Queen Camilla facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Camilla |
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Formal portrait, 2019
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| Queen consort of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms |
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| Tenure | 8 September 2022 – present |
| Coronation | 6 May 2023 |
| Born | Camilla Rosemary Shand 17 July 1947 King's College Hospital, London, England |
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| House | Windsor (by marriage) |
| Father | Bruce Shand |
| Mother | Rosalind Cubitt |
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Camilla (born Camilla Rosemary Shand on 17 July 1947) is the Queen of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. She is the wife of King Charles III.
Camilla grew up in East Sussex and South Kensington in England. She went to school in England, Switzerland, and France. In 1973, she married a British Army officer named Andrew Parker Bowles. They had two children together but divorced in 1995.
Camilla and Charles had been friends for a long time. Their friendship was often written about in newspapers around the world. In 2005, Camilla and Charles were married. From then until Charles became king, she was known as the Duchess of Cornwall.
When Queen Elizabeth II died on 8 September 2022, Charles became king, and Camilla became the queen consort. A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king. Their coronation took place at Westminster Abbey on 6 May 2023.
As Queen, Camilla supports the King in his duties. She is also a patron of many charities, which means she helps support their work. She has worked to raise awareness about osteoporosis (a bone disease), animal welfare, and the importance of reading.
Contents
Early Life and School
Camilla Rosemary Shand was born on 17 July 1947, at King's College Hospital in London. Her family lived in a country house in Plumpton, East Sussex, and also had a house in London. Her father, Major Bruce Shand, was a businessman who had been in the army. Her mother, Rosalind, was a charity worker. Camilla has a younger sister, Annabel, and had a younger brother, Mark.
Her father loved to read books to her, which made Camilla an avid reader from a young age. She grew up with dogs and cats and learned to ride horses. She joined Pony Club camps and won awards at local horse shows.
When she was five, Camilla went to a school in the village of Ditchling. At age 10, she attended Queen's Gate School in London. After leaving Queen's Gate, she went to a school in Switzerland. Later, she studied French language and literature in Paris for six months.
As a young woman, she worked as a secretary and a receptionist in London. She continued to enjoy horse riding, painting, fishing, and gardening.
Marriages and Family
First Marriage
In the late 1960s, Camilla met Andrew Parker Bowles, an army officer. They had an on-and-off relationship for several years before getting engaged in 1973. They married on 4 July 1973, in London. Many members of the Royal Family, including Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, attended the wedding.
The couple lived in Wiltshire and had two children: Tom (born 1974) and Laura (born 1978). King Charles III is Tom's godfather. After 21 years of marriage, Camilla and Andrew announced their divorce in 1994, which was finalized in 1995.
Relationship with King Charles
Camilla and Prince Charles met in the middle of 1971 through a mutual friend. They belonged to the same social circle and became close friends. Their friendship grew into a romantic relationship. They often met at polo matches, where Charles played.
The relationship paused when Charles joined the Royal Navy in 1973. Over the years, they remained good friends. Charles later married Lady Diana Spencer in 1981, and Camilla was married to Andrew Parker Bowles.
After both of their first marriages ended, Charles and Camilla's friendship became romantic again. Their relationship received a lot of negative attention in the news. In 1994, Charles said in a television interview that Mrs. Parker Bowles was a "great friend" and would continue to be one.
Becoming a Public Figure
After their divorces, Charles said his relationship with Camilla was "non-negotiable," meaning it was very important to him. He hired a public relations expert to help improve her public image.
Camilla slowly began to appear with Charles at public events. In 1999, they were photographed together for the first time as a couple at a birthday party at the Ritz London Hotel. In 2001, she became president of the Royal Osteoporosis Society, which was her first major public role.
She later met Queen Elizabeth II at a party in 2000. This was seen as a sign that the Queen approved of their relationship. In 2002, the Queen invited Camilla to her Golden Jubilee celebrations. Camilla then moved into Clarence House, Charles's official home in London.
Second Marriage
On 10 February 2005, it was announced that Charles and Camilla were engaged. Charles gave her a diamond ring that had belonged to his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.
Because both Charles and Camilla had been divorced, their plan to marry was unusual for a future king. However, they had the consent of the Queen, the government, and the Church of England.
The wedding took place on 9 April 2005, in a civil ceremony at the Windsor Guildhall. Their sons, Prince William and Tom Parker Bowles, were the witnesses. The Queen and Prince Philip attended a religious blessing for the couple at St George's Chapel afterward.
