Where will Camilla Parker Bowles be buried? The inconsolable widower. Lady Diana, Camilla Parker and the Prince of Wales. Uninhibited and free girl

The Duchess of Cornwall Camilla became known to the general public in the early 90s, thanks to an extramarital love affair with the heir to the British throne, Prince Charles. This article is devoted to the history of her life.

Duchess of Cornwall Camilla: who is she (origin)

The current wife of Prince Charles comes from a noble family, standing one step below the peers. Her father, Bruce Shand, rose to the rank of major in the British Army, and her mother, Rosalind Cubitt, was a baroness.

After the birth of their eldest daughter Camilla, the couple had two more girls. The father was very sad about the absence of an heir, but he saw that his favorite Milla, thanks to her courage and self-confidence, would put any boy in the belt.

Childhood

The path of Camilla Parker Bowles from tomboy to duchess took almost half a century. Surely the boys, whose company she preferred to play with peers, would never have believed that Milla would someday become “Her Highness”, riding around in the Queen’s landau and greeting people from the balcony of Buckingham Palace.

The girl liked to dress up in shorts and a shirt with rolled up sleeves, and she could hardly be persuaded to wear a dress for the traditional Sunday church visit.

At the age of 5, Milla Shand was sent to Dumbrells Elementary School, where corporal punishment was commonplace. However, if Charles Windsor, who at the same time studied at a privileged boarding school for boys, wrote home tearful letters complaining about teachers, then the parents did not hear a single complaint from Camilla. Moreover, she did not even allow herself to cry in front of her classmates.

At the age of 10, the girl was transferred to the Queens Gate School, where she was friends mainly with the boys, taking part in all their pranks. Around this time, Milla learned that her great-grandmother, Alice Keppel, was an "adviser" to King Edward the Seventh. She was terribly proud of the "great-grandmother", and asked the adults for the details of this "chaste" novel.

First novel

At seventeen, the future Duchess of Cornwall Camilla met Kevin Burke at her first ball. This 19-year-old student at Eton University was the heir to a wealthy businessman. Although it was not welcomed in those days, young people became lovers after a couple of days. According to Camille, she went for it out of pure curiosity to find out "what all this noise is about." The couple did not even hide their too “close” relationship, which shocked all their friends.

First marriage

The romance with Burke did not last long, as the handsome officer Andrew Parker-Bowles appeared on the horizon of Miss Shand. He was always surrounded by girls who dreamed of getting this heartthrob as their husband. Camilla also fell under Andrew's spell. However, this romance also turned out to be short-lived, as she found the young man in the arms of another.

Acquaintance with Charles

As already mentioned, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, was not a beauty in her youth, but she knew how to attract the attention of men. It is said that when she was introduced to Charles, she asked him if the prince knew about the connection between his ancestor and her great-grandmother, and also joked that she would try to follow their example. The meeting of young people took place at the initiative of the former girlfriend of the prince, Lucia Santa Cruz, who was the daughter of the Chilean ambassador in London. Shortly before this, this sultry Latina told Charles that she had found the perfect girlfriend for him, who, like him, loves to fish, hunt, horseback ride and tinker in the garden.

The romance of the prince and Camilla was supported by a relative of the young man, Lord Mountbatten. He encouraged this relationship in every possible way, as he dreamed of marrying the prince to his 14-year-old granddaughter in the future. According to the lord, Camilla was the ideal “girl for a while” for the heir to the throne, since she could not claim his hand and heart in any way.

Marriage

Despite Mountbatten's confidence in the prudence of Charles, he nevertheless made an offer to Camille, however, in order for this marriage not to take place, the intervention of the Queen and Duke Philip was not even required. The fact is that Camilla was not going to change freedom for a golden cage, so she refused the most enviable groom in Europe. Immediately after that, Charles was forced to leave on business, and Andrew Parker-Bowles, who was on a business trip in Germany, returned to London. Rumors that Camilla had turned down the crown prince himself made her desirable in Andrew's eyes.

In 1973, a wedding took place, which marked the beginning of a strange marriage that lasted as much as 22 years. Charles grieved for a long time, and after 6 years, when the future Duchess of Cornwall, Camilla already had two children, he proposed to her again. He could not help but know that if such a wedding took place, he would be excluded from the list of heirs to the throne. After all, his grandfather's brother paid with the crown for the marriage with the "divorced woman". However, this did not stop the prince, who again received a refusal from his beloved, who was not going to leave her husband.

Lady Diana

When Charles was already 30, his parents began to insist on marriage, especially since they had in mind the ideal bride for him - Diana Spencer. There was no romance among young people, as such, especially since only Camilla reigned in Charles's heart. Shortly before the wedding, Diana found out about what connected her fiancé and Mrs. Parker-Bowles, but she could not cancel the celebration.

After the marriage, the Princess of Wales constantly tormented herself with suspicions of her husband's infidelity and made him scandals. Charles, of course, found solace from family troubles in the arms of the future Duchess of Cornwall, Camilla, whose life story resembles a love story.

Love triangle

Many years after her second marriage, the Duchess of Cornwall Camilla admitted that she considered herself guilty of the divorce of Charles and Diana. Although officially their marriage was annulled in 1996, the couple began to live separately from each other after the birth of Prince Harry. It was then that Charles moved from Kensington Palace to Highgrove Manor and, according to servants, met Camilla regularly. The Parker-Bowles family lived 10 minutes away from the prince's dwelling, and on the days when its head was away on business, the prince visited his beloved. The visits stopped only when Camille's children came for the holidays.

Scandal

Over time, the lovers became so bold that Milla went to visit Charles to paint with him in watercolor and sunbathe in a bikini. The situation got out of control, as the yellow press began to write about the connection between the prince and the married woman. Diana was not satisfied with the status of a rejected and deceived wife, so she persuaded one of the security officers to give her a recording of a very frivolous conversation between Charles and Camilla. His printout got into the press, and the prince was disgraced to the whole world. It is said that he even contemplated suicide. However, after much deliberation, Charles decided to acknowledge the connection with Camilla, which was seen as a courageous act. As a result, the Parker-Bowles family broke up. Moreover, Andrew almost immediately got married. Things were different for Diana. The Queen for a long time did not give consent to her divorce from her son. It was received only after the princess spoke about the situation in an interview that had the effect of an exploding bomb.

Second marriage

When Charles finally got a divorce, the future Duchess of Cornwall, Camilla, finally felt like her dream of being reunited with the love of her life was finally close to coming true. However, all her plans collapsed after the tragic death of Diana. In the eyes of the public, Charles and Camilla were indirectly responsible for the death of the princess, who had millions of fans around the world.

Only a year and a half later, the Prince of Wales ventured to turn to his royal mother for permission for a second marriage. However, Elizabeth II stated that she did not even want to hear about "this woman." Almost 7 more years had to pass for the queen to change her mind.

The civil marriage ceremony took place on April 9, 2005. Since then, Milla Shand has become known as Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall. The biography of this strong woman in subsequent years is a story of quiet family happiness, charity and participation in various official events. Most likely, such her life will be in the future.

Now you know who the Duchess of Cornwall Camilla is. The biography and family of this woman more than once became the subject of discussion in the press, but she stubbornly walked towards her goal, not paying attention to public opinion.

One can treat Lady Camille in different ways, but it is impossible not to admire her intelligence and ability to be the mistress of her own destiny.

The love story of Camilla Parker-Bowles and Prince Charles is similar to the plot of a real love story. For 30 years, this couple hid their connection, overcoming obstacles and prohibitions, accepting the condemnation of others and the rejection of loved ones, they still managed to be together.

Camilla Rosemary, Duchess of Cornwall, Duchess of Rothesay was born on July 17, 1947 in London into a family belonging to an eminent noble family.

As a child, Camilla was a cheerful and eccentric girl, she loved to play with ordinary children, swim and ride horses. To eradicate such inappropriate habits for the future duchess, the girl was sent to a strict girl's boarding school. Only this did not bear fruit, on the contrary, Camilla acquired non-standard thinking, independent opinion, became interested in politics and sports.

Over time, a beautiful, tall (the height of the Duchess of Cornwall is 173 centimeters), an educated and self-confident young lady began to enjoy the attention of men.

