Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall

Camilla
Duchess of Cornwall; Duchess of Rothesay
The Duchess on a visit to Brazil, 2009
Spouse	Andrew Parker Bowles (m. 1973–1995) «start: (1973)–end+1: (1996)»"Marriage: Andrew Parker Bowles to Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall" Location: (linkback:http://localhost../../../../articles/c/a/m/Camilla,_Duchess_of_Cornwall_6bfc.html) (divorced) Charles, Prince of Wales (m. 2005–present) «start: (2005)»"Marriage: Charles, Prince of Wales to Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall" Location: (linkback:http://localhost../../../../articles/c/a/m/Camilla,_Duchess_of_Cornwall_6bfc.html)
Issue
Tom Parker Bowles Laura Lopes
Full name
Camilla Rosemary[1]
Father	Bruce Shand
Mother	The Honourable Rosalind Shand
Born	17 July 1947 (1947-07-17) (age 63) London, England
Religion	Anglican

Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall (née Shand, formerly Parker Bowles, born 17 July 1947) is the second wife of Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, and is the current holder of the title Duchess of Cornwall and of Rothesay. A spokesman for the Department of Constitutional Affairs told the Sunday Times "[Camilla] automatically takes the title Princess of Wales and all the other titles that go with her marriage to the Prince of Wales"^[2] although she uses one of her other titles, Duchess of Cornwall, in all parts of the United Kingdom except Scotland, where she is titled as Duchess of Rothesay.^[3] This preference of title reflects a desire to avoid confusion with the title closely identified with the Prince of Wales's first wife, Diana, Princess of Wales.

Early life and first marriage

Born at King's College Hospital, London,^[4][5][6][7] on 17 July 1947, Camilla was raised opposite the Plumpton Racecourse, Plumpton, East Sussex by her parents, Major Bruce Shand (a British Army officer turned wine merchant, as well as prisoner of war in World War II and recipient of the Military Cross and Bar) and The Honourable Rosalind Cubitt (1921–1994,^[8] eldest child of Sir Roland Calvert Cubitt, Ashcombe): her siblings are her brother, Mark, and sister, Annabel. Camilla attended Dumbells School in Sussex, as well as Queen's Gate School in Kensington. She subsequently attended the Mon Fertile finishing school in Switzerland and studied at the Institut Britannique in Paris. Following her education, she worked for a year at the offices of designers Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler. She also became an avid equestrienne and participated in fox hunting.

On 4 July 1973, Camilla married Andrew Parker Bowles, at the Guards Chapel, Wellington Barracks, London, their bridesmaids including Parker Bowles's goddaughter Lady Emma Herbert.^[9] The couple had two children: Tom, born in the year after the marriage, who is a godson of Prince Charles, and Laura, born in 1978; both Parker Bowles children were raised in their father's Roman Catholic faith, although both were married in the Church of England. Andrew Parker Bowles initiated divorce proceedings against Camilla following the admission by the Prince of Wales that he had conducted a long-term extra-marital affair with Mrs. Parker Bowles; the couple's divorce was finalised on 3 March 1995.

Relationship with the Prince of Wales

The Royal Family of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms
HM The Queen HRH The Duke of Edinburgh HRH The Prince of Wales HRH The Duchess of Cornwall HRH Prince William of Wales HRH Prince Harry of Wales HRH The Duke of York HRH Princess Beatrice of York HRH Princess Eugenie of York HRH The Earl of Wessex HRH The Countess of Wessex Viscount Severn Lady Louise Windsor HRH The Princess Royal HRH The Duke of Gloucester HRH The Duchess of Gloucester HRH The Duke of Kent HRH The Duchess of Kent HRH Prince Michael of Kent HRH Princess Michael of Kent HRH Princess Alexandra

