After more than four decades the Prince of Wales' companion Camilla Parker Bowles, an enthusiastic huntswoman, has given up the sport. The official reason for the 56-year-old's decision is doctors' orders – she suffers from a bad back – but those close to her say it is also a reflection of the pressure she has been under to quit.
"She's basically done it because it's too controversial," revealed a friend, "though she would never admit to that."
Health problems obviously have been a factor in the decision, however, as she meets with a personal trainer every other day to learn pilates which helps with the lower back pain she suffers. Writing in HELLO! magazine royal biographer Penny Junor says Camilla has said she wanted to quit while ahead of the game, uninjured, rather than pushing her luck.
The same interview also reveals the extent of the discontent within Prince Charles' household between the two most significant people in his life – Camilla and his private secretary Sir Michael Peat. While Camilla had a good working relationship with Sir Stephen Lamport and Mark Bolland who previously ran the Prince's private office, her relationship with Sir Stephen's successor is more fraught.
"She is no longer invited to diary planning meetings or involved in any way," reports Ms Junor. "And she and her family now refer to Sir Michael Peat as 'the enemy' – the term, curiously, that Diana, Princess of Wales used about the Prince's previous private secretary in the more acrimonious days of their marriage."
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
