Queen Camilla Has ‘Grown Immeasurably In Confidence’ As She Celebrates Her 77th Birthday

Jul 17, 2024

King Charles III and Queen Camilla’s relationship has definitely raised eyebrows over the years. The couple had an affair while Charles was still married to Princess Diana, and during the last few years of her life, it was reported that the alleged affair tormented the late princess.

Then tragedy struck when Diana passed away due to a car accident in 1996. Following this, Charles and Camilla began officially seeing each other two years after Princess Diana’s death. Because of Diana’s untimely passing, Charles did not want to overwhelm his family with the sudden inclusion of a new spouse. Prince Harry and Prince William were still minors when their mother passed, and Charles decided that it would be best to wait until they were adults to get married to Camilla.

But one major difference between Charles’ two wives is that Camilla didn’t go by the title of princess, despite Diana, his first wife, doing so. In fact, the reason why has something to do with Diana—Camilla paid her respect to Diana by opting to take on a different title. However, after Charles became king following Elizabeth II’s passing in September 2022, Camilla became known as the Queen Consort before taking on the title of Queen Camilla.

Camilla has been an intricate part of the royal family for several years, taking on leadership roles and accumulating many responsibilities as time passes. In 2024, Camilla exceeded expectations as she stepped up as a senior working royal after her husband, King Charles, was diagnosed with cancer. As she approached her 77th birthday, a royal expert pointed out that the Queen had grown “immeasurably confident” as she took on bigger roles and responsibilities for the monarchy. Keep reading to learn more about Queen Camilla and her upcoming birthday celebration. 

According to Royal UK, Camilla encountered some struggles during her childhood. She is the eldest of three children and has a younger sister named Annabel Elliot. Sadly, her younger brother, Mark Shand, passed away in 2014.

During her youth, Camilla attended Dumbrells School and Queen’s Gate School. She also studied at Mon Fertile School in Switzerland and the Institut Britannique in Paris. As an adult, Camilla married Brigadier Andrew Parker Bowles, having tied the knot in 1973 at the Guards Chapel, Wellington Barracks, in London. 

Camilla was 25 years old at the time, while her then-husband was 33. It was a highly appreciated society wedding with many royal guests, including Princess Anne, Princess Margaret, and Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother.

Camilla and her then-husband welcomed two children together: Thomas Henry and Laura Rose. However, their marriage was dissolved in 1995.

Even though Camilla’s first marriage ended in heartbreak, she soon found a new love. It wasn’t long before Camilla became involved with the royal family, although the beginning of her relationship with them had not been off to the best of starts.

Upon King Charles III and Camilla’s engagement in February 2005, a statement from the palace was released in which questions about Camilla's status and title as queen were addressed. The statement, released on Feb. 10, 2005, announced their marriage and immediately mentioned that Camilla would use the title "HRH The Duchess of Cornwall." 

Harper’s Bazaar noted that Camilla had the opportunity to become Princess of Wales, but since the beloved, late Diana was bestowed that title, Camilla avoided it.

Just a couple of short months after Camilla and Charles’ engagement was announced, Camilla remarried and tied the knot with Charles on April 9, 2005, officially making her a royal family member. 

Ever since she wed Charles, Camilla has become a patron or president of multiple charities and typically attends events in support of those organizations. As the wife of Charles, Camilla also helps the king carry out his royal duties by embarking on public engagements.

While Camilla has played an important role in the royal family for quite some time now, many people worldwide still don’t know her story or have been able to see her in action. Fortunately, she has continued to make her mark.

In an issue of Country Life magazine that she guest-edited, she was followed by the team to create an hour-long documentary, highlighting the editing process and the process of making the magazine. The documentary aired on July 13, 2022.

Vanity Fair says many other royal family members have used Country Life to celebrate milestone birthdays, including Princess Anne and Camilla’s husband, Charles. The king’s wife also asked Kate Middleton to photograph Camilla for the occasion.

