Much has been said about Charles’ past and his marriage to Princess Diana, but little is known about the relationship and marriage of the now Queen Camilla to her ex-husband Andrew Parker Bowles.
Perhaps the surnames of the British consort are familiar to you and is that she adopted them when she married him, her maiden name is Camilla Rosemary Shand.
Camilla and Andrew Parker Bowles
In the 1960s and 1970s, Andrew Parker Bowles was considered a coveted bachelor and was also labeled as a womanizer. Camilla and her ex-husband met in the 1960s and had an on-and-off relationship for 7 years before marrying on July 4, 1973, she walked down the aisle at the age of 33.
Camilla met Prince Charles in 1971 and the connection was immediate, he was sent on an overseas expedition while Camilla’s parents forced her to marry Andrew.
Bowles’ reputation as a conqueror did not diminish, he was even linked to Princess Anne, who by the time they began dating (before his marriage to Camilla) was 11 years younger than him.
The couple had two children, Tom was the first to be born, in fact, King Charles is his godfather and four years later Laura Rose arrived.
Despite being together, the couple did not feel love. Andrew had many affairs, while Camilla was having an affair with Prince Charles.
When did Camilla Parker Bowles divorce?
After some time apart and 20 years of marriage, the year 1995 was when Camilla Parker Bowles divorced her husband Andrew Parker Bowles, signing the divorce certificate by mutual agreement. The official separation came after Prince Charles confessed on national television that he had been unfaithful to Princess Diana.
A year later, Andrew married Rosemary Alice Pitman, a landscape gardener who was a friend of the Parker Bowles couple and who was the lover of Camilla’s husband. Despite their differences, they all remained on good terms.
Parker Bowles and Rosemary attended the wedding of the Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Charles. Rosemary passed away, at the age of 69, in 2010 and Camilla attended the funeral and was a great support for her ex-husband.