Prince Charles married Princess Diana in a fairy-tale wedding. But in Diana’s own words, there were three of us in this marriage. The other woman was Camilla Parker Bowles, who always said she was holding out for a king. Camilla and Charles’ affair destroyed his marriage.
When he became King in 2002, Camilla fulfilled her lifelong ambition to become Queen. However, there were several major twists along the way…
Camilla’s Early Life
Camilla Rosemary Shand (pictured, right) was born in London on July 17th, 1947. She was born into high society through both her aristocratic parents. Her father, Major Bruce Middleton Hope Shand, Vice Lord Lieutenant of East Sussex, was a former British Army officer-turned-wine merchant.
Her mother, The Honourable Rosalind Maud Cubitt, was the daughter of the 3rd Baron Ashcombe and a charity worker. Camilla has a younger sister, Annabel Elliot — and she also had a younger brother, Mark, until he sadly passed away when he fell and hit his head in New York in 2014.
Home and Education
The Shand family divided their time between their three-story house in South Kensington and their $2 million, 18th-century country estate, The Laines, in East Sussex. When she was 10, Camilla (pictured, left) went to London’s exclusive Queen’s Gate School. She was an avid reader, horse rider, and tomboy.
Classmates described “Milla” as a girl of “inner strength,” exuding “magnetism and confidence,” and “bright and lively.” Despite these glowing references, 16-year-old Camilla left Queen’s Gate School with one O-level in 1964. For reference, most average students gained 8-10 O-Levels.
