After a long road in the spotlight, Prince Charles and Camilla are celebrating their 15th wedding anniversary this week.
The Prince of Wales first met Camilla Rosemary Shand in the summer of 1971, when he was 22 and she was 23 years old. The pair, who were introduced by a mutual friend, reportedly had an “instant attraction” to one another. They both shared a love of horses, hunting and the comedy radio show “The Goons.” However, at the time, Camilla also had an on-again off-again boyfriend, Andrew Parker Bowles, who had previously dated Charles’ sister Princess Anne.
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In June 1973, Camilla wed Andrew Parker Bowles. Princess Anne, the Queen Mother and Queen Elizabeth were all in attendance, but Charles was at sea with the Navy. Upon hearing news of the wedding, Charles reportedly wrote to his great-uncle Lord Mountbatten, “I suppose the feeling of emptiness will pass eventually.”
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In 1980, Charles began dating Diana Spencer. He also bought a country estate, Highgrove House, which was just 11 miles from Bolehyde Manor, where the Parker Bowles’ family resided.
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Charles and Diana wed in a fairytale wedding on July 29, 1981.
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The royal couple welcomed their first son, Prince William, in 1982 and their second son, Prince Harry, in 1984. According to Andrew Morton’s book, “Diana,” Charles was desperately hoping for a daughter when Harry was born, even remarking about his son’s red hair. Diana reportedly told friends, “Something inside me died” that day.
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Amid rumors of Charles and Camilla having an affair, Diana allegedly confronted Camilla during a party in 1989. “Camilla, I would just like you to know that I know exactly what is going on between you and Charles. I wasn’t born yesterday,” she said, according to Andrew Morton.
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In November 1992, the press released a private phone conversation between Charles and Camilla in which he professed a desire to “live in her trousers,” but said, with his luck he’d end up instead as a tampon “chucked down a lavatory and go on and on forever swirling round on the top.” A month later, the prime minister announced Charles and Diana’s separation. Meanwhile, Camilla and Andrew Parker Bowles filed for divorced in 1994 on the grounds that they had been living separate lives for years.
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In 1995, Diana said in a television interview that “there were three of us in the marriage, so it was a bit hard.” A year earlier, Charles had admitted to having an affair with Camilla, but only after his marriage had “irretrievably broken down.”
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Diana was killed in a car accident in Paris on August 31, 1997. There was an outpouring of grief and anger from the public at the royal family’s lack of response to her death.
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In 1999, Charles and Camilla made their first public appearance together. The next year, she accompanied him to Scotland for royal duties.
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Charles and Camilla wed in 2005, 34 years after they first met. “My darling Camilla, I can’t believe you married me,” Charles reportedly said during his speech to the bride, who looked up at him teary-eyed.
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On Thursday, the couple released a new photo together to celebrate their 15th wedding anniversary. The happy occasion comes just weeks after it was revealed Charles tested positive for the coronavirus. The couple, both 72, reunited after their self-isolations.
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