Camila, from reviled lover to queen of the United Kingdom

The coronation of Camila as queen is the culmination of the long and stormy road that the woman of Charles III she has had to go through, since in her day she was vilified for being the lover of the now king, a relationship that shook the foundations of the british monarchyuntil its acceptance by public opinion.

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Camila is from this Saturday queen of the United Kingdomwithout the addition of consort, as requested Isabel II to be called when “the time comes,” in reference to the ascent of Charles III.

The Archbishop of canterbury, Justin Welbyprimate of the Church of England, crowned Camila with the crown of Queen Mary, in a solemn ceremony held at the Westminster Abbey.

The monarch’s wife, whom he married on April 9, 2005 after a long extramarital relationship, is a central figure in the life of Charles IIIto the point that the king established that Camila75 years old, will cease to be called as of today “Queen consort”.

Queen Camilla, wearing a modified version of Queen Mary’s crown, leaves Westminster Abbey after coronation ceremonies in central London on May 6, 2023. (Photo by Paul ELLIS/AFP) (PAUL ELLIS/)

Carlos and Camila They met in the late 1970s. They frequented the same high society circles, went to polo matches outside of London, and had things in common.

“My great-grandmother was your great-great-grandfather’s lover.”, was apparently what he said Camila back then Prince of Wales when they met, at a time when the heir to the crown was under strong pressure to marry and have an heir.

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A PATH FULL OF OBSTACLES

Few could anticipate the way riddled with obstacles that the now British kings were going to face.

Struck by the good sense of humor of Camila, Carlos III fell madly in love with herbut for the fact that it was a woman “experienced”, Elizabeth IIcShe considered that she was not the right person to be the wife of the heir, according to royalty experts.

Each one later followed separate paths, since she married the brigadier Andrew Parker Bowles and he married, on July 29, 1981, with Lady Diana Spencera shy young lady, with little world, but perfect in the eyes of Elizabeth II and her husband, the Duke of Edinburghbut above all for the queen mother, Elizabeth.

The Princess of Wales, Diana, before a concert by Paul McCartney’s “Liverpool” oratorio in Lille on November 15, 1992. (Photo by Jacques DEMARTHON / AFP) (JACQUES DEMARTHON /)

Over time, Carlos and Camila they began their relationship in secret, but this would end up destroying their respective marriages and would lead the monarchy to its deepest crisis since the abdication of King Edward VIII in 1936.

For the general public, that extramarital affair came to light when Lady Di recounted his unhappiness in recordings that he leaked to Andrew Mortonwho in 1992 published the book “Diana, her true story”in which the extent of the emotional damage suffered by the princess for being “three” in her marriage was reported –Camila the other.

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THE SECRET RECORDINGS

By the end of 1992, the then Prime Minister John Major announced in Parliament the official separation of the princes but stressed that it did not affect the line of succession.

Months later, the so-called “camilagate” either “tamponate”, a very intimate telephone conversation between Carlos and Camillaof high sexual content, which was recorded in secret.

Thus, for months, the tabloids flooded its pages with great detail about the crisis between Charles and Dianawhile people wondered who was the lover of the heir to the throne.

Then came two interviews that were granted Diana and Carlos. The first complaining that in her marriage there had been “three, so it is very crowded”, and the second admitting his infidelity when their relationship ended “irretrievably broken”.

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THE DEATH OF DIANA

The death of Diana in an accident in Paris on August 31, 1997 complicated things. Camila had to hide in his country house, on the outskirts of London, while the popularity of the now King Charles III plummeted.

“It was horrible. I don’t want my worst enemy to have to go through this.”, he came to admit Camilaaccording to the media.

In 1999 things began to change. Carlos III formalized his relationship with Camila being photographed together as they left the Ritz hotel in London. From then on, the process began to rehabilitate the reputation of her lover, whom he married in the Windsor town hall on April 9, 2005.

Stock Image | Britain’s Prince Charles and his bride Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall leave St George’s Chapel in Windsor after the church blessing of their civil wedding ceremony, April 09, 2005. In the background is the Queen Elizabeth of Great Britain. (Photo by ALASTAIR GRANT / POOL / AFP) (ALASTAIR GRANT -/)

The wedding, however, had to be delayed one day because April 8 coincided with the funeral of the Pope Juan Pablo II, a delay that the most monarchical and religious linked to divine power, from the afterlife, from the Princess Diana.

Source: Elcomercio