The first serious hobby of Camilla Rosemary was the young officer Andrew Parker-Bowles, however, despite the fact that the girl expected serious steps from him, he was too windy. She decided to break off this painful relationship and at that moment fate brought her to Prince Charles of Wales.

The fateful meeting took place in Windsor Park on July 8, 1970. At that time, Camille was 23 years old, and Charles was 22. They immediately liked each other and for 2 years they hardly parted, appearing everywhere together. Prince Charles twice proposed to Camilla Rosemary, but was rebuffed each time. The reason for this was public pressure and rejection of the girl by the royal family.

It was believed in the palace that only a chaste girl could make a couple for the prince, and Camilla by that time was not such. However, she was very wise. In 1973, in order not to spoil the prince's reputation, Camilla Rosemary married Andrew Parker-Bowles and bore him two children: a son and a daughter.

She later insisted that the prince marry Diana Spencer. You might think that this is the end of the story, but no. All this time, Camilla was next to the prince, she supported him in difficult moments, and only next to her did he feel truly loved. By the way, Prince Charles is the godfather of the son of Camilla Parker-Bowles.

The lovers carried their warm feelings through the years and 35 years after the first meeting, when both were almost 60, when one survived the death of his wife, and the other had a difficult divorce, they officially got married.

November 26, 2018, 17:37

background

Life in the palace next to the heir to the British throne - most girls do not even dream of this. But Camille Shand lived with this thought for more than 30 years. Perhaps genes are to blame, her great-grandmother Alice Keppel was the mistress of King Edward VII. This fact, not without pride, was often discussed in the girl's family. According to legend, when Camilla first met Charles while playing polo, she jokingly said to him: “Your Highness, do you know that my great-grandmother was your great-great-grandfather’s mistress? So why don't we give it a try?" And Your Highness could not refuse such an obscene proposal from an unfamiliar blonde. Yes, she could not be called a beauty, but she attracted men with her lightness, emancipation and cheerful disposition.
Charles is not Camilla's first lover. At the age of 17, she was turned to the head by the heir of the entrepreneur Kevin Burk. Together, the couple came off at fashionable parties and had fun until you drop. However, this relationship was short-lived, because the girl's attention was seriously attracted by officer Andrew Parker Bowles. The lovers dated for three years. All this time, Camilla was not the only hobby of the young man. "Good" people often conveyed to her information about her husband's infidelities. She turned a blind eye to them until she caught Parker-Bowles red-handed. Shortly after this incident, the girl met the prince.
Next to Camilla, the closed and silent Charles literally “bloomed”. They had common interests, they could chat for hours. But Queen Elizabeth did not share her son's enthusiasm. Firstly, earlier the girl had a number of novels, which means that after marriage, her lovers could tell the press juicy details that discredit the good name of the royal family. Secondly, Elizabeth was not satisfied with the origin of Camilla. The daughter of a wine merchant and an aristocrat is not the best match for the future heir to the British throne. Instead of a wedding, the lovers were expected to part. Charles went to serve in the navy, making it clear to Milla that the search for a worthy bride for him, initiated by the queen herself, continues.
After the departure of the prince, Camilla's former boyfriend, Andrew Parker-Bowles, appeared on the horizon. Unlike Charles, he was not bound by obligations and could easily marry an ex-lover. Moreover, after the connection with the offspring of the royal family, in his eyes, Milla became even more attractive than before. Either from great resentment, or from great love, the girl agreed to become Mrs. Parker-Bowles. There was another important nuance that pushed her to the altar: in fact, the party with such a womanizer as Andrew, unleashed the hands of Camilla herself. If the husband walks, then why can't the wife afford the same behavior?

That is what she continued to do. Even after marriage, Milla actively communicated with Prince Charles. However, as the years passed, the heir to the throne could not remain a bachelor. The prince's parents insisted that their son start a family and give them heirs, especially since by that time Elizabeth had found a young lady suitable for her requirements - Diana Spencer. At first, the prince met with her sister Sarah. But it was Diana who received the approval of her mother and, oddly enough, Camilla, who had been invisibly nearby all this time. It turns out that when Diana met Camilla, she immediately became close to her. They really managed to find a common language and even become friends, but not for long. As soon as Diana and Charles began to prepare for the wedding, the bride changed dramatically, she became suspicious, she had the feeling that she was being deceived. With Camille, she was now cold and aloof, which Charles did not like. The princess was haunted by the maniacal feeling that everyone around him knew something and was hiding something. It drove her crazy. She began to suspect Charles and Camilla of an intimate relationship. One day she ran into the then married Camille and told her:

I'm sorry to be standing between you. This must be hell for both of you, but I know what's going on. Don't take me for an idiot.


Already before entering into a legal marriage, the future Princess of Wales realized that she was making a huge mistake. From the first days of their acquaintance, Charles played a double game: he made an offer to one, and loved to another. The girl could not come to terms with this, just as she could not cancel the wedding. In July 1981, Diana Spencer became part of the royal family.
Over time, Diana was finally convinced of Charles's infidelity. But if Andrew, Camilla's legal husband, did not pay attention to his wife's infidelities, since he himself has a "stigma in a cannon", then for Lady Di, constant experiences resulted in bulimia and several suicide attempts. Of course, this situation could not last forever. One "beautiful" day, telephone conversations of cooing doves - Camilla and Charles - got into the press. 6 minutes of playful conversation excited Foggy Albion, trampling on the reputation of the heir to the throne: “In order not to part with you, I would like to settle, for example, in your trousers!” “And what would you have to turn into then?” - "...I would rather become a tampon."
Relations between the spouses have always been tense, and after the birth of their second son, they actually began to live separately from each other. Diana and the boys moved to Kensington Palace. Charles - to the country estate of Highgrove. Camilla and her family immediately moved to a mansion, "accidentally" located ten minutes drive from the prince's house. Officer Parker-Bowles often left, these days Charles got into an old wrecked car (so as not to attract attention) and drove to his mistress. She also often visited the married heir to the throne on his estate, while behaving there like at home, not embarrassed not only by the servants, but also by Charles's friends. Sometimes lovers arranged dinners, gathering small groups of friends.
After the scandal, there was neither the strength nor the point to continue portraying the family idyll. Camilla was the first to dissolve her marriage. Charles, on the other hand, waited a year and a half for permission to divorce from the mother queen. And even having received the desired liberation from an unloved wife, he could not marry a second time overnight. He again needed his mother's permission. Diana's death in 1997 put the prince off the marriage for a few more years.

In the eyes of the people, Camilla was a heartless destroyer of the family and the source of all the troubles of the deceased. Not the most enviable reputation for the future wife of the prince.

Story

From Wikipedia (selection):

Born Camille Rosemary Shand. From a noble family of gentry, the daughter of Major Bruce Shand of the British Army and the Honorable Rosalind Shand, née Cubitt, eldest daughter of the Honorable Roland Cubitt, 3rd Baron Ashcombe. From 1973 to 2005 she was known as Camilla Parker-Bowles, surname after her first husband, Andrew Parker-Bowles, whom she divorced in 1995.

Camilla has all the titles corresponding to the titles of Prince Charles, which he received at birth (Duchess of Cornwall and Rothesay). In addition, married Camilla Parker Bowles is the Princess of Wales, but does not use this title.

The Duchess of Cornwall has two children from her first marriage to Andrew Parker-Bowles, Tom Parker-Bowles (born 1974) and Laura Lopez (née Parker-Bowles) (1978).
Camilla has five grandchildren: Lola (born October 2007) and Freddie (February 28, 2010) - Tom's children; Eliza (January 16, 2008), twins Gus and Louis (December 30, 2009) are Laura's children.
By the way, her children were witnesses at the mother's wedding with Prince Charles.

