King Charles and Queen Camilla have been through the most difficult times together. Their up-and-down narrative began with their famed affairs while still married, Charles with Princess Diana and Camilla with Andrew Parker Bowles. While the public and some members of the Royal Family struggled to accept Camilla, she eventually turned things around and became a beloved member of the firm.
Camilla’s sister Annabel has spent most of her life in the background, unwilling to become a public figure. She has decided to speak out, disclosing new insights regarding King Charles and Queen Camilla’s marriage.
When King Charles and Queen Camilla’s scandalous affair became public, nobody expected it to end happily. At the time, the British public admired Princess Diana, and after witnessing her betrayal by her husband – though it later emerged that she, too, had an affair – they turned on Camilla.
Of course, Charles and Camilla met before the King met Diana. Their romance began in 1972, when they met at a polo tournament.
Gyles Brandreth, the author of Charles and Camilla, Portrait of a Love Affair, asserts that Charles and Camilla were introduced by their mutual friend Lucia Santa Cruz, the daughter of Chile’s ambassador.
King Charles & Queen Camilla
Bowles and Camilla married in 1973, though Camilla maintained a close and friendly relationship with Charles. The now-king then started dating 19-year-old Diana Spencer in 1980.
When Diana was presented to the Bowles couple, Camilla felt she was “sweet and cute” and approved. Initially, Diana and Camilla got along well. Things soon became awkward.
“I met Camilla quite early on. I was introduced to the circle, but I was a threat; I was a young girl, but I was a threat,” Diana wrote in her book Diana: In Her Own Words.
According to Prince Charles’ authorized biography, which was quoted by Town & Country, Charles and Camilla began their affair in 1986. Charles was still married to Princess Diana at the time. She learned out about it and confronted Camilla.
The infamous Tampongate scandal
By that point, the public had already learned about Charles’ relationship with Camilla. And what happened in December 1989 essentially confirmed that they had been having an affair for years.
Just months after Charles and Diana’s legal separation, the press released a full transcript of a phone chat between the future King and Camilla.
The phone call revealed an intimate and sexual exchange between the couple. According to The Diana Chronicles, the individual who recorded it kept it to himself for years.
Queen Camilla was terrified to leave her house.
Camilla was, predictably, unpopular with the British public. Not only that, but she was not one of Queen Elizabeth’s favorites. In 2018, investigative author and journalist Tom Bower reported that the queen initially did not want to interact with Camilla, prompting Charles to face his mother.
As previously said, the people wanted nothing to do with Camilla, and according to royal analyst Angela Levin, author of the 2022 book Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall: A Royal Survivor, Camilla was subjected to “torrents” of abuse.
Levin told OK! that the now-queen was essentially compelled to spend the majority of her time at home to avoid retaliation. Furthermore, the expert believes Camilla was afraid to leave the house to shop or visit a store. Instead, she had to send her friends to run her errands.
“It was extremely difficult for her because she was portrayed as the most wicked woman in the world.” She was often called awful names like ‘rottweiler,’ and it must have come as a tremendous shock that people were so mean to her,” Levin added.
“She can never be sure how people are going to react”
Levin said: “I don’t think Charles realized how awful it was for her. He was often away on engagements and working hard for the country and Commonwealth, and at the time, Camilla didn’t have protection officers because she wasn’t part of the Royal Family. But when Charles finally realized, he did get protection for her, which he paid for himself.”
Fortunately for Camilla, she gained popularity over time. Despite this, Angela Levin believes she “must still bear the scars of it all.”
“She still gets nervous about things,” Levin explained. “She can never predict how people will react to her,” the royal expert and novelist added. “There’s a small but very harsh group of people who still think she’s the wrong woman for him.”
Camilla’s public image has shifted dramatically over time. According to public relations expert Luana Ribeira, the queen has executed a “PR miracle,” but this does not necessarily imply that she has won the hearts of the population.
Camilla was “demonized” by the public, expert says
She added: “Queen Camilla is the kind of straight-talking, no-nonsense person who is never going to make people dewy-eyed at the sound of her name. I don’t think she will ever be truly loved by the British public but I think she has earned their grudging respect.”
Moreover, Ribeira advised Queen Camilla on how to win over the public, which is to continue “exactly as she is.”
“Queen Camilla has proved herself to be a loyal and devoted partner, even during the years she was demonized as Britain’s most hated woman. She has shown us that she isn’t going anywhere and she will continue to show up and carry out her duties, regardless of what people may think about her. This ‘keep calm and carry on’ spirit is a crucial part of her redemption arc.”
Annabel exposes new insights about Queen Camilla and King Charles’ marriage.
According to all accounts, Camilla and Annabel followed each other wherever they went. Later in life, they married their respective husbands in the same year and had children together. Needless to say, they spent wonderful family vacations together and made great memories with their family.
It turns out that Camilla and Annabel’s close sibling bond is finally getting some attention, with Annabel describing Camilla as King Charles’ “rock” during many tough and challenging years.
“She is his rock, and I can’t actually emphasize that enough. She is somebody who is completely loyal, and she isn’t somebody who has huge highs and lows,” Annabel, who works as an interior designer, said in the documentary.
“It was quite a moment”
For more than 30 years, Anabel has run her show, Annabel Elliot Interior Design and Antiques, in Dorset. In 2014, she was named the fifth most influential female interior designer in the UK.
Annabel has also worked closely with King Charles. She was initially hired to work on Charles’ property, Llwywormwood, in Wales, which he purchased in 2006.
According to The Telegraph, Annabel Elliot received around $380,000 for her efforts between 2005 and 2008. Some lawmakers saw it as cronyism, but Charles disagreed.
“There was no tender.” The Prince knows her and admires her work. “Annabel Elliot is an established interior designer,” a Clarence House representative stated at the time.
Annabel Elliot played a significant role in the coronation.
The documentary Charles III: The Coronation Year provided a behind-the-scenes look. Annabel became obviously distraught as she saw Camilla travel to Westminster Abbey to be crowned.
Annabel, Camilla’s close friend, and Fiona, the Marchioness of Lansdowne, served as Lady in Attendance to the Queen during the coronation.
“When I remembered being two years old and watching the Queen’s Coronation on a tiny black and white screen, there went this golden coach with my sister in it. I can’t articulate how I feel since it’s so unreal. This can’t be happening. “It was quite a moment,” Annabel explained.
