Inside Princess Diana and Queen Camilla’s unlikely friendship before infamous affair
The two women were linked before the then Prince Charles' infidelity was shared
It is hard to believe that Princess Diana and Queen Camilla shared a friendship, considering the infamy of what would later unravel between Camilla and Charles and their relationship.
However, apparently, the two women did indeed share a connection. Although, it soon turned cold.
Were Diana and Camilla ever friends?
Diana and Camilla are often portrayed as rivals. But this wasn’t always the case. In fact, they were said to have shared a friendship.
Charles is known to have dated Camilla before her marriage to Andrew Parker Bowles in 1973.
But during their first marriages to other people, Charles and Camilla allegedly rekindled their romance and had an affair.
Charles famously wed Lady Diana Spencer in 1981.
Princess Diana and Queen Camilla’s unlikely friendship
Penny Junor details in her 2017 book, The Duchess: Camilla Parker Bowles and the Love Affair that Rocked the Crown, how Diana often visited Camilla and Andrew’s country home when she first started dating Charles in 1980.
The two women were said to have got on well. And due to former nanny Diana’s skill with children, Diana even helped Camilla with her two children, Tom and Laura.
Camilla was 14 years Diana’s senior, so it isn’t a surprise that Diana turned to her for advice. Especially when she was thrust into the spotlight due to her romance with Charles.
Camilla was said to have taken on an older sisterly role and was a sort of support for Diana.
Princess Diana’s outing with Camilla to Ludlow Races
The unlikely duo even watched the then Prince Charles compete at the Ludlow Races that year. The same day that marked Charles and Diana’s public debut as a couple.
Camilla was said to be a reassuring presence beside Diana, who was unused to such attention.
The two were snapped chatting amicably at the time.
They reportedly maintained a friendship even beyond Charles and Diana’s engagement.
Diana and Camilla’s friendship took a turn
In Andrew Morton’s 1992 book, Diana: Her True Story, Morton states that soon after Charles and Diana announced their engagement in February 1981 and Diana moved into Clarence House, she found a note from Camilla on her bed inviting her to lunch.
The two were said to have enjoyed a lively catch-up. However, Diana later looked back on it and suspected Camilla was trying to find out when and how her secret relationship with Charles could fit around Diana.
According to Morton, it was around this time that their friendship soured.
Princess Diana’s suspicions
Morton recounted that Diana began to harbour suspicions about Charles and Camilla during their engagement.
Her worries reached fever-pitch when she discovered that Charles had gifted Camilla a bracelet shortly before their nuptials with the initials G and F.
It was said to be in reference to the pet names Charles and Camilla gave each other – Gladys and Fred.
Junor also wrote of Diana’s worries after she allegedly found a photo of Camilla in Charles’ diary while the couple were honeymooning on the Royal Yacht Britannia.
Following this, Camilla was said to have steered clear of Diana.
Charles and Camilla ‘rekindled’
By the mid-Eighties, Diana was said to be sure that Charles had rekindled a relationship with Camilla.
In 1989, Diana turned up to surprise Charles at a party held for Camilla’s sister Annabel Elliot, Diana recounted to Morton.
Diana reportedly confronted Camilla about her suspicions and recalled that Camilla asked her what more she could want on top of her popularity and beautiful children.
Diana was said to have replied: “I want my husband.”
Charles and Diana’s marriage breakdown
The women had little contact from then on. Charles allegedly continued his affair with Camilla until his marriage to Diana broke down in 1992. They eventually divorced in 1996.
By the time Diana gave her infamous Panorama interview in 1995, Charles’ affair had already been exposed. It was here she told BBC’s Martin Bashir: “Well, there were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded.”
A year prior, in 1994, Charles had admitted to adultery in his own bombshell interview.
Following their split, Diana and Charles were said to have enjoyed a more good-natured friendship.
Tragically, just a year after her divorce, Diana was killed in a traffic collision.
Charles and Camilla were said to have waited until 2005 out of respect for Diana before they eventually tied the knot.
Read more: Queen Camilla to make history as she’s set to receive prestigious new title
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