Duchess of Cornwall Camilla Second wife of Charles, Prince of Wales Date of Birth: 17.07.1947 Country: Great Britain

Biography of Duchess of Cornwall Camilla

Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, is the second wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, the eldest son and heir apparent of Queen Elizabeth II. Instead of using the title Princess of Wales, which she is entitled to, Camilla decided to use other titles, Duchess of Cornwall in England and Duchess of Rothesay in Scotland. The title Princess of Wales is still strongly associated with the persona of Charles' first wife, Diana, Princess of Wales, who tragically passed away in 1997.

Camilla Rosemary Shand was born on July 17, 1947, in London. She is the eldest daughter of Major Bruce Shand, who later became a wine merchant, and his wife Rosalind Cubitt, a British aristocrat and the daughter of the 3rd Baron Ashcombe. The Shands belonged to the upper class, and Camilla grew up in East Sussex, with a second home in London. She had a younger sister and brother and enjoyed a privileged childhood surrounded by cats and dogs. Camilla learned horse riding, spent her days reading, and described every day of her childhood as perfect.

At the age of five, Camilla attended Dumbrells School, and at ten, she transferred to Queen's Gate School in South Kensington, closer to their city home. When she was sixteen, Camilla went to Switzerland to polish her manners and then further enhanced her French language skills and studied French literature in Paris.

On March 25, 1965, Camilla made her debut as one of the young debutantes in London. After that, she worked as a secretary at several London firms, including the decorating agency 'Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler.' In her free time, she dedicated herself to horse riding, gardening, and painting.

In 1973, Camilla married British Army officer Andrew Parker Bowles, with whom she had a son and a daughter. Their wedding was attended by eight hundred guests, including the Queen Mother, Princess Anne, and Princess Margaret. Before announcing their engagement, Camilla and Andrew had an on-again, off-again relationship. At one point, Andrew even courted Princess Anne. They divorced in 1995, shortly after Andrew retired from the military. Camilla and Andrew now have five grandchildren.

Interestingly, Camilla's maternal great-grandmother, Alice Keppel, was the mistress of King Edward VII, Charles' great-grandfather, for twelve years. Camilla and Charles had met in their youth, became friends, and even dated for a while. However, their relationship didn't progress during that time, as Charles went on military service overseas. Various sources provide different reasons for this, including Charles being too young to announce an engagement, the Queen's disapproval of Camilla, or Camilla's desire to marry another man. Nevertheless, she married Parker Bowles, and Charles married Diana Spencer, but their affair, which attracted widespread attention and often made headlines in the British and international press, continued.

Since 1999, Camilla and Charles began appearing together in public. In 2005, their relationship culminated in a modest wedding ceremony at the Windsor Guildhall, followed by a blessing from the Archbishop of Canterbury at the Windsor Castle chapel. Today, the Duchess of Cornwall shares all her husband's duties. She undertakes official visits, hosts foreign dignitaries, engages in patronage of medical and educational institutions, and participates in ceremonial events. Camilla pays special attention to the National Osteoporosis Society (as her mother and grandmother died from this disease), works to support victims of sexual violence, and patronizes educational organizations.