It’s not very often that a member of the royal family speaks candidly about their private relationships. Given how much media scrutiny they face on a daily basis, from alleged feuds to sartorial faux pas — they’re constantly vulnerable to criticism, and it’s likely very taxing.
While the 16-year-marriage between Camilla Parker-Bowles and Prince Charles was originally shrouded in controversy, there’s no denying that the pair have shared a long and happy union in the years since. Now, in a recent interview with British Vogue, the Duchess of Cornwall is candidly speaking about their relationship, including the special daily ritual they always try to make time for, and the difficulties of dealing with the fallout of Charles’ public divorce from Princess Diana.
“It’s not easy sometimes, but we do always try to have a point in the day when we meet,” she told the publication, when asked how the pair juggle their busy and likely conflicting schedules.
“Sometimes it’s like ships passing in the night, but we always sit down together and have a cup of tea and discuss the day.”
Understandably, after nearly two decades together, sometimes you don’t have a lot of things to say to one another, but Camilla revealed that being in the same room is more than enough.
“When we go away, the nicest thing is that we actually sit and read our books in different corners of the same room,” she revealed. “It’s very relaxing because you know you don’t have to make conversation. You just sit and be together.”
The couple, who met at a polo match in 1970, were rumoured to have an instant connection. Despite getting along instantaneously, the pair went on to marry different people — Charles to Diana and Camilla to Andrew Parker-Bowles. Camilla and Andrew would divorce in 1995, when news of her affair with Charles became public in 1992. Charles and Diana divorced in 1996, with the Princess tragically losing her life in a car accident in 1997.
“I was scrutinized for such a long time that you just have to find a way to live with it. Nobody likes to be looked at all the time and, you know, criticized,” Camilla said, of dealing with the press surrounding their respective divorces.
“But I think in the end, I sort of rise above it and get on with it. You’ve got to get on with life,” she told the outlet.
It wasn’t long before Charles and Camilla were marking major milestones in their now-public relationship, with Camilla meeting Prince William and Prince Harry in 1995, the same year that her divorce was finalised. She attended lunch with the Queen in 2000 and the pair were wed in 2005.
In February of this year, Queen Elizabeth II recognized Camilla’s “loyal service” with a request that she be known as Queen consort when Charles becomes king. The request, which was made in a letter to mark her Platinum Jubilee, was the first time the Queen had addressed her daughter-in-law’s future within the monarchy.
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