Young Queen Camilla’s first love - the teenage romance that could have changed royal history
Camilla has had a colourful love life
Before Queen Camilla found lasting love with King Charles, she had a romantic history when she was young filled with high-profile relationships and what-ifs that could have reshaped the royal landscape.
While her marriage to Andrew Parker Bowles and decades-long love story with Charles are well-documented, fewer people know about her first teenage romance.
If it had lasted, this relationship could have altered the course of royal history.
Young Queen Camilla’s first love – Kevin Burke
Before becoming Queen Camilla, she was Camilla Shand – a young woman enjoying London’s high society.
At just 17 years old, she reportedly met her first love. Kevin Burke was a charming and well-connected figure in aristocratic circles, according to reports.
The two first crossed paths in 1965 at Camilla’s ‘coming out’ party. This glamorous debutante ball in Knightsbridge marked her entrance into high society.
The two quickly became an item. Camilla and Kevin apparently enjoyed a whirlwind romance filled with cocktail parties, country dances and lavish social gatherings.
Reflecting on their year-long relationship, Kevin later shared in a biography about Camilla: “It was the best fun, and I had the best and most fun partner you could possibly wish for. Camilla was immensely popular and although she wasn’t a beauty, she was attractive and sexy.”
Camilla’s natural charm and personality made her a magnet for admirers, and Kevin wasn’t the only one enchanted by her.
But while their romance was exciting, it ultimately didn’t last.
Kevin later married advertising executive Peta Baker, though they eventually divorced in 2001 after 14 years of marriage.
He then found love again with Luisa Fairey, with whom he shared a son, Max.
Kevin Burke died in August 2023, but his memories of young Camilla and their first romance remain a fascinating glimpse into her early life.
Camilla’s relationship with first husband Andrew Parker Bowles
After her romance with Kevin Burke ended, Camilla found love with another suitor – one who had royal ties.
Enter Andrew Parker Bowles, a retired British Army officer.
Andrew had been closely connected to the royal family from a young age, even serving as a page at Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation in 1953.
The two were introduced by Andrew’s younger brother, Simon, and soon began an on-and-off relationship throughout the 1960s.
However, in 1973, after years of uncertainty, Camilla and Andrew finally tied the knot in a grand wedding at the Guards Chapel, Wellington Barracks.
The wedding was attended by members of the royal family, including Princess Anne, Princess Margaret, and the Queen Mother.
Camilla and Andrew settled into married life at Middlewick House in Wiltshire, where they welcomed two children.
Their son Tom was born in 1974. Their daughter Laura was born in 1978.
However, cracks in their marriage became apparent over time, and by 1995, the couple officially divorced.
Andrew remarried in 1996 to his second wife Rosemary, with whom he remained until her death in 2010.
King Charles and Queen Camilla’s complicated love story
The love story between Camilla and Charles is one of the most famous and controversial royal romances of all time. The pair first met at a polo match in 1970 and quickly bonded.
But fate took a different turn. Charles’ naval commitments and Camilla’s on-off relationship with Andrew led them down separate paths.
Despite their deep connection, Charles eventually went on to marry Lady Diana Spencer in 1981, and Camilla remained with Andrew.
Their secret love affair continued throughout their respective marriages. It was eventually revealed to the public in 1995 during a BBC interview with Diana.
The scandal rocked the royal family, leading to both Charles and Camilla’s divorces.
After years of keeping their relationship discreet, Charles and Camilla finally stepped into the public eye together in 1999.
By 2003, the couple had moved in together, and in 2005, Charles proposed. Their wedding took place on April 9, 2005 at Windsor Guildhall.
Camilla’s official title became the Duchess of Cornwall, and she gradually took on a greater public role within the royal family.
When Queen Elizabeth II died in 2022, Charles became King Charles, and Camilla was officially crowned queen alongside him during the coronation in 2023.
Had Camilla’s first romance with Kevin Burke lasted though, history could have played out very differently. Without her marriage to Andrew Parker Bowles, she may never have been in the same circles as Charles long enough to rekindle their romance.
But as fate would have it, Camilla did cross paths with Charles again, and despite everything, they found their way back to each other.
Read more: Queen Camilla admits her grandchildren are ‘becoming too old’ in sad comment on royal outing
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