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Queen Camilla seen in very rare family photos – including one with beloved late mother

King Charles' wife had an idyllic childhood

Gemma Strong
Online Digital News Director
October 10, 2022
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Royal fans have been given a closer look at the new Queen Consort thanks to a series of photos posted on the family's official Instagram account.

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A slideshow of 17 images shared via Stories and titled The Queen Consort, gives a snapshot of Camilla's personal and working life.

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And there is one post that really stands out, showing King Charles's wife with her beloved late parents, Bruce and Rosalind.

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The picture is comprised of two photos; the top half shows Camilla beaming as she stands next to her mother. The second snapshot, meanwhile, sees the royal posing in the garden with her father.

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Queen Consort Camilla pictured with her late parents

The caption reads: "The Queen Consort was born Camilla Rosemary Shand on 17th July 1947 at King's College Hospital, London, the daughter of Major Bruce Middleton Hope Shand and the Hon Rosalind Maud Shand."

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Camilla was the eldest of three children, born to the couple ahead of sister Annabel and brother Mark.

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Camilla pictured with her siblings, Annabel and Mark

She was very close to her glamorous mother, who hailed from a wealthy aristocratic family and was 'Debutante of the Year' in 1939.

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Earlier this year, Camilla spoke about her parents in an interview with Australia's Women's Weekly.

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Bruce and Rosalind pictured on their wedding day in 1946

"My mother was absolutely brilliant at making us speak to people," the Duchess recalled. "She used to have people to dinner; it didn't matter who it was, old or young, some of them we thought were incredibly boring, but she used to sit at the end of the table and say: 'Talk! I don't care whether you're talking about your pony or your homework, just talk!' She was also quite forthright and never minced her words."

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Tragically, Camilla's mother didn't live long enough to see her daughter marry into the monarchy. She died "far too young" in 1994 at the age of 72 following a long battle with osteoporosis.

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Queen Camilla with her father, Major Bruce

"She was in her mid-60s when she got it," said the Duchess. "Nobody in those days knew anything about osteoporosis. So, when she suddenly used to scream, which she did if somebody touched her, we thought, 'Why is she making such a fuss about this? It can't be that painful.'

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"She was a strong woman, capable of anything, but she shrank and she shrank and she started bending over like a croquet hoop. It affects your stomach and lungs, so her breathing became very bad. She couldn't eat much food and was in agony the whole time.

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Charles and Camilla on their wedding day in 2005

"We were at such a loss to know how to help," Camilla admitted. "She used to go to the doctor who would say, 'There, there, you're old and frail, all old people get the dowager's hump, that's what happens!'. She gave up in the end."

Camilla's father, Major Bruce, passed away in 2006 – one year after her marriage to then-Prince Charles.

"He'd be so pleased knowing that I was Colonel-in-Chief of the Rifles now," Camilla noted. "I don't think anything would have made him more proud."

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