Split image of Andrew Parker Bowles and Queen Camilla on their wedding day and Queen Camilla and King Charles at a royal visit© Getty Images

Inside Queen Camilla's love life before King Charles

The Queen had romanced others before walking down the aisle with the then Prince of Wales

Online News Writer & Diversity and Inclusion Lead
April 18, 2024

Queen Camilla is now happily married to King Charles, but before their wedding day on 9 April 2005, the duo had previously been in relationships with others.

We've covered the King's love life here, so today we're going to be focusing on the former partners of Camilla. The royal famously had a high-profile marriage to Andrew Parker-Bowles, which even had royalty in attendance, but before Andrew, the Queen also captured the attentions of another suitor.

Read on to find out all you need to know about Camilla's former partners, from her first boyfriend to her now husband, the King…

Kevin Burke

The first person to grab the attention of the then future Queen was Kevin Burke, who met Camilla in 1965 when she was a debutante. Camilla, who was aged 17 at the time of their first meeting, had her coming out party, otherwise known as a debutante ball, in Knightsbridge when she and Kevin first crossed paths.

Kevin and Camilla dated for a year and speaking about their relationship in a biography of the royal, Kevin shared: "Every night we had two or three cocktail parties to go to and a dance, and a couple of dances to choose from at weekends in the country.

"It was the best fun, and I had the best and most fun partner you could possibly wish for. It was the best fun, and I had the best and most fun partner you could possibly wish for. Camilla was immensely popular and although she wasn’t a beauty, she was attractive and sexy."

Although Camilla and Kevin didn't go the distance, he later married advertising executive Peta Baker. They separated in 2001 after being married for over 14 years. Kevin then settled down with Luisa Fairey, with the pair welcoming a son, Max. Kevin was with Luisa until his death in August 2023.

Andrew Parker Bowles

Andrew Parker Bowles and Tom Parker Bowles walking with Queen Camilla© Mathieu Polak
Camilla and Andrew married in 1973 and welcomed two children

Before Camilla tied the knot with the then Prince Charles, she was previously married to Andrew Parker Bowles, who was a member of the Queen's Guards. Andrew had royal links from a young age and he reportedly served as a page at the late Queen's coronation.

Andrew and Camilla were introduced by Andrew's younger brother, Simon, and they enjoyed an on-off relationship throughout the 1960s. The couple eventually got engaged in 1973 and walked down the aisle on 4 July later that year. Members of the royal family like Princess Anne, the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret were among the guests at the lavish wedding.

Following their marriage, the couple moved into Middlewick House in Wiltshire and they would go on to welcome two children: Tom Parker Bowles in 1974 and daughter Laura Lopes in 1978. However, the pair would eventually go their separate ways, divorcing in 1995.

Andrew moved on with Rosemary Pitman, marrying her a year after his divorce from Camilla. They remained together until Rosemary's death in 2010 from cancer. In 2023, it emerged that Andrew was now in a relationship with former Countdown host Anne Robinson.

King Charles

© Serge Lemoine
Camilla and Charles first met in 1970

Camilla's most famous relationship is with the current monarch, and it first started over 50 years ago, when the pair crossed paths at a polo match. Camilla was in an 'off' period with Andrew, and she dated Charles for a short while before things cooled off due to his naval career that separated them.

The couple, however, remained in each other's lives, and Charles even became a godfather to Camilla's first child, Tom. Meanwhile, Charles found love with Princess Diana, marrying her in 1981.

Diana's explosive interviews following the ending of her marriage to the then Prince of Wales revealed that Charles and Camilla had been seeing each other during their respective marriages.

The pair only started publicly revealing their love for one another in 1999 when they were photographed at a party at the Ritz Hotel. The couple became more public with their love and moved in together in August 2003, with Charles popping the question in 2005.

© Max Mumby/Indigo
Camilla has been supporting Charles through his health woes

The lovebirds married on 9 April 2005 in a civil ceremony. Since their marriage, Camilla has taken on an increasingly prominent public role and is a constant presence on royal tours and trips abroad.

PHOTOS: Queen Camilla is a regal vision in sheer leopard print

READ: Queen Camilla's immediate change following 'surprise' engagement to King Charles

The Queen has been at the side of Charles for several devastating moments including the deaths of his parents, the late Queen and Duke of Edinburgh. She has also been supporting the monarch through his cancer diagnosis, stepping in for him at official engagements as he continues to recover.

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