The relationship between Camilla and Prince Charles began when they met at a polo match in 1970.^[10] Though she became one of the numerous girlfriends of Charles, and he was said to have wanted to marry her, Camilla was seen by royal courtiers as an unsuitable match for the future king. Robert Lacey wrote in his 2002 book, Royal: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, that Charles had met Camilla too early, and that he had not asked her to wait for him when he went overseas for military duties in 1972. Reliable published reports indicate that they renewed their romantic relationship in the 1980s.^[11]

The affair became public knowledge a decade later, with the publication of Diana: Her True Story, followed by the Camillagate scandal, wherein an intimate telephone conversation between Camilla and Charles was secretly recorded and the transcripts published in the tabloids.^[12] With the extra-marital relationship in the open, Diana gave an interview on the BBC programme Panorama, in which she blamed the relationship between Camilla, whom she privately referred to as "the Rottweiler",^[13][14] and the Prince of Wales as the reason for the break up of her own marriage, saying: "Well, there were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded."^[15] Though Camilla kept a low profile at this time, she became unpopular by these revelations.^[16] However, it was confirmed by Charles in a televised interview with Jonathan Dimbleby that the relationship between him and Camilla resumed during their respective marriages.^[17] Following this, the Parker Bowleses announced their own divorce in 1995; they had been living apart for some time, and a year later Andrew Parker Bowles married Rosemary Pitman.

Camilla occasionally became Charles's unofficial companion at events. This temporarily ceased at the time of Diana's death, but Camilla and Charles were photographed in public together in 1999. Though she maintained her residence in Wiltshire, Camilla then moved into Charles's household in 2003, resulting in decorative changes to both homes, though Buckingham Palace was explicit in pointing out that public funds had not been used for the renovations. In 2005, the media reported that Charles had also bought Camilla jewellery and a designer wardrobe. As the future Supreme Governor of the Church of England, the prospect of Charles marrying a divorcée was seen as controversial. Opinion—of both the public and the church—shifted, though, to a point where civil marriage was seen as an agreeable solution.

Second engagement and marriage

On 10 February 2005, it was announced by Clarence House that Camilla and the Prince of Wales were engaged; Camilla had been presented with an engagement ring that had belonged to the late Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. The marriage was to have been on 8 April of that year, and was to take place in a civil ceremony at Windsor Castle, with a subsequent religious blessing at St George's Chapel. But, because the conduct of a civil marriage at Windsor Castle would oblige the venue to thereafter be available to anyone wishing to be married there, the location was changed to the Windsor Guildhall. On 4 April it was announced that the marriage would be delayed by one day to allow for the Prince of Wales and some of the invited dignitaries to attend the funeral of Pope John Paul II.^[18] As Charles's parents did not attend the marriage ceremony (the Queen's reluctance to attend arising from her position as Supreme Governor of the Church of England),^[19] neither did Camilla's father; her children, instead, acted as witnesses of the union, as did Prince William and Prince Harry. The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh did, however, attend the service of blessing, and held a reception for the newlyweds at Windsor Castle afterwards.^[20] Following the wedding, the couple travelled to the Prince's country home in Scotland, Birkhall, and carried out their first public duties as a couple during their honeymoon.

Duchess of Cornwall

Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, and the Duchess of Cornwall are greeted by Tobago Chief Secretary, Orville London.

After becoming Duchess of Cornwall, the duchess automatically acquired rank as the second highest female in the United Kingdom Order of Precedence (after the Queen), and as typically fifth or sixth in the orders of precedence of her other realms, following the Queen, the relevant viceroy, the Duke of Edinburgh, and the Prince of Wales. It was revealed, though, that the royal order of precedence for private occasions had Camilla placed fourth, after the Queen, the Princess Royal, and Princess Alexandra.^[21] Within two years of the marriage, the Queen extended Camilla visible tokens of membership in the Royal Family; use of a tiara of the late Queen Mother,^[22] and the badge of the Royal Family Order of Queen Elizabeth II.