Duchess of Cornwall
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After her marriage, Camilla became Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall. She became the second-highest-ranking woman in the royal family, after Queen Elizabeth II. The Queen showed her support by lending Camilla a special tiara that had belonged to the Queen Mother and giving her the Royal Family Order of Elizabeth II.
Although she lived with Charles at Clarence House, Camilla kept her own home, Ray Mill House in Wiltshire, to spend private time with her children and grandchildren.
On 9 April 2012, their seventh wedding anniversary, the Queen appointed Camilla to the Royal Victorian Order, a special honour. In 2022, the Queen made her a Royal Lady of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, the highest order of chivalry in England.
Royal Duties and Travels
As Duchess of Cornwall, Camilla's first solo duty was a visit to Southampton General Hospital. Her first overseas tour with Charles was to the United States in November 2005. They met with President George W. Bush and Laura Bush. They also visited New Orleans to see the damage from Hurricane Katrina.
Over the years, she and Charles traveled to many countries, including Egypt, India, Turkey, Japan, Canada, and Australia. They represented the Queen and the United Kingdom on these trips.
In 2013, Camilla attended the State Opening of Parliament for the first time. In June 2014, she and Charles went to France for the 70th anniversary of D-Day. In 2019, they became the first British royals to make an official visit to Cuba.
Between 2005 and 2022, Camilla carried out over 3,800 official engagements.
Queen Consort
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When Queen Elizabeth II died on 8 September 2022, Charles became King, and Camilla became queen consort. In his first speech as king, Charles called Camilla his "darling wife" and thanked her for her "steadfast devotion to duty."
Before her death, Queen Elizabeth II had said it was her "sincere wish" for Camilla to be known as queen consort. After the coronation on 6 May 2023, she became known as Queen Camilla.
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In 2024, when the King was diagnosed with cancer, the Queen stepped in for him at several important events. This included the Commonwealth Day service and the Royal Maundy service, where she became the first consort to hand out the special Maundy money.
In October 2024, the King and Queen toured Australia and Samoa. In May 2025, she accompanied the King on a visit to Canada.
Charity Work
The Queen is the patron or president of more than 100 charities. Her work focuses on health, literacy, supporting victims of crime, the arts, and animal welfare.
Osteoporosis
In 1994, Camilla joined the National Osteoporosis Society after her mother died from the disease. Osteoporosis is a condition that makes bones weak and more likely to break. She became the charity's patron in 1997 and its president in 2001.
She has given speeches and attended conferences around the world to raise awareness. In 2019, the charity was renamed the Royal Osteoporosis Society in her honour. For her work, she has received several awards and an honorary doctorate from the University of Southampton.
Supporting Victims of Crime and Abuse
Since 2009, Camilla has worked to help victims of crime and abuse. She often visits support centers in the UK and on overseas tours to meet with staff and survivors. She is the patron of SafeLives, a charity that works to end domestic abuse.
In 2013, she started a project to give wash-bags with toiletries to people who have been through difficult experiences. This simple gesture was her idea to provide comfort to victims.
Literacy
As a lifelong reader, the Queen is a strong supporter of literacy (the ability to read and write). She is the patron of the National Literacy Trust and BookTrust. She often visits schools and libraries to read to children.
In 2021, she launched an online book club called The Duchess of Cornwall's Reading Room. It was later turned into a charity called The Queen's Reading Room. The charity holds a festival every year to celebrate books and reading.
Other Causes
The Queen is a great supporter of animal welfare. She is the patron of Battersea Dogs & Cats Home. She has adopted three rescue dogs herself, named Beth, Bluebell, and Moley.
She also supports charities that help people experiencing poverty and homelessness. Every Christmas, she invites children with serious illnesses to her home at Clarence House to help decorate the Christmas tree.
Titles, Styles, and Honours
- 1973–1995: Mrs Andrew Parker Bowles
- 1995–2005: Mrs Camilla Parker Bowles
- 2005–2022: Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall
- in Scotland: Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Rothesay
- 2022–present: Her Majesty The Queen
When she married Prince Charles, Camilla legally became the Princess of Wales. However, out of respect for the late Diana, Princess of Wales, she used the title Duchess of Cornwall.
Upon Charles's accession to the throne, she became "Her Majesty The Queen Consort." Since the coronation, she has been styled "Her Majesty The Queen," following the tradition for wives of kings.
See also
In Spanish: Camila del Reino Unido para niños
- List of current consorts of sovereigns