Biography of Camilla "The Romance That Shook the Monarchy" (selection):

In 2002, Queen Elizabeth gave Sir Michael Peet, Charles's new private secretary, a task. He had to make sure that the prince's relationship with Camilla Parker-Bowles ended. First, they created unnecessary hype. Secondly, they prevented the heir to the throne from fulfilling his public duties. During the first months, Pete's team at St. James's Palace worked to complete the delicate assignment. Camilla is Charles' mistress, he practically admitted that he had a relationship with her during his marriage to Princess Diana. Now the confidante shares a bed, a house, a life with the prince. Appears with him in public, not being a wife. For a man who one day will lead the Anglican Church, this is at least not good. Quite quickly, Sir Michael realized that the mission was impossible. Whatever happened, the prince had no intention of leaving Camilla. And so Pete quickly changed tactics and became the most ardent supporter of their marriage. However, there were some obstacles. It was required that permission be given by the queen. As well as state, church and society. The Prince of Wales is a very curious character. With character: he stated that the issue of breaking up with Camilla was not even discussed, despite the position of the parents, the media, and public opinion. With this behavior, Charles endangered everything he considered important, what he had served for decades, and served honestly. “I don’t think the prince was happy with the current state of affairs,” says the former courtier. But he didn't know what to do. Many times public opinion was not on his side, and I think he was nervous to find himself again in a situation that was detrimental to the institution of the monarchy. He didn't know if he could convince the queen to accept Camilla. The prince is a very insecure person. I think he was scared."
Marriage was the only way to save the prince's reputation. Secretary Pete went to Charles and simply said: either Mrs. Parker-Bowles is leaving the court, or His Royal Highness is getting married. These relationships cannot remain the same. Sir Michael inspired the prince with confidence that marriage was possible. Another person who played a key role in convincing Charles was Camille's father, Bruce Shand. He was well over eighty, he loved the prince very much, although he considered him a weakling. Major Shand was worried that Camille was living with Charles on a bird's-eye basis. “When I meet the Creator, I want to make sure my daughter is all right,” he told the prince. Charles adored Bruce. He was generally affectionate towards all members of the large Shand family, who, in turn, loved him. Bruce spoke on behalf of everyone: the situation is unfair. And although in the past Camilla herself did not want this marriage, now everything was different. She felt the vulnerability of her position and was secretly grateful to her father for putting pressure on Charles. In addition, the stars aligned. The Prince's secretary, Michael Peet, served at Buckingham Palace for almost fifteen years, was a close associate of the Queen and was well acquainted with her personal secretary, Sir Robin Janvrin. He sympathized with the prince and was ready to influence Elizabeth. Prime Minister Tony Blair, who dubbed Diana the "People's Princess", also understood how important Camilla was to Charles. What a contrast to Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin's reaction to the relationship between Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson! But even in the 21st century, the church has a negative attitude towards remarriages with a living ex-spouse (and Camilla's first husband, Andrew Parker-Bowles, was very much alive). The solution was a civil ceremony followed by the blessing of the holy fathers. The employees of Clarence House, where Charles and Camilla moved after the death of the Queen Mother, were convinced that the biggest problem was how this marriage would be accepted by society. Opinion polls showed: thirty-two percent of the British for, twenty-nine - against. Another thirty-seven percent of the population did not care about the future wedding, two percent had no opinion at all. According to one of Charles's advisers, it was understandable that the media would react aggressively: "Imagine that the ball that you used to play in the backyard is taken from you." Colin Harris, the former press secretary of the prince, agrees with this: “They all made good money by exposing Camilla as the destroyer of the lives of Diana and the boys. The more positive we made the image of Camilla, the more difficult it was for the media to stick to the previous line. The idea was to present her in the eyes of the public as more human, but in a way that would not make her more popular than the prince—we didn't want any more rivalry between him and his lover. We aimed to show that she is an ordinary person with ordinary feelings and interests." During the New Year holidays of 2005 at the Scottish estate of Burkhall, Charles proposed to Camille. A few days earlier, celebrating Christmas at Sandringham Palace, he dedicated his mother, sons and other relatives to his plans (Camilla was with her family at that time). Evening Standard correspondent Robert Jobson broke the news of the engagement before the official announcement, but it didn't make a difference. Clarence House was ready. No, Charles's team scheduled their own X-day, but it wasn't out of the question that a leak would happen. Just in case, Paddy Harverson, the Prince's secretary for public relations, drew up a plan for working with the media, writing it down by day for three weeks in advance. “And Robert Jobson, blessed be he, leaked the engagement news on the most opportune day of those three weeks,” Harverson recalls. There was a charity ball that evening at Windsor Castle. Charles and Camilla were beautifully dressed and in great spirits—an ideal situation. Imagine if the news broke on a day when they weren't going anywhere or weren't seen together at all."

Initially, the wedding was scheduled for April 8th. Then there were obstacles. Windsor Castle had to be changed to the municipality, the date also shifted: on the appointed day, the funeral of Pope John Paul II was held in the Vatican. There was also much debate about whether all this was right or wrong for the country, good or bad for the boys, what the ceremony should be, whether Camilla should be called “Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cornwall” or something more reserved. And in general - what would the Princess of Wales think about all this! Finally the wedding took place. And the sky didn't fall. On April 9, a modest civil ceremony was held in Windsor City Hall, followed by a church blessing at St George's Chapel and a reception at the castle. It was a busy day. No one knew how the crowd, the press would react, how everything would go. In the history of the British monarchy, there was no case that after the civil ceremony of marriage with a divorced bride, there was also a church service. “The stakes were very high,” says one of the courtiers. - If something went wrong, they would definitely cling to it. Everything fell on our shoulders: the postponement of the date, the trip to the ski resort, the phrase “I can’t stand this man.”

Here's what it's about. Shortly before the wedding, Charles and his sons rested in the Swiss Klosters. There was a photo call for the press, and none of them like this genre. Microphones were placed in front of the princes. Charles, not realizing how sensitive they were, told his sons, “I hate doing this. I hate these people." Then the BBC correspondent at the royal court, Nick Witchell, asked the boys about what they think about the upcoming wedding of the pope. Charles muttered, “Damn people. I can't stand this man. He's terrible, he's just terrible." These words of his were also recorded for posterity.

When the cortege arrived, there were disapproving exclamations. But most of the audience was delighted. Charles finally married the one he had loved for almost thirty years. The bride looked stunning. She chose two beautiful outfits from the brand Robinson Valentine, created by the duet of Antonia Robinson and Anna Valentine. The civil ceremony gown, which covered the knees, was made of cream chiffon and decorated with embroidery made in Switzerland. For the church ceremony, a floor-length blue chiffon dress and a matching gold embroidered coat were chosen.

In fact, Camilla didn't feel very well that day. She spent the entire week suffering from sinusitis in Ray Mill, her Wiltshire home, which she bought in 1995 after her divorce. There was also a bachelorette party in bathrobes. Longtime friend Lucia Santa Cruz, who introduced Camilla to Charles, came to cook chicken soup. “In Chile, everyone is treated with chicken soup,” she said, forcing Camille to eat. She spent Friday night at Clarence House with her sister Annabelle and daughter Laura. Still not feeling well, but now more from nerves than from sinusitis. On the day of the wedding, four people tried to persuade her to get out of bed. “She literally couldn’t get up,” recalls Lucia Santa Cruz. Neither Annabelle and Laura, nor Camille's stylist Jacqui Meakin, nor the maid Joy - no one could convince her. Finally, the sister said, “Okay, it's all right. I will do it for you. I'll put on your dress...” Just at that moment the bride got up from her bed.

She looked scared as she got out of the car with Charles and gave the people a little wave before disappearing into the city hall. But the crowd was on her side. Gradually, as the day drew to a close, Camilla relaxed - as always, thanks to the support of her family. My father wasn't feeling very well, but it was an important day for him and he was determined to be present. Postponed a visit to the doctor. And when it came to him four days after the wedding, Bruce Shand was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He died fourteen months later, having seen his daughter get married. The ceremony was officiated by Claire Williams, Head of the Civil Registry Office of the Royal Borough of Windsor. The wedding took place in a narrow circle, privately - only twenty-eight guests. After the vows, the couple exchanged Welsh gold rings. The witnesses were Camilla's son Tom Parker-Bowles and Prince William. The ex-husband was not present, but called and wished Camille good luck.

According to the Queen's biographer Robert Hardman, "The Queen's absence from the official part meant that it was not the marriage itself that she disapproved of, but the way it was arranged."

