King Charles and Queen Camilla have faced some of the most challenging moments together. Their tumultuous journey began with their well-known affair, which occurred while both were still married—Charles to Princess Diana and Camilla to Andrew Parker Bowles. Although the public, as well as some members of the Royal Family, initially struggled to accept Camilla, she eventually overcame the odds and became a respected and cherished part of the monarchy.

Unlike Charles, Camilla wasn’t born into royalty. She grew up in Sussex, where she shared a close bond with her sister, Annabel. The two were inseparable, even attending the same school together. Today, Annabel has adjusted to attending high-profile royal occasions, such as the coronation of her brother-in-law, King Charles.

For much of her life, Annabel has stayed out of the spotlight, avoiding public attention. However, she recently chose to open up, offering new insights into King Charles and Queen Camilla’s marriage.

When news of the affair between Charles and Camilla became public, few believed it would end well. At the time, Princess Diana was deeply loved by the British public. After learning of Charles’ betrayal—and despite revelations that Diana had also been unfaithful—the public’s anger turned toward Camilla.

King Charles & Queen Camilla

Charles and Camilla’s connection began long before the king ever met Diana. Their relationship dates back to 1972, when they first crossed paths at a polo match.

According to Gyles Brandreth’s book, Charles and Camilla, Portrait of a Love Affair, the two were introduced by their mutual friend Lucia Santa Cruz, the daughter of the Chilean ambassador.

The pair briefly dated but went their separate ways when Charles departed to serve in the Royal Navy. By the time he returned, Camilla was already engaged to Andrew Parker Bowles.

Camilla and Bowles tied the knot in 1973, though she and Charles remained close friends. In 1980, Charles began a relationship with 19-year-old Diana Spencer.

When Diana first met Camilla and her husband, Camilla reportedly found Diana to be “sweet and cute” and approved of her. Initially, Diana and Camilla seemed to get along, but their relationship quickly became strained.

“I met [Camilla] very early on. I was introduced to the circle, but I was a threat, I was a very young girl, but I was a threat,” Diana shared in the book Diana: In Her Own Words.

Prince Charles’ authorized biography, as cited by Town & Country, revealed that Charles and Camilla’s affair began in 1986 while Charles was still married to Diana. Upon discovering the affair, Diana confronted Camilla directly.

From the outside, everything appeared normal for Charles and Diana, with no sign of trouble. However, it didn’t take long for the illusion of their fairytale life to shatter.

Infamous Tampongate scandal

The notorious Tampongate scandal left a significant mark on the Royal Family’s history. In 1992, Charles and Diana announced their separation but continued fulfilling their royal duties. By August 1996, their divorce was finalized.

However, long before the divorce, rumors about Charles’s relationship with Camilla had already circulated widely. An event in December 1989 provided undeniable evidence that their affair had been ongoing for years.

Shortly after Charles and Diana made their separation public, the media published the full transcript of a private phone conversation between Charles and Camilla. The recording revealed an intimate and highly personal exchange between the two. As described in The Diana Chronicles, the individual who had recorded the call held onto it for years before releasing it.

The revelations were shocking, especially since they involved the future king. Hearing him say things like “live inside her trousers” was both unexpected and seen as deeply inappropriate. According to Sally Bedell Smith’s biography, Elizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch, a public opinion poll conducted after the transcript’s release painted a grim picture. Sixty-eight percent of respondents believed that Charles had irreparably damaged his reputation, while 42 percent even suggested that Prince William should succeed Queen Elizabeth instead of Charles.

Camilla also faced heavy backlash, both from the public and members of the Royal Family. Unsurprisingly, her popularity among the British people plummeted, and she was far from being welcomed by Queen Elizabeth. In 2018, journalist and author Tom Bower revealed that the queen initially avoided any interaction with Camilla, prompting Charles to confront his mother directly.

Queen Camilla was afraid of leaving her house

As stated, the public didn’t want anything to do with Camilla, and according to royal expert Angela Levin, author of the 2022 book Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall: A Royal Survivor, Camilla had to endure “torrents” of mistreatment.

Speaking with OK!, Levin claimed the now-queen was pretty much forced to spend most of her time at her home to avoid backlash. Moreover, the expert claims Camilla was afraid to leave the house to shop or visit stores. Instead, she had to send her friends to do her errands.

“It was very difficult for her, as she was portrayed as the most wicked woman in the world. She was constantly called nasty names like ‘rottweiler,’ and it must have come as a huge shock that people were so vile about her,” Levin said.

It has been reported Charles himself paid for Camilla’s security, hiring two full-time protection officers. When they married in 2005, she qualified for publicly funded security, meaning Charles no longer had to pay them out of his pocket.

Levin said: “I don’t think Charles realised how awful it was for her. He was often away on engagements and working hard for the country and Commonwealth, and at the time, Camilla didn’t have protection officers because she wasn’t part of the Royal Family. But when Charles finally realized, he did get protection for her, which he paid for himself.”

Fortunately for Camilla, she became increasingly popular as the years went by. Even so, Angela Levin suspects she “must still bear the scars of it all.”

“She still gets nervous about things,” Levin added. “She can never be sure how people are going to react towards her,” the royal expert and author added. “There’s a small but very harsh group of people who still think she’s the wrong woman for him.”