Things you might not have known about Camilla, the nation's new Queen Consort

The Queen put questions about Camilla’s title to rest in February, on the eve of the 70th anniversary of her reign. In a statement, Queen Elizabeth II then announced that it was her “most sincere wish that, when the time comes, Camilla will be known as Queen Consort as she continues her own loyal service.” It was the first time the Queen had acknowledged Camilla’s role in the monarchy in this way.

This essentially ended years of debate as to whether Camilla would get the title or if she would be given a lesser title of Princess Consort to appease those still upset at her role in the breakdown of Charles and Diana’s marriage about which the British public had been hugely outspoken.

So here are a few things you may not have known about the former Duchess of Cornwall.

She grew up in a loving home in Sussex

Camilla Rosemary Shand was born at King's College Hospital, London, on 17 July 1947.

She grew up in The Laines—an 18th-century country house in Plumpton, East Sussex — and a three-storey house in South Kensington, her family's second home.

Her parents were British Army officer-turned-businessman Major Bruce Shand and his wife Rosalind, the daughter of Roland Cubitt, 3rd Baron Ashcombe.

She has a younger sister, Annabel Elliot, and had a younger brother, Mark Shand.

One of her maternal great-grandmothers, Alice Keppel, was a mistress of King Edward VII from 1898 to 1910.

On 1 November 1947, Camilla was baptised at Firle Church, East Sussex.

Camilla's mother was a housewife, while her father had various business interests after retiring from the army. He was most notably a partner in Block, Grey and Block, a firm of wine merchants in South Audley Street, Mayfair, later joining Ellis, Son and Vidler of Hastings and London.

During her childhood, Camilla became an avid reader through the influence of her father, who read to her frequently. She grew up with dogs and cats, and, at a young age, learnt how to ride a pony by joining Pony Club camps, going on to win rosettes at community gymkhanas.

According to her, childhood "was perfect in every way".

Biographer Gyles Brandreth has said: "Camilla is often described as having had an "Enid Blyton sort of childhood". In fact, it was much grander than that. Camilla, as a little girl, may have had some personality traits of George, the tomboy girl among the Famous Five, but Enid Blyton's children were essentially middle-class children and the Shands, without question, belonged to the upper class. The Shands had position and they had help—help in the house, help in the garden, help with children. They were gentry. They opened their garden for the local Conservative Party Association summer fête.”

She was previously married to a cavalry officer named Andrew

Many people might not remember that Camilla was actually married once before to household cavalry officer Andrew Parker Bowles.

At this point, in the early 1970s, Camilla had already been introduced to a young King Charles III. However, Charles was still in the Navy and would spend months overseas on deployments. During this time, Bowles proposed to Camilla and she accepted.

King Charles III was godfather to one of her two children from her first marriage

While married to Bowles, Camilla had two children, Tom and Laura. At this point, Camilla was still very much involved in Charles’ life and even asked him to be the godfather to her first child, Tom.

She remained a consistent part of King Charles III’s life

Camilla and Charles continued to spend time together and were frequently photographed together. This was even after Charles met and proposed to Diana Spencer in 1981.

Diana’s struggle with Camilla’s relationship with Charles was very obvious and the former Princess of Wales claimed unabashedly in interviews, most notably during the explosively honest televised exchange she had with journalist Martin Bashir, that she (Camilla) was the third person in the marriage.

Eventually, Charles and Diana got divorced in 1996 while Camilla divorced Bowles earlier in 1995.

Camilla and King Charles III tied the knot in 2005

At this point, resentment for Camilla was at an all-time high, and public hostility was palpable. However, despite that, Camilla chose to stand by Charles and the pair officially began going out as a couple, ignoring tabloid gossip and public displeasure.

Their public unity only grew harder after Diana’s death in 1997, which brought the nation to a standstill in its overflow of impassioned mourning. However, Charles was determined to keep Camilla in his life, and very intentionally began to bring her back into the public’s eye.

In 2005, the pair were married in a small ceremony at Windsor Guildhall. 

While the displeasure around Camilla never really fully evaporated, she has positioned herself as a key member of the Royal Family and is present at all important functions.

She is passionate about multiple causes

Despite all the scandal that has surrounded Camilla, she has never allowed herself to simply be seen as King Charles III’s wife. Rather, she is passionate about many causes and actively raises awareness about them.

Since 1994, Camilla has campaigned to raise awareness of osteoporosis, a condition that sevrely affected her mother and grandmother, and which has earned her several honours and awards. She has also raised awareness of issues such as rape, sexual abuse, literacy, animal welfare, and poverty.

She has five grandchildren

Like King Charles III, Camilla is also a grandparent, with five grandchildren of her own.

Her son, Tom, has two children, Lola and Freddy, while her daughter has three children, Eliza, Gus and Louis. Eliza was even a bridesmaid at Kate Middleton’s marriage to Prince William in 2011 when she was four years old.