After Princess Diana and Prince Charles separated, the future King’s aff.air with Camilla (then Parker Bowles) exploded into public view when a transcript of their intimate phone conversation leaked to the press. The recording — which some described as containing “phone sex” — became front-page news and was nicknamed Camillagate and Tampongate. It followed a year of public strain for the royal family.

The Infamous 1989 Call

The call reportedly took place on December 17, 1989, while Charles was still married to Diana and Camilla to Andrew Parker Bowles. Alongside talk of how to meet in secret, the pair exchanged romantic and sexual remarks.

In the most notorious section, Charles joked about wanting to “live inside” Camilla’s clothes, adding, “Or, God forbid, a Tampax. Just my luck to be chucked down a lavatory and swirl round forever.” The conversation ended with declarations of love.

The press published the transcript in full and even set up a phone line for the public to hear the recording. In a 1994 documentary, Charles admitted to infidelity but claimed it happened only after his marriage had “irretrievably broken down.”

How the Recording Emerged

Accounts differ on how the call surfaced. One version claims an amateur radio enthusiast accidentally intercepted the signal while experimenting with a device that could pick up mobile calls. Another suggests British secret services recorded it.

According to journalist Tina Brown, the man who recorded the call only approached the press after another leaked royal conversation — between Diana and friend James Gilbey — hit headlines in “Squidgygate.” The Daily Mirror reportedly paid £30,000 for the Charles–Camilla tape in 1992 but delayed full publication until January 1993, after both were separated from their spouses.

Sunday Mirror editor Colin Myler defended releasing the transcript, arguing the public had a right to know about the private life of the future King.

Aftermath and Long-Term Impact

The leak deepened the rift between Charles and Diana, whose divorce was finalised in 1996. It also strained Camilla’s marriage, leading to her divorce from Andrew Parker Bowles.

While rumours of the affair had swirled for years, the transcript brought unprecedented public scrutiny. Charles and Camilla continued their relationship privately, only appearing together publicly after Diana’s death in 1997. They married in a civil ceremony in 2005.

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