 2006). "Why I still haven't learned to love Camilla".Mirror.
- "Charles and Camilla Do America". (2 November, 2005). Slate.
- Ginsburg, Marsha (Nov. 5, 2005). "What to know if you encounter a prince or a duchess". SFGate.
- Pierce, Andrew & Gibb, Frances (14 February, 2005). "Camilla might still become Queen". The Times.
- Rebecca English, The Daily Mail (31st October 2007). [2]. (Royal Family Order)}
External links
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