Camilla's Wedding Invite: To Send Or Not?

Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, has been involved in a number of weddings, both as a guest and a bride. Notably, she was absent from Princess Eugenie's wedding in 2018, with royal commentator Victoria Arbiter stating that Royals don't like to disappoint. More recently, Camilla and her husband, King Charles III, committed a wedding guest faux pas by not sending their RSVPs to the Duke of Westminster's wedding on time. This was reportedly due to an incident at the groom's sister's wedding in 2004, where Camilla was not yet a royal and had to sit apart from Charles.

Camilla's absence from Princess Eugenie's wedding

It is understandable that there was some speculation and interest in the guest list for Princess Eugenie's wedding, particularly regarding Camilla, the Queen Consort. The absence of Camilla from the wedding celebrations sparked some discussion and curiosity as to why she was not in attendance.

Another factor could be the nature of the relationship between Princess Eugenie and Camilla. While they are likely to be on cordial terms, they may not share a particularly close bond. It is important to remember that the guest list for any wedding, particularly a royal wedding, is a highly personal decision and often reflects the couple's closest relationships and preferences. It is possible that Princess Eugenie and her husband, Jack Brooksbank, chose to prioritize other guests with whom they share a deeper connection.

Furthermore, the wedding took place at a time when public sentiment towards Camilla was still somewhat mixed. While she has undoubtedly gained widespread acceptance in her role as the Queen Consort, there was a period when her public image was less favorable, particularly in the aftermath of Princess Diana's death. It is conceivable that the royal family took these sentiments into consideration and opted to respect the wishes and sensitivities of the public.

Lastly, the absence of Camilla provided an opportunity for other notable figures to attend and be part of the special day. The guest list for any royal wedding is carefully curated, ensuring a diverse representation of royalty, dignitaries, and celebrities. By not inviting Camilla, it opened up a space for someone else, allowing the couple to include a broader range of guests and perhaps some of their younger contemporaries.

Camilla's first husband

Andrew Parker Bowles and Camilla Shand first met in the late 1960s and dated on and off for several years. They eventually married on July 4, 1973, in a Roman Catholic ceremony at the Guards Chapel in London, in front of 800 guests. The wedding was considered the most talked-about social ceremony of that summer. The reception was held at St. James's Palace, with notable guests including the Queen Mother, Princess Margaret, and Princess Anne.

During their marriage, Andrew and Camilla had two children: Tom Parker Bowles, born in 1974, and Laura Lopes, born in 1978. They also have five grandchildren: Lola and Freddy Parker Bowles, and Eliza, Louis, and Gus Lopes. Andrew and Camilla's marriage lasted until 1995, when they divorced due to their differing interests and living separate lives. It was reported that Camilla had an affair with Prince Charles during her marriage to Andrew, which contributed to their divorce.

Despite their divorce, Andrew and Camilla maintained a friendly relationship. Andrew remarried in 1996 to Rosemary Pitman, who passed away in 2010 from cancer. Camilla also remarried in 2005, to Prince Charles. Andrew was among the guests at the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla, reflecting his prominent place within royal circles and his enduring friendship with his first wife.

Camilla's suitability as a match for the Prince of Wales

Camilla Rosemary Shand, now Queen Consort of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms, has had a long and controversial relationship with King Charles III. The two were romantically involved periodically before and during their first marriages. Their relationship was highly publicised and scrutinised by the media.

Camilla has grown into her role as a senior royal and has been praised for championing various causes and interests, including literacy charities, animal welfare, and organisations helping victims of domestic abuse and sexual violence. She has also been described as "loyal, discreet, and hardworking" by royal author Penny Junor.

Camilla's initial title after marrying Charles was the Duchess of Cornwall, rather than the Princess of Wales, due to public sensitivity and the strong association of the latter title with Princess Diana. However, when Charles became king, the question of Camilla's title became more controversial. While it was initially stated that she would be known as the Princess Consort, this decision was later reversed, and she became Queen Consort, as was her legal right.

