There is no force in this world more powerful than love. However, what love means for one person can mean something completely different for another person.

Many couples also express their love differently, choosing what they show to the public. King Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall definitely took this approach, marrying in a private ceremony in 2005. Though they had met decades earlier, the two spent 6 years dating in public before tying the knot.

The marriage between King Charles and Camilla has definitely raised eyebrows over the years with many people wondering why it took so long for them to profess their love for one another.

The couple began seeing each other two years after the death of Princess Diana, Charles’ previous wife. Because of this complication, King Charles did not want to overwhelm his family with the sudden inclusion of a new spouse. Prince Harry and Prince William were still minors when their mother passed and King Charles decided that it would be best to wait until they were adults to get married to Camilla.

During the last few years of Princess Diana’s life, it was reported that Charles’ potential romance with Camilla tormented her. There was even an interview from 1995 where she references the affair to a young Prince William. Because Prince Harry and Prince William both have incredible involvement and attachment with their mother’s legacy, it’s understandable that the matter was a delicate one.

Because Prince Harry and Prince William both have incredible involvement and attachment with their mother’s legacy, it’s understandable that the matter was a delicate one. Royal biographer Penny Junor went into detail about this in her 2005 book The Firm. 

“A not insignificant part of the reason why they had waited until 2005 to announce their engagement was a sensitivity towards the boys,” Junor wrote, according to Express. “The princes were 15 and 12 years old respectively when their mother died. “They didn’t want to foist a stepmother on William and Harry before they had fully grown up,” she added.

Do you think that King Charles was right to not marry Camilla for many years after their affair began? Let us know in the comments – and make sure you pass this along to your friends and family!