Camilla became Charles' wife and technically the Princess of Wales. However, it was announced that, for obvious reasons, she would use the title of Duchess of Cornwall. In this status, she went to a church ceremony in the chapel of Windsor Castle. Those gathered outside the municipality were disappointed when they realized that the couple left without coming out to them, without talking to people, but Camille needed time to change. Her personal secretary, Amanda McManus, was one of those who were waiting for the newlyweds at the chapel: “It was so sweet. They went up the stairs in tears. It touched us all very much, we also cried. The first time we said, "Hello, Your Royal Highness." It was an extremely exciting moment, it was difficult for all of us to restrain ourselves.”

This marriage not only became the crown of their love. He seriously changed the life of Camille. Before that, she shared his personal life with the prince, but not his public life, but he missed her most of all on long, exhausting trips abroad. Now Camilla began to accompany him on travels, at receptions and cocktails, concerts and performances. Now they laughed together at the absurdities and complexities that arose during these visits, chatted, drank and relaxed at the end of each day.

It was a brave new world for Camilla. She has never liked traveling: she cannot sleep on trains and is afraid of flying. The performance of the functions of the wife of the heir to the throne, however, assumed almost non-stop movement - by helicopters, trains, cars. There were state visits and official dinners, receptions and religious ceremonies, where she had to stand next to the queen and other members of the crowned family. Charitable work also involved travel throughout the country. In all such cases, Camilla would have to look and behave like a duchess: have impeccable styling, impeccable makeup and manicure, carefully select outfits, wear hats. Hard work for the rest of your life. It's only when you constantly follow a member of the royal family that you realize how difficult it is to do what they do and keep doing it day in and day out. It's like you're at a wedding that never ends: you constantly have to smile, shake hands, remember names, have small talks with strangers, take a genuine interest in cows and cheese, keep standing when you feel like sitting down, and those awful shoes still sting. Camille was fifty-seven, and perhaps she wanted more to keep weeding her Wiltshire flower beds. In general, both Charles and Camilla are things in themselves. He was like that even when he married Diana. At the time of the wedding, he, who had exchanged his sixties, had long lived the way he liked. Charles is extremely scrupulous about order - Camilla has always been untidy. His houses have always looked like hotels: every photograph, every magazine in its place. In her dwellings, on the contrary, life was always felt: dogs, children, disorder. Servants always revolve around him - she personally cooked for her husband and two children: Tom, who is now forty-four, and Laura (she is thirty), ran the household and used the help of only a cleaning lady who came. He loves to always have people around him, and is famous for his hospitality - she needs a break from people (often, when receiving guests with her husband, Camilla announces in the middle of the evening that she is going to bed). He never dines - she doesn't skip meals because her blood sugar needs to be maintained. He can become discouraged - she is almost always cheerful. He has a terrible temper, he can be capricious - she can flare up, but is usually very calm and in a good mood. Of course, thirteen years as Her Royal Highness has changed Camilla, but not much. In difficult times, she still turns to the support of her relatives. She has a couple of good friends who always tell her the truth if she's talking nonsense. Plus, her outlet is the Ray Mill estate, which she did not sell when she married Charles. There and with these people, Camilla forgets that she is a duchess. Becomes a mother and grandmother, sister and aunt. He can put on his old clothes, forget about makeup and hair and dig in the garden, watch TV, cook dinner for everyone, not clean up - and not think that the prince can not wait to send for the butler to straighten the magazines on the shelf or take away empty glasses . Camilla spends most weekends and Mondays at Ray Mill. Daughter Laura lives nearby and has three young children, so she is grateful for any help. Camilla loves spending time with her grandchildren. Often she dine with Charles at his nearby Highgrove estate and, if nothing is planned for the next day, she goes to Ray Mill and spends the night there. This is not so much an escape from her husband - the prince sometimes comes and stays with her. This is probably how she tries to take a break from everything that accompanies his life. In addition, the prince works late and goes to bed after midnight, when she has long been asleep.

“Anyone would have changed in her place,” says one of those close to Camille. “Everyone tells her, of course, that she is the most wonderful person in the world, and of course she believes it. She is always the center of attention, no matter what happens. Eleven odd years we all hear it her "Where is my tea?". She is domineering. People think she's harsh, and that doesn't surprise me. When she doesn't like something, she just gets rid of it. None of them like people who disagree with them. That's the problem."

July 18, 2017, 02:53

So, her name was Camille...

I suddenly realized that we don't know much about Camilla Parker-Bowles, Duchess of Cornwall... Camilla didn't write autobiographies, she doesn't like to give interviews... So how can we understand what is hidden behind her smile?

Tell me who your friend is... Tell me where you grew up, what you love, what kind of family you are from, how your children are brought up... It can greatly expand our understanding of personality...

First, I found Camille's family tree...

Camilla's great-grandmother, Alice Keppel, is the mistress of Edward VII.

She is with her daughter. This daughter was the goddaughter of a very rich and influential person...

Margaret Greville (pictured) - was the best friend of Alice Keppel, the very mistress of Edward VII.

The Greville mansion even had special chambers to accommodate lovers... So after the death of Marie Greville, part of the money went to her godchildren, including the daughter of Alice Keppel... At the end of the post, I will tell you who got Marie Greville's unique jewelry. It will surprise you :)

Camille's father, Major Bruce Shand ( Bruce Middleton Hope Shand) does not have a drop of aristocratic blood, but his paternal grandparents repaid his education at Cambridge. His father was married many times and had almost no contact with his son.

Bruce himself served as an officer in the 12th Royal Lancers during World War II, fighting at Dunkirk and North Africa. He met Winston Churchill, spent two years as a German prisoner of war, and was twice awarded the Military Cross for bravery.

Churchill, presenting him with medals, said: “You are a very young man in order to have such awards. It's great. But you are very skinny." Soon Bruce became even thinner - in the Libyan desert he was captured by the Germans.

Bruce met his wife - Camilla's future mother - already at the end of the war. It was a very successful marriage.

The Honorable Rosalind Shand was the daughter of Lord Ashcombe, whose great-grandfather made a huge fortune in real estate (the prestigious Belgravia area of ​​London).

Camille's mother was a volunteer at an adoption agency for children with disabilities for 17 years.

Currently, the center where she worked consists of three parts: a school for children aged three to nine, an orphanage and a new life skills center that helps young people from 19-23 make the transition to adulthood. Camilla opened this new center in 2013... But I didn’t really understand whether her personal funds were invested or she simply helped with her participation and came to the opening)

Camilla grew up on an idyllic rural estate in Plumpton, East Sussex, about 50 miles south of London.

Both parents had private incomes, and they inherited a fortune of $ 750,000 from their mother Camilla (daughter of Edward VII's mistress).

At the age of five, Camille was sent to the Dumbrells School in the village of Ditchling in East Sussex.

They said about this school: "a child who can handle Dumbrells can handle anything."

"Most of the families in their class had nannies, but not Camilla's mother: Rosalind herself picked up the girls at the end of the day from school and took them for a walk to the beach in Hove." (p seaside resort west of Brighton, on the English Channel)

"As a mother - she was completely with the children all the time .... They had ponies, dogs, picnics ... There was no pomp or snobbery, but everyone always had a lot of fun. The Shends were a happy clan. We were all very lucky then - we grew up in the 50s in the countryside in England"

(from an interview with historian William Shawcross, who was a friend of Camille's when they were children)

At the age of 10, Camilla entered London's Queen's Gate School in South Kensington.

According to Katherine Graham, this private school was famous for "providing wives for half the Foreign Office and most of the nobility".

But, unlike the other girls who lived there permanently, Camilla left school for the weekend with her parents to do her favorite "country entertainment": horse riding and fox hunting.

At the age of 16, her parents sent Camille to study in Switzerland, and then, on her own initiative, she went to study French and French literature at a university in Paris.

They write that this is her first love - Rupert Gambro, from a family of bankers. Camille is 17 here. "I remember Camille well: she was quite commanding and there were always other girls around her.

"Milla", as she was called, was a "weed" and an extroverted person. She was in the spotlight not because she was dazzlingly beautiful, but because she was bright and playful. She wasn't going to be a movie star, but she was always very smart and well dressed" ("well turned out").