President and Mrs Bush greet TRH The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall

Though no details were publicly released, it was confirmed in March 2007 that Camilla had undergone a hysterectomy,^[23] the same year that marked the tenth anniversary of the death of Diana. According to an announcement by Clarence House, it was the Duchess's intent to attend the anniversary memorial service for Diana, Princess of Wales on 31 August 2007, along with The Prince of Wales, and The Princes William and Harry of Wales. The Duchess withdrew from attending, stating that she wished not to "divert attention from the purpose of the occasion which is to focus on the life and service of Diana."^[24] On April 8, 2010, Camilla broke her left leg whilst hill walking in Scotland.

Royal duties

Initially, the Duchess of Cornwall's royal duties involved accompanying the Prince of Wales on his official obligations. Camilla's first solo engagement was a visit to a hospital in Southampton; she attended the Trooping the Colour for the first time in June 2005, making her appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace afterwards. The same year, she made her inaugural overseas tour to the United States, and, in March of the following year, the Prince and Duchess undertook a trip through Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and India. She also conducted the naming ceremony for HMS Astute on 8 June 2007, and, on 10 December, she did the same for the new Cunard cruise ship, MS Queen Victoria,^[25][26] it being said that the Queen had been surprised by Cunard's invitation.^[27] The Duchess of Cornwall is the patron of The Royal School, Hampstead, an independent girl's school,^[28][29] as well as President or Patron of a number of other charities, as detailed below.

Titles, styles, honours and arms; Charities and patronages

Titles and styles

Royal styles of The Duchess of Cornwall
Reference style	Her Royal Highness
Spoken style	Your Royal Highness
Alternative style	Ma'am

• 17 July 1947 – 4 July 1973: Miss Camilla Rosemary Shand
• 4 July 1973 – 3 March 1995: Mrs Andrew Parker Bowles
• 3 March 1995 – 9 April 2005: Mrs Camilla Parker Bowles
• 9 April 2005 –  : Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall
  • in Scotland: 9 April 2005 – : Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Rothesay

Camilla's style and title in full: Her Royal Highness The Princess Charles Philip Arthur George, Princess of Wales and Countess of Chester, Duchess of Cornwall, Duchess of Rothesay, Countess of Carrick, Baroness of Renfrew, Lady of the Isles, Princess of Scotland.^[30]

Because the title 'Princess of Wales' remains strongly associated with the previous holder of that title, the late Diana, Princess of Wales, Camilla is referred to with the feminine form of her husband's subsidiary title, Duke of Cornwall.^[3] Also, unless a specific Act of Parliament is passed in the United Kingdom to the contrary, Camilla will, upon the accession of her husband, legally be queen.^[31][32] However, it has been indicated that when the Prince of Wales accedes to the throne, Camilla will remain styled as Her Royal Highness, with the title of The Princess Consort,^[33] similar to the style of Prince Albert. Note that this is not the same usage as her father-in-law, HRH The Prince Philip, whose official title does not include the word "consort."

Honours

Appointments

• 30 October 2007: Royal Family Order of Queen Elizabeth II

Decorations

• 2005: Commemorative Medal for the Centennial of Saskatchewan^[34]

Honorary military appointments

The Duchess of Cornwall holds the following military appointments:

United Kingdom

• Royal Colonel of the 4th Battalion of The Rifles
• 2008: Honorary Air Commodore of RAF Halton
• Honorary Air Commodore of RAF Leeming
• Commodore-in-Chief of the Naval Medical Services
• Commodore-in-Chief Naval Chaplaincy Service
• Lady sponsor of HMS Astute^[35]

Arms

On the duchess' 58th birthday, Clarence House announced that Camilla had been granted by the Queen a coat of arms for her own personal use. It was reported that the Queen, Charles, and Camilla all took a "keen interest" in the arms' creation, and they were prepared by Peter Gwynn-Jones, Garter Principal King of Arms.^[36]

Arms of Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall Notes The Duchess' coat of arms impale the Prince of Wales' main coat of arms to the dexter, with her father's coat of arms to the sinister, all surmounted by her husband's coronet as heir apparent. Aside from the invention of a boar supporter (reflected in her paternal arms) for the sinister side, Camilla's coat of arms is entirely consistent with the historical heraldic arrangement for a married woman who is not herself a heraldic heiress. Supporters Dexter: a lion rampant gardant Or imperially crowned Proper; sinister: a boar Boar Azure armed and unguled Or langued Gules and gorged with a Coronet composed of crosses formy and fleurs-de-lys attached thereto a Chain reflexed over the back and ending in a ring all Or.

