April 9 will mark 20 years since King Charles and Queen Camilla tied the knot. Here, royal expert Jennie Bond reflects on their remarkable path from scorned adulterers to beloved royals

King Charles and Queen Camilla have had a rocky road to happiness

She was the “wicked woman from Wiltshire’. The “marriage wrecker” who destroyed a fairytale. When I mentioned her name in public, people shouted me down.

And yet, as Princess Diana once confided to me, any marriage Charles might have made would never, in her opinion, have been as strong as his love for Camilla. And so it has proved.

Fifty years after they were snapped standing under a tree together at a polo match in Cirencester, Charles and Camilla are celebrating two decades of wedded bliss on Wednesday April 9.

Back in the nineties, amidst the turmoil and bitterness of Charles and Diana’s marriage break-up, the possibility of Camilla ever being accepted as the Prince’s wife— let alone his Queen — was risible.

Charles, then Prince of Wales and Camilla Parker-Bowles resting after a polo match, circa 1972(Image: Getty Images)

But, thanks to the dexterous spinning of Charles’s PR guru at the time, Mark Bolland, and the Prince’s own defiant declaration that “his friendship” with Mrs Parker Bowles was “non-negotiable”, the public gradually began to accept that Camilla was here to stay.

In July 1997, a year after his divorce from Diana, Charles felt emboldened enough to throw a lavish party at his home, Highgrove, for Camilla’s 50th birthday. And, this time, she didn’t sneak in by a back route.

I was among the pack of reporters and cameras invited to stand at the gates and watch Camilla arrive for her big night. The car swept up the driveway, slowing for the flashbulbs to pop . And there she was: the woman from Wiltshire who had been consigned to the shadows for so long, smiling and all dressed up, with a diamond necklace (reportedly a gift from the Prince) almost dazzling us in the bright lights.

The message to the world was clear: Charles and Camilla were official — even though the Queen had chosen not to attend the party. Six weeks later, Diana was killed in a car crash in Paris.

Diana confronted Camilla over Charles’ affair(Image: Getty)

The PR campaign to win public acceptance of Camilla was hastily put back in its box. And so was she. Trapped in her house, with dozens of paparazzi hiding in the bushes, she simply hunkered down and read dozens of books. She even tried her hand at painting – not, she says, very successfully!

And her patience paid off because, one cold February night 18 months after Diana’s death, the news world was abuzz with rumours that something pretty sensational was going to happen at the Ritz. We all raced down to the hotel and parked our ladders and cameras — some 200 of them – outside.

Later that evening, after enjoying a birthday party for her sister, Camilla stepped out with her man, her lover, her Prince. The flashlights were blinding. She looked slightly dazed. It was all over in thirty seconds as they got into the waiting car. But that was the moment. They were a couple, and there would be no more hiding away.

Diana and love rival Camilla pictured in october 1980 at Ludlow racecourse to watch the Amateur Riders Handicap Steeplechase(Image: Press Association)

The late Queen’s tacit approval came a year later, when Elizabeth agreed to meet Camilla formally at a private party for King Constantine of Greece. It was brief, but nothing could have been more significant.

Even so, I remember being distinctly surprised — and delighted— when Camilla welcomed Charles to a charity event she was hosting at Somerset House in London in 2001.

Openly and affectionately, the Prince held her close and kissed her gently on both cheeks. We could see how proud of her he was, and the quiet, familiar affection between them was obvious.

Charles and Camilla married almost 20 years ago(Image: Getty Images)

It seemed to me then that only the hardest of hearts would deny them the happiness they sought. But it was another four years before Charles dared to pop the question. I understand why, because even though they were living together and open about their love, there was still public and establishment resistance to them marrying.

However, marry they did…and the crowds turned out in Windsor, where they had a civil ceremony at the Guildhall on 9 April 2005. I was among them and saw nothing but goodwill — a far cry from when onlookers cursed me for mentioning Camilla’s name in TV broadcasts.

On the 70th anniversary of her accession, in February 2022, Queen Elizabeth skilfully and thoughtfully shut down any public debate about Camilla’s future role. She said it was her sincere wish that, when the time came, her daughter-in-law would be known as Queen Consort. It was a masterful stroke.

Since then, Camilla has indeed been crowned Queen and, in my opinion, has won widespread admiration for the way she has shouldered an increased workload during the past year, with the King and the Princess of Wales both out of action for a time.

She and Charles are like an old, comfy pair of slippers together; their photo issued for their 15th wedding anniversary showed just how happy they are, sitting with their dogs at Birkhall in Scotland, casually dressed and totally at ease.

It’s been one hell of a roller coaster— and with the King’s cancer, it still is— but I think Diana was right. Their love is indeed stronger than any other marriage Charles might have made. Happy Anniversary, Your Majs!