Having her own small apartment in Kensington - she was a completely independent woman (inheritance from her grandmother - 500,000 pounds sterling.)

She invited her friend Jane Wyndham, who soon became Lady Spencer-Churchill, to live with her ... “Camilla had a big fat Pekingese named Chang,” Jane recalls, “and she constantly painted him ... Then she really got into it and took correct drawing classes. Camilla is artistic and loves to paint landscapes, which is another interest she shares with Prince Charles."

But in 1966, 19-year-old Camille was introduced to 27-year-old Andrew Parker Bowles, whose brother worked in her father's wine business.

Andrew's father was a close friend of the Queen Mother, and Andrew Parker-Bowles himself served in the Royal Regiment. Many socialites of that time sarcastically recall that Camille literally raved about marrying him.

But it wasn't that easy...

Andrew Parker-Bowles, in parallel with Camilla, met with Lady Caroline Percy, daughter of the Duke of Northumberland (pictured above and below).

Lady Caroline later quipped: "I said to Camille, 'You can have it back when I'm done with it.'"

In 1969, Andrew temporarily broke up with Camilla and left for Germany with his regiment. In 1970, Camilla accepted an invitation to go to a polo match in Windsor with her friend.

And met the prince. Or did the prince meet her?

According to Jonathan Dimbleby, who wrote a biography of Charles (although he was a close friend of Diana): "Camilla was affectionate and unassuming."

"Charles was a shy, introverted and rather clumsy young man. In the presence of the witty, always on the ground Camilla, prone to depressive mood, Charles came to himself, feeling more confident, relaxed and cheerful."

"His mother, Elizabeth, did not give her children firmness and guidance at critical moments in their lives in order to make the future of the monarchy more secure (...) Even in private, the children had to bow to their mother, and as they got older, she refused to talk with them on the phone, demanding that they arrange a meeting with the secretary.It's not that our parents were terrible people.So they were brought up. (Graham Turner for Daily Telegraph)

Many believe that Charles did not even think of marrying Camille, he was satisfied with their informal relationship. Moreover, their marriage was not approved by many.

Especially against was the uncle of the prince - Lord Mountbatten, to whom Charles listened very much.

Charismatic and domineering Louis Mountbatten, known as "Dickey", was a constant companion of King Edward VIII before he abdicated in order to marry Mrs. Simpson. He was the fourth (youngest) child of Prince Ludwig Alexander of Battenberg and Victoria of Hesse-Darmstadt, sister of the Russian Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. His older brother inherited the main title and was the smartest man of his time (mathematician), and Dickey had more fun as it should be for younger sons ... By the way, he suggested to Agatha Christie the idea of ​​​​the novel "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd."

He liked to refer to Charles as his "honorary grandson" and argued that Camilla was "not aristocratic enough". He firmly believed that a young man should sow his "wild oats" but marry a virgin.

In general, Lord Mountbatten knew a lot about royal marriages ... With his participation, the future Queen Elizabeth II met Philip (the lord was his guardian in the absence of his parents). And he also wanted to bring Charles to his granddaughter Amanda ...

There was another interest here that may have had to be sacrificed for the good of the kingdom ... It is worth noting that in the life of Princess Anne, Camilla's husband Andrew played the same role that Camilla played for Prince Charles ...

The reason for the impossibility of their marriage with the princess, many say that Andrew was a Catholic.

Although a change of faith is not such a rare case in dynastic marriages ... The same husband of Elizabeth 2, Prince Philip, switched from Orthodoxy to Protestantism before marriage.

The second objection is more personal: Andrew was a womanizer :) But here again Prince Philip comes to mind :) Nothing prevented Queen Elizabeth from marrying her handsome Greek prince ...

And perhaps other reasons also played a role ... Anna could refuse to marry Andrew, so that Charles could not marry Camilla, because she was always a good daughter ...

Andrew proposed to Camille just in time while Charles was on his journey... In February 1973 of the year prince went on a military sea voyage to the shores of the distant West Indies, which was supposed to last for half a year. And in July, Camille's marriage to Andrew was announced.

She was 26, he was 34. There were 800 guests at the wedding, including members of the royal family: the Queen Mother, Princess Anne and Princess Margaret. The wedding was named "Wedding of the Year".

Charles wrote in one letter that this was cruel since they had "such a blissful, peaceful and complementary relationship" and even asked Camilla not to marry ( this information was published by biographer Penny Junior).

The couple settled into their home in Wiltshire. They had two children: Tom (Charles' godson) and Laura.

In the photo on the left is Camilla, a little behind is Andrew, her husband, and in the center is Prince Charles.

Everyone agrees that friendship with Charles was renewed when the happy couple asked him to be the godfather of their first child. Andrew, by virtue of his own sprees, could not interfere with the relationship between his wife and the prince ...

Charles and Camilla (presumably late 70s)

Charles joined the parties that Parker Bowles gave on the weekends at his Boleyd estate. He and Camilla were occasionally guests of the royal family at Sandringham and Balmoral.

"They are all a big, happy family" (c).

Princess Anne and Andrew, Camilla's husband.

Anna at the funeral of Andrew Parker Bowles' second wife, Rosemary Pitman (who was Camille's girlfriend).

In 2010, five months after the death of his second wife, rumors began to circulate that Andrew and Princess Anne got back together...

The rumors were based on the fact that he often visited Princess Anne's home in Gloucestershire (Gatcombe Park), while her husband, Admiral Lawrence, continued (and continues) to live and work in London.

But we settled on what happened after the wedding of Camilla and Andrew, after the birth of their children ...

In 1980, Charles bought the 350-acre Highgrove estate in Gloucestershire...

Just like watercolors, the garden became an outlet for his art. He dug with his own hands, pulled out weeds, planted, trimmed hedges. And he turned the garden at the house into a real oasis.

In one part of the park, a corner of wild nature was arranged, where the roots of the trees picturesquely intertwined, willows hung their branches to the ground, stumps stuck out here and there, from which comfortable chairs were carved, fallen leaves covered the ground.

Near the statue grew a huge holly, in the branches of which a thatched house was arranged for William and Harry. Inside were homemade chairs, cabinets and a table.

The prince cared about the environment, so he arranged the sewer system in the estate so that the waste did not pollute the environment. The prince believed that all waste that could be recycled should be recycled. All food leftovers and kitchen waste, including egg shells, were dumped in compost heaps. And cunningly arranged settling tanks were created in which sewage was filtered through reed filters.

One day, the prince left a note to his butler: ““Please inform the guests of Highgrove Manor that you can’t throw tampons and condoms into the toilet - this clogs the reed filters.” And how, one wonders, was I supposed to tell such guests?

For such an estate, a queen was needed ... According to David Wynn-Morgan, a former royal correspondent, his father told Charles: " You are in this world for two reasons. One to be King of England. Two to create the next King of England. "

A planned operation was carried out to find a suitable girl.

About Diana, the Queen received favorable reports from her assistant and secretary, Robert Fellows, who was married to Diana's sister, Lady Jane.

The wedding, like in a fairy tale, took place in St. Paul's Cathedral with all the applause of the world ...

Charles's main mistake, according to his biographer Penny Junior, was that he did not tell Dee about his affair with Camilla and that he married Diana, although he "saw her dark side" even before the wedding.

During their honeymoon, Charles decided to share his passion for philosophy with Diana: “It was the worst moment of our vacation,” recalls Diana. Everything suddenly became so gloomy, ominous. The last straw was when, after reading in the evening, he would discuss what he had read over lunch.”

The Prince of Wales adored philosophy, psychology, social sciences. He was happy to talk about global warming or pollution. All these conversations bored Diana."

Diana was a sensitive girl from a great but broken home, with an aloof father and a drinking mother, while Camille was a practical country girl whose father was a war hero and whose mother lived for her children and her garden...

Camilla is almost the antithesis of Charles's first wife. The character of Camilla can be described as the opposite of the concept of "needy" ("needing attention"), which was often said about Diana. In particular, Camilla goes on a business trip a week earlier than the prince, in order to get to know the country and organize everything "on a level" before his arrival.