Charities and patronages

The Duchess of Cornwall is President or Patron of a number of charities. They include:

• Animal Care Trust (under the umbrella of The Royal Veterinary College) (Patron)
• Barnardo's (President)
• British Equestrian Federation (Patron)
• Brooke Hospital for Animals (President)
• Community First (Patron)
• Cornwall Community Foundation (Patron)
• Cowbridge Physic Garden Trust (Patron)
• Crathie Opportunity Holidays (Patron)
• De La Warr Pavilion, The (President)
• Desert Rats 7th Armoured Division Thetford Forest Memorial Association, The (Patron; Honorary Member)
• Devon County Agricultural Association, The (President)
• Dispensaire Francais, Le (Patron)
• Ditchling Museum (President)
• Elmhurst School for Dance (Patron)
• Emmaus UK (Patron)
• Fan Museum, The (Patron)
• Friends of Lacock Church Appeal (Patron)
• Friends of Westonbirt Arboretum (Patron)
• Georgian Theatre Royal, The (Joint Patron with The Prince of Wales)
• Girl's Friendly Society (Patron)
• Helen & Douglas House (Patron)
• Holfords of Westonbirt Trust, The (Joint President with The Prince of Wales)
• Kennel Club Charitable Trust, The (Patron)
• Langford Trust for Animal Welfare (Patron)
• London Chamber Orchestra (Patron)
• Maggie's (President)
• Marwari Horse Society (Patron)
• Moorland Mousie Trust (Patron)
• National Osteoporosis Society (President)
• New Queen's Hall Orchestra (Patron)
• Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre (Patron)
• P.G. Wodehouse Society of the Netherlands, The (Patron)
• Public Catalogue Foundation, The (Patron)
• Public Catalogue Foundation's Cornish Catalogue (Patron)
• Royal British Legion Women's Section, The (Life Member)
• Royal National Hospital For Rheumatic Diseases (Patron)
• Royal School Hampstead, The (Patron)
• Scotland’s Gardens Scheme (President)
• Scottish National Equestrian Centre (Patron)
• Scottish Women's Rural Institute, The (Ballater branch) (Honorary Member)
• Shelterbox (President)
• Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists, The (Patron)
• St John's Smith Square Charitable Trust (Patron)
• Tetbury Film Society (Patron)
• Theatre Royal Bath, The (Patron)
• Trinity Hospice (Patron)
• Unicorn Theatre for Children (Patron)
• Upper Deeside Art Society, The (Patron)
• War Memorial Trust (Patron)
• West of England School and College for young people with little or no sight (Patron)
• Wilts and Berks Canal Trust (Patron)
• Wiltshire Bobby Van Trust (Patron)

Children

Ancestry

According to genealogist William Addams Reitwiesner, the Duchess of Cornwall's ancestry is predominantly French, English, Dutch, and Scottish. Through her French lineage, Camilla's maternal line great-great-grandmother was Sophia Mary MacNab of Hamilton, Ontario, who was herself the descendant of 17th century immigrants to Quebec, daughter of Sir Allan MacNab, and wife of William Coutts Keppel, Earl of Albemarle. Their son, George, was husband to Alice Edmonstone, who was the mistress of King Edward VII, himself the great-great-grandfather of Prince Charles: thus, Camilla and Charles are ninth cousins once removed.^[37] Through her mother she is a descendant of Zacharie Cloutier.^[38] This same lineage makes Camilla a distant relation of Celine Dion and Madonna,^[39] while her bloodline is also connected to King Charles II, through his illegitimate son, Charles Lennox, Duke of Richmond; Thomas Cubitt, prominent Victorian architect; and, through the Earl of Albemarle, Judith Keppel, the first winner of the top prize on the television game show Who Wants to be a Millionaire?.^[40] Through Charles II of England and Scotland, Camilla is also related, although distantly, to Diana, Princess of Wales.