The Queen's absence from her son's wedding ceremony

On April 9, 2005, the British royal family gathered at Windsor Guildhall in Windsor, England, for the civil wedding ceremony of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles. However, one notable absence from the ceremony was the late Queen Elizabeth II, the mother of the groom. So, why did the Queen decide to stay away from her son's wedding?

Publicly, the official explanation given by Buckingham Palace was that the Queen wanted to respect the couple's wish for a "low-key" ceremony. A palace spokesperson stated, "The queen will not be attending the civil ceremony because she is aware that the prince and Mrs. Parker Bowles wanted to keep the occasion low-key." It was emphasised that the Queen's absence was not a snub and that her decision was made to honour the couple's desire for an intimate event.

However, there may have been another reason for the Queen's absence. As the head of the Church of England, which has traditionally disapproved of remarriages, the Queen's presence at the wedding could have potentially caused controversy. Both Charles and Camilla had been previously divorced, and by staying away from the ceremony, the Queen may have been demonstrating her devotion to the values of the Church of England.

Despite her absence from the civil ceremony, the Queen did participate in the second stage of the wedding. She attended the service of dedication at St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle following the wedding and hosted a wedding reception for the newlyweds at Windsor Castle, indicating her support for the union.

In the years since the wedding, the Queen has also expressed her approval of the marriage and her support for Camilla. In her Accession Day message in February 2022, marking her 70th anniversary on the throne, the Queen shared her "sincere wish" that Camilla would become queen consort when Charles becomes King. This was seen as a significant show of support and approval for their marriage.

Camilla's relationship with Princess Diana

Although Camilla and Princess Diana are often portrayed as rivals for Prince Charles' affections, their relationship was more nuanced. Before Diana and Charles' marriage, Camilla and Diana were on good terms. Diana, who was 14 years younger than Camilla, looked to her for advice and saw her as a supportive older sister figure.

When Diana first started dating Charles in 1980, she would often visit Camilla and her then-husband Andrew Parker Bowles' country home, Bolehyde Manor in Wiltshire. Camilla got along well with Diana, and the former nanny even helped Camilla with her children, Tom and Laura.

Camilla maintained the friendship as Charles and Diana's relationship became more serious. After Charles and Diana announced their engagement in February 1981, Diana found a note from Camilla on her bed inviting her to lunch. The two women are said to have enjoyed a lively meeting, spent catching up and gossiping. However, Diana later suspected that Camilla was trying to find out when she could see Charles alone.

Around the time of the Royal Wedding in July 1981, Diana's suspicions about Charles and Camilla began to grow. She was upset to discover that Charles had gifted Camilla a bracelet engraved with the initials "G" and "F," which she believed referred to the pet names "Gladys and Fred" that Charles and Camilla had given each other.

In the early years of her marriage, Camilla largely steered clear of events where she knew Charles and Diana would be in attendance. However, by the mid-1980s, Diana was convinced that Charles had rekindled his relationship with Camilla. In 1989, Diana confronted Camilla about her suspicions at a birthday party for Camilla's sister, Annabel Elliot. Diana recalled that Camilla asked her, "You've got everything you ever wanted. You've got all the men in the world fall in love with you and you've got two beautiful children, what more do you want?" to which Diana replied, "I want my husband."

After this confrontation, the two women had little contact, and Charles and Camilla continued their relationship as his marriage to Diana broke down. By the time of Diana's Panorama interview in 1995, the affair had been widely speculated about and scrutinized. In 1994, Charles admitted to adultery in an interview, saying that his marriage had "irretrievably broken down."

Following her divorce from Charles in 1996, Diana is said to have never fully reconciled with Camilla, who faced criticism from the press and Diana's supporters after Diana's tragic death in 1997. While some blamed Camilla for Charles and Diana's marital problems, others acknowledged that their issues were more complex and involved additional factors beyond Camilla's presence.

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