King Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles Reportedly Could Not Wed Until the Queen Mother Died: ‘She … Disapproved of Camilla’
Though King Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles have been married since 2005, the public has not always approved of the Queen Consort. This is likely due to the way her relationship with the king began. The pair had been having an affair for nearly all of King Charles’ marriage to the late Princess Diana. However, over the years, Camilla has been able to win over some of the public as well as members of the royal family. Still, one person she never managed to win over was the Queen Mother.
The Queen Mother helped set up King Charles and Princess Diana
Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother was the mother of the recently deceased Queen Elizabeth II. Grandmother to King Charles, the Queen Mother was very close to her grandson. In fact, it is reported that she was instrumental in setting her grandson up with Princess Diana. In his book The Queen Mother, Tom Quinn explained how she helped arrange the marriage of Prince Harry’s parents.
“Diana’s grandmother, Lady Fermoy, was a great friend of the Queen Mother’s,” royal biographer Quinn penned, as reported by Express. “They were a similar sort of generation, and they cooked it up between them.” When it became clear that King Charles and Princess Diana were having marital issues, the Queen Mother encouraged her grandson to find a compromise with his wife rather than get a divorce.
“The Queen Mother discussed the whole Camilla business with Charles, and she couldn’t really understand why Charles couldn’t have a mistress and somehow find an accommodation with his wife that would mean they didn’t have to get divorced,” Quinn penned.
When did King Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles begin their relationship?
While the Queen Mother may have been responsible for setting up King Charles and Princess Diana, she couldn’t prevent the pair from divorcing in 1996. King Charles was seemingly willing to give up his marriage for a relationship with Camilla, whom he first met in 1970 at a polo match. In 1986 they began their affair. And in 2005, the pair married in a civil ceremony.
There’s been a lot of speculation about why King Charles and Camilla waited so long to get married. However, one reason the couple might have delayed their nuptials is due to how much the Queen Mother reportedly disliked Queen Consort, Camilla.
The Queen Mother disapproved of Queen Consort, Camilla and wouldn’t have allowed her to marry King Charles
“When Camilla and Charles made their relationship more formal, the Queen Mother was not pleased at all,” Quinn reported. “Charles never would have married Camilla had his grandmother been alive.” Considering that King Charles waited until three years after the death of his grandmother to wed Camilla, it seems that Quinn’s statements may have some merit.
Do King Charles’ kids, Prince Harry and Prince William, approve of their stepmother, Camilla?
But while the Queen Mother had her issues with Camilla, the rest of the king’s family seems to have come around to the Queen Consort. Both Prince Harry and Prince William attended their father’s wedding in 2005, with Prince William serving as the best man. And while Queen Elizabeth II didn’t attend the ceremony, she did make an appearance at the reception afterward. Over time it seems as if Camilla has become a true member of the royal family. Of course, we can never know what happens behind closed doors, but the family seems to be putting up a united front these days when it comes to Camilla.
