What was the most hated woman in the United Kingdom is today an asset for Carlos III. Camila Shand, better known as Parker Bowles by her first husband’s last name, has gone through a long path of redemption since she was singled out as one of the reasons for the separation between Carlos and Diana of Wales to becoming a queen, with acceptance among the British and with the same title as the rest of the king’s wives who preceded her.
After years of tangling with the fact that Camila would never be crowned queen, it was Elizabeth II who, in celebration of her seven decades on the throne, asked that when the time came, her son’s wife be named queen consort. And Carlos III endorsed it in his first speech as king. Things of fate, the one who will be crowned this Saturday because in 1936 his great-uncle resigned for marrying a divorced woman, will show that times change even for the most stagnant monarchies.
Finally Camila will be crowned queen, and, for this, her image has had to evolve from secret lover to beloved wife. Little by little and with a good public relations team, her rivalry with the still vivid memory of Lady Di has faded. In recent times, Camila has been described as a woman with a great sense of duty, and, although it is difficult to find similarities in her with the figure of Isabel II, it must be recognized that she knows how to be discreet with her opinions (unlike her husband) and knows how to stay in the background, as required by the position (unlike Diana).
Against all odds, after more than thirty years of clandestine love, Camila and Carlos got married 17 years ago in Windsor. The multiple obstacles to the marriage of the then Prince of Wales came up until a few days before the ceremony, when it had to be postponed until the following day for the funeral of John Paul II. But at least it came to be celebrated, as many speculated as to whether the storm of adversities and the contrary public opinion were finally going to cancel that shadowed and dwarfed state wedding that has led Camila to become queen.
Seven years after Diana’s death, Camilla walked arm in arm with Charles in a pearl gray dress from St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle after receiving a blessing. Elizabeth II visited in white to reinforce the idea that this was not a wedding wedding, since the legal link was a civil ceremony at the Windsor Guildhall town hall, which the queen did not attend.
It is said that it was Camila’s father who asked Carlos to turn his daughter into a decent woman for history and finally the Crown agreed to the marriage despite the initial reluctance of Isabel II and those of Carlos’ children, Prince William and Henry. The latter called her “dangerous” and “villain” in her memoirs and blamed her for leaking gossip to tabloids, but it is already known how Enrique has spent it since her move to the United States.
About this conception of being the villain constantly scrutinized and compared to the first wife of Carlos III, Camila herself spoke recently for her 75th birthday. She told British Vogue: “It’s not easy. I’ve been scrutinized for so long that your only option is to find a way to live with it. Nobody likes to be stared at all the time and, you know, criticized. But I think that in the end I get over it and I get to work. You have to get on with your life.”
The triangle formed by Carlos, Diana and Camila portrayed the latter as a villain and these almost three decades since then have confirmed her as a good companion. She has not wanted to be presented as a simple victim of the press, nor has she cried prominence and has never complained. Unlike, for example, Meghan Markle, who has had much less endurance than her among the Windsors despite having much more widespread support and more affable times than Camila’s.
A very revealing episode of Camila’s role in the life of Carlos III occurred on September 13, 2022, and on other days after the death of Isabel II, when the nerves of the newly released king were a powder keg and he had viral problems with fountain pens. Then, the king’s constant outbursts contrasted with the impassiveness of Camila, who, after decades of love, seems to be her balm and perhaps the only one who dares to tell the irascible Carlos what she does not want to hear.
As a curiosity, he likes the countryside, fishing, gardening and cooking. Despite being one of the least photogenic members of royalty, fate has made Camila one of the most photographed people in the world. With her first husband, Andrew Parker Bowles, she had two children, Tom Parker Bowles and Laura Lopes. Most of the grandchildren he has been given by her will be royal pages this Saturday.
