Queen Camilla

Camilla
Camilla
	Queen Camilla on the day of Charles III's coronation, 2023
Queen consort of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms
	8 September 2022 – present
	6 May 2023
Born	Camilla Shand; 17 July 1947 (age 77); King's College Hospital, London, United Kingdom
Spouse	Andrew Parker Bowles; (m. 1973; div. 1995); Charles III; (m. 2005);
Issue	Tom Parker Bowles; Laura Lopes;
House	Windsor (by marriage)
Father	Bruce Shand
Mother	Rosalind Cubitt
Religion	Church of England
Education	Queen's Gate School; University of London Institute in Paris;

Camilla (née Shand; formerly Parker Bowles; born 17 July 1947) is Queen of the United Kingdom and 14 other countries as the wife of King Charles III.

She became queen consort on 8 September 2022, after the death of Elizabeth II. Before that, she was known as Duchess of Cornwall.

Background

She was born Camilla Rosemary Shand in King's College Hospital, London. She grew up in Sussex. She has a sister, Annabel Elliot (born 1949) and had a brother, Mark Shand (1951-2014).

From 1973 to 1995, she was married to Andrew Parker Bowles.^[1] They had two children: a son, Tom and a daughter, Laura. Tom is married to Sara, and they have a daughter, Lola, born in 2007 and a son, Freddy, born in 2010. Laura is married to Harry Lopes, and has a daughter, Eliza, born in 2008 and two sons, Gus and Louis, born in 2009.

Marriage to Prince Charles

The relationship between Camilla and Prince Charles began when they met at a polo match in 1970.^[2] Camilla was seen to be an unsuitable match for the future king.^[3]

During Charles' marriage with Princess Diana, he remained a close friend with Camilla. He also admitted to cheating on Diana with Camilla. This made Camilla upopular with the public for some time.

Prince Charles and Camilla married each other on 9 April 2005, and she started to be called Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall.

When their engagement was announced, it was also said that she would not be known as The Princess of Wales, although she legally held this title as the wife of The Prince of Wales. This decision was made due to the popularity of Prince Charles' first wife, Lady Diana Spencer, who held that title from 1981 until her divorce in 1996. Charles and Diana divorced the year prior to her death.^[4]

The Duchess took many visits, mostly in Great Britain — often with Prince Charles, but sometimes on her own. She lives at Clarence House, which is a part of St James's Palace in London (very close to Buckingham Palace). She lives there with King Charles and his sons, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry.

Queen consort

Camilla became Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the other commonwealth realms as consort of Charles III on the 8th September 2022 following the death of her mother in law, Elizabeth II. In accordance with the law of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, as the legal wife of the King, Camilla automatically assumed the feminine form of her husband's title upon his ascension to the throne. The late Queen Elizabeth II had previously expressed her blessing for this, although it was not legally required.

Charles III and Camilla were crowned as King and Queen on 6 May 2023 at Westminster Abbey.

Titles

17 July 1947–4 July 1973: Miss Camilla Shand
4 July 1973–3 March 1995: Mrs Andrew Parker Bowles
3 March1995–9 April 2005: Camilla Parker Bowles
9 April 2005–8 September 2022: Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall
- 9 April 2005-8 September 2022 (In Scotland): Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Rothesay
- 9 April 2021-10 March 2023: Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Edinburgh, Her Royal Highness The Countess of Merioneth, Baroness of Greenwich
8 September 2023–6 May 2023: Her Majesty The Queen
6 May 2023–present: Her Majesty The Queen

Camilla was also legally The Princess of Wales as the wife of The Prince of Wales from her marriage in 2005 until 8th September 2022. However, it was decided that she would not use this title in practice out of deference to the late Diana, Princess of Wales. From 8th September 2022 until 6th May 2023, Camilla was called "Her Majesty The Queen Consort", even though she could have been simply called The Queen.

Queen Camilla Media

Bolehyde Manor in Allington, Wiltshire
Prince Charles and Camilla visited Brazil 2009 (10)
With Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles in the 1902 State Landau, 2012
Charles and Camilla with George W. and Laura Bush at the White House, November 2005
At the official opening of the Fourth Assembly at the Senedd in Cardiff, Wales, 7 June 2011
Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, pose for a photograph at CHOGM 2022. Boris in a black tuxedo and bow-tie, and the Duchess of Cornwall wearing a purple dress, with mesh-type floral-patterned sleeves, the Royal Family Order of Elizabeth II, and the Order of the Garter star on her left shoulder and above her waist, respectively.
With Charles at the 80th D-Day anniversary in France, June 2024
At Barn Croft Primary School for a Commonwealth Big Lunch event, 2018. Camilla has been the initiative's patron since 2013.
NIH director Elias Zerhouni welcomes Charles and Camilla to the NIH for a discussion on osteoporosis with Surgeon General Richard Carmona and other health officials, November 2005