Queen Camilla, wife of King Charles III, celebrates her 77th birthday on July 17.
Queen Camilla celebrates her 77th birthday. Photo: Getty
No doubt, there will be much to reflect on as she looks back on the last two years – a period that she might have struggled to imagine. Following the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022, Queen Camilla found herself in a position she never expected: the wife of the reigning King. Then, less than a year after the Coronation, her husband was diagnosed with cancer, and she was thrust even further into the spotlight.
Once tabloid fodder and a source of scandal, the relationship of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles (née Shand) went on to become accepted not only in the eyes of the Royal Family, but the country. The couple were wed in 2005 and have since gone from strength to strength, with Camilla becoming a trusted member of the royal fold. As Queen Camilla celebrates her birthday, we look back at her life in the royal spotlight.
April 2024: The Queen accompanies King Charles as he makes his first public appearance since his cancer diagnosis was announced
March 2024: Queen Camilla shows off her bond with Prince William as the two lead the royals at the Commonwealth Day service. The pair are believed to have grown closer as they support the King and Catherine through their health battles
May 2023: Queen Camilla and King Charles in the Coronation Procession as they return along the Mall to Buckingham Palace
May 2023: Camilla is crowned as Queen at Westminster Abbey
September 2022: King Charles III and Camilla, then Queen Consort, attend Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral
September 2022: After the death of Queen Elizabeth II, Camilla becomes the Queen Consort
June 2022: As Britain celebrates the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, Camilla (then Duchess of of Cornwall) appears on the balcony of Buckingham palace alongside Elizabeth II, Prince Charles, Prince William, the then Duchess of Cambridge, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis
June 2022: Queen Elizabeth II appoints Camilla a Royal Lady of the Most Noble Order of the Garter
March 2020: Prince Charles and Camilla’s planned spring tour gets cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak
March 2019: Their Royal Highnesses make history by becoming the first members of the Royal Family to visit Cuba in an official capacity
May 2018: Camilla and Charles attend the wedding of Prince Harry to Meghan Markle at St George’s Chapel
June 9, 2016: Queen Elizabeth II appoints the then Duchess of Cornwall as a member of the Privy Council
April 2014: Camilla’s brother, Mark Shand, dies unexpectedly after falling and hitting his head in New York
June 3, 2012: Camilla and Charles take part in the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant as thousands of people attend despite poor weather conditions
November 2012: Prince Charles and Camilla arrive in Papua New Guniea on the first leg of a Diamond Jubilee Tour taking in Papua New Guinea, Canada, Australia and New Zealand
April 2011: Prince William marries Catherine Middleton at Westminster Abbey
June 2006: Camilla’s father Major Bruce Shand dies aged 89
May 2006: Laura Parker Bowles (Camilla’s daughter) marries Harry Lopes at St Cyriac’s Church in Lacock
June 2005: The Duchess of Cornwall attends Trooping the Colour for the first time in her role as wife of the heir to the throne and makes her first appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace
April 2005: Camilla and her husband Prince Charles honeymoon in Scotland
April 2005: Camilla becomes the Duchess of Cornwall as she marries Prince Charles at Guildhall in Windsor
February 2005: Camilla and Charles announce their engagement
2003: Camilla moves into Prince Charles’s official home, Clarence House
June 2002: Queen Elizabeth II acknowledges Camilla’s relationship with Prince Charles by inviting her to sit in the Royal Box during her Golden Jubilee concert
2000: Camilla starts accompanying Charles to official events including The Prince’s Foundation Gala Dinner
January 1999: Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles make their first public appearance together, attending a 50th birthday party for Camilla’s sister at The Ritz
August 1996: Diana, Princess of Wale and Prince Charles formally end their marriage
March 1995: Andrew and Camilla Parker Bowles divorce
July 1994: Camilla’s mother, Rosalind Shand, dies
January 1993: The publishing of Andrew Morton’s book, Diana, Her True Story, results in public controversy around Charles and Camilla’s relationship
1986: Rumours emerge around Camilla’s relationship with Charles
July 1981: Camilla attends the Charles and Diana’s Royal Wedding
1979: Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles are seen together at a polo match
1974-1978: Camilla and Andrew welcome two children, Tom and Laura
July 1973: Camilla Shand and Major Andrew Parker-Bowles pass through the Guard of Honour after their wedding at the Guards Chapel, Wellington Barracks
1971-1973: Camilla dates Charles for two years
Originally published in Tatler.com
