On May 6, King Charles III will walk down the aisle at Westminster Abbey to be crowned for his coronation. He will wear the imperial state crown—composed of 2,868 diamonds, 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds, 269 pearls, and 4 rubies. He will hold a bejeweled scepter and, at one point, a golden orb. By his side? Queen Camillaadorned in full royal regalia.
A look back at the actual events that took place in Prince Charles & Camilla Parker’s relationship
It’s an upcoming scene that decades ago felt not just improbable but impossible: Charles was amid a messy divorce from Princess Dianain large part spurred on by his long-term affair with Camilla Parker Bowles. (“There were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded,” Diana famously said.) The British media called her the most hated woman in Britain. She regularly received angry mail, and for years, the public vehemently opposed the idea of her being named queen.
In The Crown season, five, prince charles other Camilla Parker Bowles‘s controversial relationship acts as a central plot point. Wondering what is fact over fiction? Here is a historical timeline of their relationship over the decades, from the beginning to the middle to the present day.
Prince Charles and Camilla Shand in 1972.
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The Beginning: Sparks Fly—At the Wrong Time
1971: According to Penny Junor‘s 2018 biography, The Duchess, prince charles and then Camilla Shand are introduced by a mutual friend, Lucy Santa Cruz, at her apartment. “Now you two be very careful,” Santa Cruz jokes “You got genetic antecedence.” (This was a reference to Alice Keppel, Camilla‘s great-grandmother who was a mistress to Edward VII.) There is an immediate attraction between the pair, but any potential courtship is complicated by Camilla‘s on and off relationship with Andrew Parker Bowles.
1972: Charles other Camilla first become romantically involved, with the young prince wooing her at polo matches in Windsor. They strengthen their relationship with weekends at Broadlands, the house of Charles‘s uncle Louis Mountbatten. It is widely reported, however, that Camilla still harbors feelings for andrewwho at the time is seen with other women—including Charles‘s sister, Princess Anne.