It's no secret that Charles is very demanding. For example, after drinking tea with his grandmother, he scolded the butler, who was too lazy to call her butler and find out what to make tea sandwiches with ... Charles was very upset that his grandmother refused to eat (sandwiches with smoked salmon, chicken, ham and cucumbers , which were usually served at tea in the palace of her daughter, Queen Elizabeth and where the butler had previously served).

In the late spring of 1989, Charles left for Turkey, taking Camilla and her husband with him ... In May 1991, the British press took note of Camilla's presence on stage when she and Charles both rested without their spouses in neighboring villas in Florence.

But Camilla divorced her husband only before her second marriage. Andrew found her affair with Charles more useful (including for his promotion) than annoying. There was gossip that her children are also Charles's children ... But even outwardly they are more like her husband :)

The son is a well-known British restaurant critic and author of five cookery books.

There was some kind of muddy history with drugs in his life: “It was my fault - I knew that I should not go to places that are too far from my lifestyle, but I was 19 years old and I just didn’t thinking about the consequences."

“I led a deeply unhealthy lifestyle in London.

I really don't like exercise... But once my wife and I lived two minutes from the beach in Australia and I suddenly started running. My parents were shocked when they found out "what... are you running?!" And I said: "Yes, and I also drink green smoothies" :)

Camilla's daughter, Laura, studied art history and marketing at Oxford.

In 2005, she opened an art gallery in south London, where either hats or photos of Phillip Tracy hats were exhibited ... Sorry - I didn’t dig further :)

In 2006 (after 9 years of relationship) she married Harry Lopes, grandson of the Baron Roborough and the Baron Astor, attended by Prince Charles, Prince Harry and Prince William with Kate Middleton.

The bride was in a dress Robinson Valentine. In the hands - a bouquet of lilies of the valley.

Harry studied at Eton and Edinburgh University, then worked as a Calvin Klein lingerie model and - all of a sudden - became a Chartered Accountant :)

He will inherit Gnaton Hall, near Plymouth in Devon, and 3,000 acres (12 km) of property in Scotland.

The reception after the wedding was at the estate of the groom's mother, not far from the church...

Kate, then still in the status of William's girlfriend, was at Laura's wedding.

A year after the wedding, Laura gave birth to a daughter who was in the role of "little bridesmaid" (as I translated) at the wedding of Kate and Prince William.

The whole family at Camille's brother's funeral in 2014.

A few more interesting facts...

Many have read excerpts from the famous script of Charles and Camilla's telephone conversation, published Rupert Murdoch, but I will still quote one passage:

Camille: I love you and I'm so proud of you.

Charles: Oh, I'm just as proud of you.

Camilla: Don't be stupid. I have not achieved anything in my life.

Charles: Your greatest achievement is to love me.

Camilla: Oh dear, it's easier than falling off your chair :)

In a rather rare interview with El, she recalls that "I had to become a recluse for a while. I decided to spend this time reading: read more than I could in ordinary life. I tried to do something positive, learned to draw - these attempts were unsuccessful success, but life got better

Camilla received quite a few gifts from the prince during their relationship... The jewelry was from Kenneth Snowman, a London-based Wartsky jeweler (who also brought Faberge eggs for the Queen's choice)

To this day, she occasionally wears a diamond brooch shaped like the feathers from the coat of arms of the Prince of Wales. I had a hard time finding it, pictured above.

It looks like this necklace is her favorite piece of jewelry. She wears it very often...

Speaking of jewelry, one cannot ignore one story that connects Camilla and Queen Elizabeth...

Do you remember Camille's godmother, a very rich lady - Margaret Greville?

She was so wealthy that she left Queen Elizabeth a diamond necklace apparently owned by Marie Antoinette, Empress Josephine's emeralds, Catherine the Great's diamond ring, diamond pendant earrings, a tiara and a ruby ​​necklace by Boucheron. Pay attention to the necklace in the center of the black and white photo: it resembles the one that Catherine Middleton recently wore at a dinner in honor of the Spanish monarchs.

"Flower necklace" from Boucheron, 1907 (originally a bandeau - a hair ornament).

A floral ribbon of diamond tulips, round and oval rubies ends with a pear-shaped diamond pendant.

In the Greville mansion - in addition to rooms for King Edward with his mistress Alice, in 1923 the future king and queen, George VI and Elizabeth, spent their honeymoon. They remained close friends with Margaret until her death in 1942.

Hence - such, without exaggeration, a royal gift ...

To tell about all the jewelry that Elizabeth got from Margaret Greville, I would have to write a separate post :) There were more than 60 different sets with diamonds, emeralds, rubies, sapphires...

Without hiding her joy, Elizabeth wrote to Queen Mary, her mother-in-law:

"I must tell you that Mrs. Greville left me her jewels. However, I remain silent for the moment! She left them to me" with loving thoughts, dear friend, I was very touched by this. I do not think that I will soon see the inheritance, knowing the slowness of the lawyers and the hassle of death, etc. But I know that she had some good things. On top of everything else, it's even interesting to get something, because I admire beautiful stones from the bottom of my heart."

The Queen Mother on her 100th birthday wearing Lady Greville's diamond jewelry: Curl brooch, modified Honeycomb tiara, necklace (in three rows).

She once said, looking at Albert's sisters: "There are princesses by blood, there are princesses by marriage, and there are princesses of Monaco."

And now - the granddaughter of her beloved goddaughter and great-granddaughter of Lady Greville's best friend - in her jewelry.

History in detail)

And this is her personal tiara, which Camilla wore when she married Andrew Parker-Bowles. It is called the Shand-Cubitt tiara. This is a family heirloom, which she gave to her daughter for the wedding.

She is definitely not from Greville, since the last one handed over all her jewelry to the crown.

Well, just for information: Camilla opened two veterinary clinics at her own expense.

One of Camilla's dogs is from an animal shelter.

At my second wedding...

Once in an interview, Charles said about Camille: "It's always nice to have someone on your side. She is a huge support for me, and she sees the funny side of life, thank God"

How are you doing?

Thank you, OK

Any plans for Valentine's Day?

None at all.

Do not forget! (referring to Charles)

Camilla is not trying to draw attention to herself (even after becoming the Duchess of Cornwall and part of the royal family). On the contrary, she does everything to get her man's attention...

Camilla and Charles are like two pieces of a puzzle. They like the same things. They love to live in the countryside... They don't often think about clothes or the next party. But both love ballet, theater and opera.

And both love Scotland, which is Charles' great passion...

Prince Charles brought Camilla to the Royal Opera House. Camilla broke her leg while vacationing in Scotland.

Camille has always been a woman who is exceptional because of her "innately ordinary," according to a friend of hers in an interview with Bob Colacello in 2000.

Thanks to everyone who read to the end! Maybe I got carried away.)

LEONID MLECHIN

UNCOMFORTABLE WIDOWER
Lady Diana, Camilla Parker
and Prince of Wales

In a certain sense, the prince is an unhappy man. How many years prevented him from marrying the woman he loves all his life! He had to marry Diana Spencer, whom he did not love. Lady Diana was liked by the whole world, but not by her own husband! The old formula, which was guided by the royal house about what to endure - fall in love, did not work.

The misfortune of the prince also lies in the fact that, probably, the whole world is privy to the most intimate details of his personal life. Diana's telephone conversations were recorded. No less frank conversations between Prince Charles and his mistress Camilla were also recorded. But who did it? And who gave all this to British journalists? Perhaps there was a conspiracy. Not against the late Lady Diana, she meant nothing in politics. It was a conspiracy against Crown Prince Charles, the future King of Great Britain. Some British politicians and journalists believe that Her Majesty's secret services have taken up arms against the Crown Prince. MI5 counterintelligence men, they claim, decided to undermine the Crown Prince's reputation to keep him from the throne.

The marriage of Charles and Diana collapsed, and they both suffered.
Lady Diana tragically died, and only a few years later Prince Charles received the right not to hide his beloved woman from the world.

On Saturday April 9, 2005, when Charles, Prince of Wales married Camilla Parker Bowles, everything changed. Until this day, Camille had been a woman with an uncertain future and a questionable past. She has now become "Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall". Queen Elizabeth recognized her as a member of the family. Happiness came to her at the age of fifty-seven. Camille's fifty-eighth birthday on July 17, 2005 was celebrated throughout the country by the hoisting of national flags.

