Queen Camilla's mother Rosalind Shand - 'Debutante', philanthropist and dying to 'silent disease'
Queen Camilla's mother was a philanthropist from an aristocratic familyBefore Camilla was crowned Queen Consort alongside her husband King Charles, she was known as Camilla Parker Bowles – and before that, Camilla Shand – but what do we know about her mother, father and family outside of the royals?
Camilla grew up in a large country estate in Plumpton, Sussex, after being born in London, 1947. Her father was vice lord lieutenant of East Sussex and a successful wine merchant. Queen Camilla‘s mother hailed from a wealthy family who had links across various parts of London.
The royal opened up about her mother’s disease in a heartbreaking piece to raise awareness about her condition back in 2012.
Queen Camilla’s father, the late Major Bruce Shand, served with the 12th Lancers during World War II, winning the Military Cross during the retreat to Dunkirk in 1940 and again at El Alamein in 1942.https://t.co/WupDqpNLeE
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Who were Queen Camilla’s parents?
Queen Camilla was born to parents Bruce Shand and Rosalind Shand. Major Shand was a former British Army officer who turned his attention to business, and became quite successful with it.
Camilla’s mum, Rosalind, was daughter of Roland Cubitt, the 3rd Baron Ashcome.
Bruce and Rosalind Shand had three children, with Queen Camilla being their eldest. They went on to have Annabel Elliot and a son named Mark. Mark passed away in 2014.
Camilla’s father served in France during the Second World War as part of the British Expeditionary Force. He was taken to Germany as a prisoner of war in 1942 during the Battle of El Alamein. Bruce managed to escape capture after being held in Spangenberg Castle before returning to Britain in 1945. He won a Military Cross for his service to Dunkirk in 1940, and again two years later.
Following the war he became a wine merchant. Camilla shared a love of horses with her father from a young age.
Who was Queen Camilla’s mother?
Queen Camilla’s mother Rosalind came from a prominent aristocratic lineage, including Camilla’s great-grandmother (Alice Keppel) who was the mistress of King Edward VII.
The future queen actually told a young Prince Charles this tidbit the first time they met, and it was the start of their unconventional love story.
In 1939, Rosalind was named “Debutante of the Year” and married husband Bruce in 1946 at St Paul’s church in London.
Rosalind Shand was a philanthropist and likely instilled these values to her daughter who continues this type of work as part of The Firm.
She was known for her charity work, volunteering at Chailey Heritage Foundation which helped children with disabilities.
Rosalind volunteered with the Foundation in the 1960s and 70s.
She died in 1994 at the age of 72.
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Family tree with royal links
Queen Camilla’s mum descended from a line of yeomen with links to Norfolk that go back more than 500 years, as per her ancestry.
It would be her three-time great-grandfather on her mother’s side, Thomas Cubitt, who helped set her family on the path they walked down. Thomas made his fortune while travelling through India and Australia.
He went on to become a master builder in London during the 1800s – there is a statue of him in Pimlico, London. More so, he even worked on the east front of Buckingham Palace, including the balcony which Camilla has stood on next to her husband King Charles.
Camilla’s two-time maternal great-grandfather, Lieutenant Colonel William Coutts Keppel was sixth in the direct line of ascent from Charles II.
Her great-grandmother, born Alice Frederica Edmonstone, was the mistress of King Edward VII. Their affair ran until his death. Despite the affair, she married George Keppel in 1891.
What did Camilla’s mother suffer from?
Rosalind Shand suffered from osteoporosis, a condition that weakens bones making them fragile and prone to fractures.
It’s often referred to as a ‘silent disease’ as symptoms may not present themselves until a fracture takes place. Bones become thin and lose strength, which increases the risk of breaks.
Queen Camilla wrote about her mother’s health condition when she was the Duchess of Cornwall. In 2011, she wrote a piece in the Daily Mail, describing the agony she would endure due to her disease.
She went public to raise awareness of the condition, urging for more research and care for those who are diagnosed with it. Queen Camilla’s maternal grandmother, Sonia Keppel, also died from the same condition eight years before Camilla’s mum’s death.
What happened to Camilla’s mother?
Camilla’s mum passed away in 1994, after battling osteoporosis.
After suffering with the disease for some time, she was left unable to breathe without oxygen or digest food.
The future Queen, who became president of the National Osteoporosis Society, wrote about watching her mother die slowly was ‘heartbreaking’.
She said in 2011: “Seeing someone you love die slowly, in agony, and knowing nothing about the disease that killed them is heartbreaking.
“That was my mother 17 years ago and the disease was called osteoporosis. My mother was only 72. In those days, osteoporosis, a crippling bone disease, was seldom discussed, rarely diagnosed and usually attributed to old women with so-called Dowager’s hump.
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“My family and I watched in horror as my mother shrank in front of our eyes. She lost about eight inches in height and became so bent she was unable to digest her food properly, leaving her with no appetite at all. The local GP was kind and sympathetic but he, like us, was able to do little to alleviate the terrible pain Mama suffered so stoically.”
Camilla added: “I believe that the quality of her life became so dismal, and her suffering so unbearable, that she just gave up the fight and lost the will to live.”
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Paying tribute
On Mother’s Day in 2025, both King Charles and Queen Camilla shared photos of their mums to celebrate the occasion.
We saw a young Prince Charles and Princess Anne with the late Queen Elizabeth II in 1956. But Camilla also shared a photo of her mother, Rosalind, with her son Tom Parker Bowles.
The following month, when Charles and Camilla were in Italy for a state visit, the Queen paid tribute to her mum. She wore a turquoise and diamond necklace which belonged to her mother Rosalind Shand.
Pairing the piece with a green lace gown, designed by Fiona Clare, she opted to not wear a tiara.
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