The huge change in Queen Camilla's life that came quickly after she got engaged to King Charles
Camilla was set to be wed to her Prince Charming!
When Queen Camilla agreed to marry King Charles in 2005, things began to shift quickly for the then-Camilla Parker Bowles.
Camilla was not know as a queen back then.
She was simply known as King Charles’s partner and one half of one of the most speculated upon affairs in royal history. She was a divorcee and mother of two and lived a largely normal life, away from the spotlight by the side of the then-future-king.
However, when she finally agreed to wed Charles, after years of dating under the radar, her everyday life quickly began to change.
King Charles and Queen Camilla’s engagement
February 10 marked 21 years since King Charles announced he was engaged to Camilla.
Up until then, unfortunately, Camilla had endured malicious media coverage, due to Charles’s infidelity whilst married to the late Prince Diana, who tragically died in 1997.
When Camilla became the then-future-king’s fiancée, one major part of her life shifted pretty much instantly.
Speaking to Guides For Brides, former royal butler Grant Harrold revealed that many members of Charles’s staff were unaware he and Camilla had got engaged.
However, this quickly became apparent when changes started happening.
“We were all surprised!” the former Highgrove butler admitted. “I remember serving him his breakfast and it was like any typical day.
“I said goodbye to him as he headed off to London and then we all heard about the engagement on the news.” He added: “I remember thinking: ‘He never mentioned this to me at breakfast!'”
How things quickly changed for the future-Queen Camilla
Harrold, who worked for the king between 2004 and 2011, went on to say: “I also remember as soon as the announcement was made, the next time I saw Camilla she had her own bodyguard. Protection is important for the royals and they don’t waste time.”
Before that, Camilla had not had personal protection.
However, her son, Tom Parker Bowles, recently admitted in an interview that this would have been appreciated sooner, as their family dealt with press intrusion.
Speaking to Hello! last year, he explained that his family endured “the aggression of the paparazzi, the screaming, the shouting”.
At the time, he said, his mother “didn’t have a network to protect her”. This was because she was not an official member of The Firm.
“I remember high-speed chases down the M4 that were incredibly dangerous,” he said.
He also dubbed the 90s as “the bad days.”
On February 10, 2005, it was announced that Charles and Camilla were set to marry.
Queen Camilla’s engagement ring
Queen Camilla’s engagement ring has been in the royal family for decades. It is believed to have belonged to Charles’ grandmother, The Queen Mother.
Reports say the diamond ring was a present from King George VI after she gave birth to Queen Elizabeth II.
The eye-catching ring is a platinum art deco design.
It is made up of a five-carat emerald-cut diamond in the centre of the band, with additional diamond baguettes on the sides.
Charles and Camilla’s wedding
The pair wed in a civil ceremony at Windsor Guildhall after a short two-month engagement, in April of 2005.
Only 28 guests witnessed the ceremony and this did not include the late Queen.
She and the Duke of Edinburgh did attend a religious blessing which followed and hosted a reception for the newlyweds.
Charles and Camilla first met in 1970 and 1972, rumours had began swirling that they were dating.
The couple broke things off when Charles joined the Royal Navy in 1973 and Camilla went on to marry Andrew Parker Bowles, later that year.
Charles also moved on, marrying Princess Diana in 1981, although he did remain close friends with Camilla.
Unfortunately, Charles and Diana’s marriage was not a happy one and Charles rekindled his romance with Camilla in 1986.
Charles and Diana separated in 1992 and officially ended their marriage in 1996.
Read more: Prince William quizzed over Kate Middleton in adorable moment in Saudi Arabia
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