Prince Charles has been waiting for this day for more than three decades. He is very offended by his compatriots, who were so unfriendly to him and Camille. He considered the English more responsive and capable of sympathy. He admitted that during difficult times, he and Camilla tried not to read newspapers and not watch television. At the wedding, arranged very modestly, Charles ended his speech with the words: "Down with the press!" Everyone laughed.

On the day of the wedding, the bride suffered from sinusitis, her head was splitting. The guests didn't notice. Camille, who has kept a low profile all her life, first came to the fore. She had lost some weight and was very confident. Until recently, Camilla was invariably put on the list of women who dress the worst. Now the fashion editors admitted that they could not take their eyes off her: she looks wonderful.

Camilla never put pressure on Prince Charles, never said: when will you marry me? She did not aspire to enter the royal family. She got everything because she never asked for anything.

Generally speaking, Camilla is now the Princess of Wales, but prefers to call herself the Duchess of Cornwall. Because there was another Princess of Wales, much more famous and loved by the public.

The history of this triangle is complex and confusing. Charles and Camilla met very young and immediately fell in love with each other. They could get married and live a happy life ... What prevented them from linking their destinies from the very beginning?

Nature did not endow her future chosen one so generously. Prince Charles Philip Arthur George was born on November 14, 1948.

The coat of arms of the Prince of Wales bears his motto "I serve". Service and fulfillment of duty - this is what guides his mother, Elizabeth II, all her life from the moment of her coronation. In this spirit, she raised her son. But it is fashioned from a different test. His childhood memories are terrible. Charles complained about the lack of warmth and sincerity on the part of his parents. His parents suffer from the "English disease": it is an inability to express feelings, emotional coldness.

One day, little Charles came to the Queen's study and asked his mother to play with him.
"If only I could," she sighed.

Philip was cold to his son, considered him extremely stupid. They never got close. No wonder. You don't know how to love children if you were deprived of love as a child...

More than others, Charles was cared for by his nanny. She took care of him, she created a sense of security for him. That's what he needed! Diana couldn't give it to him. But Camilla did. He was always drawn to older women. they cared
about him.

The boy grew up timid, embarrassed and often sick. The school to which his father sent him turned out to be a difficult test for Charles. Pupils were tempered. The morning began with a jog, then a contrast shower. The windows in the bedrooms were not closed all year round. If it rained or snowed at night, those whose beds were close to the window woke up under wet blankets.

At school, Charles was afraid of boys. The boys united, made gangs. He preferred solitude. He was bullied. He snored, and the neighbors in the bedroom just hit him on the head - they treated him for snoring.

It was a special pleasure for classmates to beat the heir to the throne. Knocking him to the ground, they joyfully shouted:

We did it! We just killed the future king of England!
At night, buried in a pillow, the heir to the throne wept.

Since the beginning of the 14th century, British monarchs have granted their eldest son the title of Prince of Wales. The title of Prince of Wales is not automatically given to the heir to the throne at birth. It is always a gift from the monarch.

Charles, having received the title, spent three months in Wales, studying the language. Welsh nationalists greeted him with protests. But the queen put him on the Welsh throne anyway. Charles took the ceremony seriously.
“Now the future has come,” he said to his friend. - It's impossible to avoid it.

Charles found himself in military service. In the army team, he felt quite comfortable. Here everything was clear and simple. Everyone knew his place, and relations between people were determined by rank and position.

Charles entered the Naval Academy at Dartmouth. While still at Cambridge, he learned to pilot an airplane. Now he has also mastered the helicopter and has flown five hundred hours. But he didn't get along well with girls. Yes, and the opportunity to meet him was not particularly presented. Charles looked younger than his years. Everyone wore jeans, he walked around in a suit and carefully polished shoes. “He wasn't one of us. We understood this. And he understood it, ”said his classmates. He was in no hurry to get close to other people. And they didn't know how to approach him.

“He was very old-fashioned,” Lady Diana would say later. Charles was shy to the point of sickness. He was a celebrity, the son of a queen, accompanied everywhere by a detective from Scotland Yard. But he didn't feel special at all.

They tried to set him up with the recognized beauty Princess Caroline of Monaco. Nothing succeeded. Carolina behaved like a star. And the prince himself wanted to be a star. Lord Mountbatten planned to marry Charles to his granddaughter, Lady Amanda. In August 1979, on the royal yacht Britannia, Charles proposed to her. Amanda answered "no" very politely, but without leaving him any hope.

He sought peace of mind and found it in the arms of Lady Camilla. Charles and Camilla met freely in public. Charles could come to a party with some girl and dance with Camilla all evening. They were not shy of those present, sat down at the same table, kissed. Charles exchanged his fourth ten. He had a position in society and a constant mistress. He lacked a home, wife and children. He bought the house - from the son of former Prime Minister Harold Macmillan. Camilla's house was twenty minutes away.

The mother ran away with her lover. Diana suffered a parental divorce extremely painfully. She loved her father very much and hated his second wife. Diana often said that she felt infinitely lonely, defenseless and useless to anyone. She constantly thought about it. A store of unhappiness accumulated in her, and she proved incapable of happiness. It was easier for her to be unhappy than happy.

In the summer of 1980, when Diana was nineteen years old, she and Charles met. It was Saturday evening. After the polo game, a picnic was arranged. In the life of Prince Charles, everything revolves around the game of polo.

Damned game, Diana said later. - If not for this game, nothing would have happened! Camille would not have met him, and I would not have married him.

Diana Spencer met all the requirements that the royal court makes for a bride: well-born, beautiful, innocent. Yet Charles hesitated until the last minute.

A week later, on February 6, at 5 pm, at Windsor Castle, the Prince of Wales proposed to Lady Diana Spencer. She answered immediately and without hesitation:
- Yes, yes, of course yes!

Charles hoped to find a happy family, believed that his relationship with his wife would get better and better. And love will come.

Diana married very young and naive. She didn't have a lover or just a boyfriend to date. She knew little about life and love. Prince Charles was her first and sincere love. She believed that love would be eternal. At the same time, of course, she was inspired by the prospect of becoming the Princess of Wales, and eventually the Queen.

But Diana fell in love not with a real person, but with the way she imagined the prince. It quickly became clear that the spouses have nothing in common, no common interests!

Diana was horrified to discover that Camilla Parker Bowles, the prince's mistress, was constantly present in their relationship. Wherever she and Charles went, Camille was there too!

Charles explained to Diana that Camilla was a close friend, but swore that now there was not and would not be another woman in his life. In fact, his feelings for Camille have not cooled down, but they both agreed that the intimate relationship should stop. He gave Camille a beautiful bracelet as a sign of the formal end of such a relationship. Diana found out about this gift. She was shocked: he makes a gift to his mistress on their wedding day!

Diana realized that she could not get rid of Camilla.
“On my wedding day, I felt like a sheep being led to the slaughter,” she would say much later.

The marriage of Charles and Diana on July 29, 1981 was watched by a billion viewers on the entire planet. Diana was not at all happy. She cried. At such an important and difficult moment, she had no one to consult with. There was neither father nor mother around.
And she couldn't deal with her problems. She had health problems. She suffered from bulimia. Diana went to a psychotherapist, was treated. She was abandoned by her mother when she ran away with her lover. Her father left her when he found himself another woman. Now Charles had abandoned her, abandoned her as soon as he had married her! She fell into a severe depression.

Instead of helping his young wife, Charles turned his back on her and, out of habit, found solace in the arms of the woman he had loved since his youth, Camilla Parker Bowles.

Charles' friends say that it was Diana who did not understand her husband and did not want to realize the role of the Prince of Wales in the life of the country.

She came from a family with an unfavorable heredity - the Spencers often had mental disorders and marriages broke up. Charles tried to please his wife, but could not. She hated everything he loved.

It would be more accurate to say that they both needed help and support, but could not and did not want to help each other; their marriage was doomed from the start. Intimate relations between the spouses did not go well. Diana complained that Charles was "hopeless in bed, absolutely hopeless." According to Diana, her husband appeared in her bedroom once every three weeks. He demanded a lot, but was able to give little.