References

Bibliography

• Bradford, Sarah (2006). Diana. Penguin Group. ISBN 9780670916788 
• Dimbleby, Jonathan (1994). The Prince of Wales, a Biography. Hamilton: Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 0316910163 

External links

• "Official website of the British monarchy - HRH The Duchess of Cornwall". Royal Household. http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page5568.asp. 
• "Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall". Duchy of Cornwall Office. http://www.duchyofcornwall.org/abouttheduchy_theduchessofcornwall.htm. Retrieved 2009-04-20. 
• "Prince of Wales's homepage -- The Duchess". http://www.princeofwales.gov.uk/personalprofiles/theduchessofcornwall/index.html. 
• Monarchy Wales. "Monarchy Wales -- campaign organisation". http://www.monarchywales.org.uk. 
• "Illustrated biography of Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall". English Monarchs database. http://www.englishmonarchs.co.uk/windsor_9.htm. 
• "Profile: Camilla Parker Bowles". BBC. 10 February 2005. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4252971.stm. Retrieved 2 January 2010. 
• "Special section on the marriage of Camilla and Prince Charles". BBC News Online. 15 August 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/uk/2005/charles_and_camilla/default.stm. Retrieved 2 January 2010. 
• "Prince Charles to marry Camilla". BBC. 10 February 2005. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4252795.stm. Retrieved 2 January 2010. 
• Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall at the Internet Movie Database
• "Camilla's Friends Bite Back, part 1". Youtube. http://tr.youtube.com/watch?v=of2Wv1tzRac. Retrieved 2009-04-20. 

Charles, Prince of Wales Titles Prince of Wales • Prince and Great Steward of Scotland • Duke of Cornwall • Duke of Rothesay • Earl of Carrick • Earl of Chester • Baron of Renfrew • Lord of the Isles • more Family Diana, Princess of Wales (first wife) • Prince William (elder son) • Prince Henry (younger son) • Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall (second wife) Events War of the Waleses • Investiture of the Prince of Wales • First Wedding • Second Wedding Charities The Prince's Charities • The Prince's Trust • The Prince's Drawing School · The Prince's Foundation for the Built Environment • The Prince's Foundation for Integrated Health • The Prince's Regeneration Trust • Business in the Community • Mutton Renaissance Campaign Miscellaneous Duchy Originals • Poundbury

British princesses by marriage 1st generation Margravine Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach 2nd generation Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha 3rd generation Maria Walpole · Anne Luttrell 4th generation Duchess Caroline of Brunswick · Princess Frederica Charlotte of Prussia · The Princess Mary* · Princess Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen · Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld · Duchess Frederica of Mecklenburg-Strelitz · Princess Augusta of Hesse-Cassel 5th generation Princess Marie of Saxe-Altenburg 6th generation Princess Alexandra of Denmark · Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia · Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia · Princess Helena of Waldeck and Pyrmont · Princess Thyra of Denmark 7th generation Princess Mary of Teck · Princess Victoria Adelaide of Schleswig-Holstein · Princess Alexandra, Duchess of Fife* · Princess Victoria Louise of Prussia 8th generation Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon · Lady Alice Montagu-Douglas-Scott · Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark · Princess Ortrud of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg · Countess Monika of Solms-Laubach · Princess Sophie of Greece and Denmark 9th generation Birgitte Henriksen · Katharine Worsley · Baroness Marie Christine von Reibnitz 10th generation Lady Diana Spencer · Camilla Shand · Sarah Ferguson · Sophie Rhys-Jones * also princess of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in her own right.