Camilla faced years of scrutiny, especially after Princess Diana’s death, but today, she is a respected royal. Once labeled “the most hated woman in Britain” due to her affair with Charles, she even feared going out in public.

She and Charles first met in 1972 but parted ways when he left for the Navy. By the time he returned, Camilla was engaged. Despite this, their bond never faded—even after Charles married Diana.

Royal biographer Penny Junor claimed that Charles knew he wasn’t truly in love with Diana before their wedding, but by then, calling it off was no longer an option.

“Charles was not convinced he was doing the right thing in marrying Diana but there was no way out and, bolstered by the hope that things would be different once they were married, he put a brave face on it,” she wrote, as reported by the Mirror.

Initially, Camilla and Diana were on friendly terms, but over time, their relationship shifted.

“I met [Camilla] very early on. I was introduced to the circle, but I was a threat, I was a very young girl, but I was a threat,” Diana revealed in Diana: In Her Own Words.

According to Prince Charles’ authorized biography, cited by Town & Country, his affair with Camilla began in 1986. At the time, Charles was still married to Diana, who eventually discovered her husband’s infidelity.

Diana even confronted Camilla once, but nothing changed.

The infamous phone call exposed a deeply personal and intimate conversation between Charles and Camilla, later dubbed Tampongate.

Despite relentless scrutiny from the media, their relationship endured. On April 9, 2005, the couple officially tied the knot in a civil ceremony at Windsor Guildhall.

During the wedding reception, the late Queen Elizabeth raised a toast to the newlyweds. However, she had her own priorities, briefly stepping into another room to watch a horse race.

“I have two important announcements to make. The first is that Hedgehunter has won the Grand National,” the queen said.

“They have overcome Becher’s Brook and The Chair and all kinds of other terrible obstacles. They have come through, and I’m very proud and wish them well. My son is home and dry with the woman he loves,” Queen Elizabeth II added, drawing a playful comparison to her horses.