It was not only about her, but also about him,” Diana said. - He was insensitive. Didn't touch me. He didn't even want to do it. Then he suddenly appeared in my bed. He usually behaved very coldly. I didn't understand what was happening. I was a little immature girl.

Charles found an excuse for himself: the relationship is not going well, I do not get what I need from my wife, therefore, I can return to Camilla. The merit of Camilla was that she gave everything and asked for nothing in return. It was his woman. He could talk to her. Diana was in no mood to listen to Charles. And Camilla listened very carefully, delved into his words, reassured him. And in contrast to Diana, she was so healthy, so normal, so reliable. She stood firmly on her feet and could be relied upon. They texted and called back every day. If he did not manage to talk to her during the day, the day was ruined, he fell into melancholy. They saw each other more and more often. Perhaps the prince behaved differently in Camilla's bed.

Charles and Camilla had a lot in common. Love for country life, parks and gardens, horseback riding, dogs and horses. They were brought together by the need to observe conspiracy, and a common sense of guilt for adultery.

And Diana and Charles had nothing in common except children. Prince William was born on June 21, 1982. Prince Harry September 15, 1984. Charles was glad to have children. When they were small, I liked to mess with them. Then the children were more with their mother than with him.

Charles didn't like it either. The Prince of Wales, accustomed to honors and the attention of the crowd, quickly realized that his wife had become his rival. She became fantastically popular. A blonde with blue eyes and a charming smile won the hearts of millions. At first, Charles was pleased that he and Diana were received so enthusiastically. Then he found himself losing heavily next to his beautiful wife. Then he just started to get frustrated. Diana was adored. They looked at him with amazement and undisguised mockery: how did he turn out to be the husband of such a beauty.

Charles expected Diana to be only his wife. He is the heir to the throne! On behalf of the queen, he performs important assignments! But Diana became a world-class star, and they did not pay attention to him. It only worsened the relationship.

Diana believed that Charles was cheating on her from the very beginning. The prince always denied this. Diana didn't believe him. One day, Diana spoke directly to Camilla:

Camilla, I want you to know that I know what's going on between you and Charles. I wasn't born yesterday. And don't call me an idiot.

After this conversation, Diana sobbed all night.

1980 Diana Spencer and Camilla Parker-Bowles

The third stage of the relationship between Charles and Camilla began, the third series of this multi-episode love-dramatic story. They stopped hiding their relationship. Met in public. Charles goes to Italy to paint watercolors. Camilla goes with him. Diana stays at home. Charles moves out of town. Diana is away. Camille is nearby.
Camilla didn't have any problems meeting a married man and cuckolding her own husband.

The press painted Diana as an abandoned wife who was left alone with all her problems. In response, Charles fans announced a long list of her lovers.

But Diana did not decide to throw herself into someone's arms right away, but after several years of loneliness and emotional vacuum. She was completely overwhelmed by a broken marriage.

But Charles was also trapped. He could not part with Diana and could not be with her. And he was not able to part with Camilla.

On September 9, 1992, Wednesday afternoon, the royal court announced that the Prince and Princess of Wales had decided to separate. This message was read to members of Parliament by Prime Minister John Major.

On the one hand, the prince was relieved. On the other hand, it was a recognition of failure, the inability to create a strong family. And then printouts of his conversations with Camilla appeared. They are genuine, there is no doubt about that. Conversations show how close Camilla and Charles were, how often in conversations Camilla supports Charles - praises him, encourages him, says how wonderful he is. He had never heard anything like it from his parents or his wife. Camilla did not miss the opportunity to say: "I'm proud of you."

However, the British were amazed at how frankly and with what pleasure they talked about sex. Many then believed that these records could cost Charles the throne.

Here is an episode of the conversation between Charles and Camilla, which shook the imagination of the British:

Charles. I need you. The problem is that you need
me several times a week. No, all week long.
Camilla. And I need you all week. Always.
Charles. Oh god, I need to live in your panties-
kah. Then it will become easier.
Camilla. What do you want to become? In my work
shiki?
Charles. Oh my god, I'm ready to be a tampax. It was
would be even better.
Camilla. What a fool you are! But how I like this
idea! I want you.
Charles. Truth? Me too. I love you.

The disgraced Charles disappeared from sight. For ten days he could not be seen at all. Camilla felt humiliated and insulted. She had nowhere to hide. She could not appear on the street. Fingers were pointed at her, insults were thrown in her face.

Much of this story seems at least strange. The recordings of Prince Charles' conversations with Camilla were three years old. Who wrote them down and kept them so carefully?
What about Diana's notes? One news agency admitted that it obtained recordings of conversations from sources close to the security services.

One conclusion can be drawn: there were serious forces that sought to compromise not Lady Diana, who could not play any role in politics, but Prince Charles, the heir to the throne. Influential circles set out to undermine his chances of succeeding to the throne. The Prince of Wales has been turned into an object of ridicule. Neutralized and removed from the throne.

When Diana decided to tell about her life, probably the whole of England was watching the TV program. She looked wonderful, and she even got away with admitting her own infidelity. The country supported her.

Only the royal family was outraged. “She is evil,” they decided in the royal family. Now the queen herself wanted to divorce her from her son. The negotiations were long. In 1996, the divorce took place. Diana refused to belong to the royal family, but she received seventeen million pounds sterling and four hundred thousand pounds annually for the maintenance of secretaries.

Charles returned to his duties. He again fearlessly appeared in public, began to spend more time with children and with Camilla. Charles told his friends:
- I will never marry again.

And Lady Diana has become a global figure. She was engaged in social and charitable activities. Raised money for AIDS patients, supported a campaign demanding a ban on the production and use of anti-personnel mines. She traveled all over the world and was greeted enthusiastically. How many people envied Diana!

Her personal life was not glued. She got freedom, but she couldn't find happiness.
She had a fleeting affair with the son of the late President John F. Kennedy. The younger Kennedy, a fashion magazine publisher, came to ask her for an interview. The conversation ended in bed. Moreover, they met in the very hotel where, according to legend, the American president spent time with actress Marilyn Monroe. They liked each other. But there was no continuation. Two years later, Diana died, and two years later, John F. Kennedy Jr. crashed in a plane crash.

When Charles celebrated his half-century anniversary, he sent his car for Camilla. The queen did not come to her son. She was not ready to accept the new role of Camille Parker Bowles, who was the hostess at this reception. Diana was sure that the queen would not allow her son to marry Camilla. But a month and a half later, Diana was dead. When Diana left, everything became possible.

In the early morning of August 31, 1997, the Mercedes with Diana and her lover Dodi al-Fayed crashed. The driver, leaving the paparazzi, lost control ... Diana was only thirty-six years old.

In any competition, the one who survived wins. Time passed, and Charles and Camilla began to appear together. Moreover, they began to live together. Camille has changed. She took up her figure, nails, hair, began to dress with famous fashion designers. The queen held out the longest. She did not want to see her son's mistress. Charles often took offense at his mother. But the Queen knows and understands him well, and she finally gave up in 2000. She saw that times were changing and she stopped resisting the inevitable. In June 2000, Camilla was taken to the Queen and they exchanged a few words. The deed was done.

On March 30, 2002, the Queen Mother died. She did not live to see the marriage of Charles and Camilla.
Elizabeth II stopped objecting to her marriage to Camilla. And even rejoiced for him:
- My son is at home, and next to him is the woman he loves.

How did the children react to Charles's new marriage? Apparently calm. Father is well, and thank God. In the house of Charles and Diana, the atmosphere was tense even on the best of days. Nobody felt comfortable. In the house of Charles and Camilla, peace and comfort. They are good with each other. And people, appreciating the sincerity of feelings, changed to them.

LEONID MLECHIN
Mlechin Leonid Mikhailovich 15 WOMEN OF LEONID MLECHIN

The book about influential and fatal women of the past and present presents the heroines of bright, sometimes outrageous, who at the same time left a real mark on history. Persons from the close circle of the Fuhrer ("Valkyries"); persons who made people talk about themselves in different years of the Soviet period ("Soviet heroines"); women who have become famous in recent years ("In the first roles and in the shadows"); the most prominent figures from the American elite ("Americans"). The text is full of interesting, sometimes sensational facts and details, illustrated with rare photographs.