Camilla was sure to share the limelight with her husband, albeit it was a bit more behind the scenes. According to Vanity Fair, she wrote an essay about Charles as a way to honor him as one of her “countryside heroes.” Camilla said, “It’s not easy to write about your husband. I bit through several pencils.”

Although she is clearly a very busy woman, Camilla still has time for celebrations. According to Vanity Fair, she worked up to her 75th birthday in 2022 as she visited an elementary school to help open a new library. According to the Literacy Trust, she also launched the Duchess’ Birthday Books Project at the school, which gave “mini libraries” to 25,000 children at 75 elementary schools in underprivileged neighborhoods.

According to ITV, Camilla had a very relaxed birthday that year despite it being a milestone. She simply held a small family dinner. Also, in honor of Camilla’s 75th birthday, the Clarence House released several stunning portraits of Camilla.

The portraits were taken by Chris Jackson. The official Clare House Twitter account shared the image and a sweet message in a Twitter post on her 75th birthday that said:

“Thank you for all your kind messages and well wishes on The Duchess of Cornwall’s 75th birthday today!”

In the photograph, Camilla looked elegant as she posed in a blue outfit adorned with a flower pattern. She also held onto her adorable little pup!

Different royals paid tribute to Camilla on her 76th Birthday. Prince William and Kate greeted her through their social media accounts, saying, “A very happy birthday to Her Majesty The Queen!” The account shared a photo of Camilla at Wimbledon last year, which is attached to the post on X, formerly Twitter. 

In honor of Camilla’s birthday, Westminster Abbey rang its bells for the first time since 2019. Harper’s Bazaar reported that the bells had been paused after financial issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

2024 was quite difficult for the British Royal Family, especially for Camilla, as her husband, Charles, was diagnosed with cancer. Speaking to GB News, royal expert Angela Levin claimed that Camilla garnered more positive support for stepping up in Charles’ absence at public-facing events. 

“I think The King is a very determined man. He’s wanted to be king for a very, very long time. I mean, to wait till you’re 73 is a long time before you can take the crown. ... Supporting him very much, absolutely by his side, is Queen Camilla who is going to all the engagements that they would have gone to together on her own. And so that way he will feel it’s still moving, it’s still running, and they can discuss it and talk about it. And I think that’s marvellous.”

Levin described Camilla as an “accessible” queen who “makes people laugh” and is “very caring.”

“People didn’t like her because she was not a virgin when she married the King, the then prince. I think, well, there we are. You really never know what people are going to do. She’s a wonderful woman and she’s just doing it very quietly,” Levin remarked.

Levin emphasized how Camilla has stepped out of her comfort zone to do engagements in place for her husband, Charles. 

“She has gone to as many engagements as possible that King Charles would have done, which is a huge load, but she’ll do it with grace,” Levin noted. “So she would do her absolute best to stand by him. She never wanted to be in the spotlight and she disliked giving speeches. But she’s learned all that and I think it’s a marvelous thing that she’s done.”

Royal correspondent Charles Rae also spoke to GB News and described Camilla as a “remarkable asset” to the British Monarchy. 

As Camilla approached her 77th birthday, former BBC Royal correspondent Jennie Bond told OK! Magazine that Camilla seemed to be “rocking” her role as a senior working royal. 

"I think she might have surprised herself by enjoying hard work as much as she seems to be doing! She is, after all, a woman who has never had to knuckle down to a solid career or the slog of a 9 to 5 job. She has shouldered a sharply increased workload and a massive amount of responsibility in the past few months — and is looking and sounding great on it!" Bond said of Camilla. 

Bond also suggested that Camilla is putting in the hard work because he wants her husband to be “proud of her” and that she wants to “pull her weight in their partnership.” 

"But also it must be so gratifying to have earned widespread approval - even affection - from a public who once ganged up against her as the 'marriage breaker' and the 'other woman' who made Diana so unhappy,” Bond shared. "I think Diana was absolutely right to tell me that Camilla was 'loyal' and that Charles's love for Camilla was stronger than any marriage he might ever have made."

Bond described Camilla to be looking “sleeker, smarter and more stylish than ever” as she has “grown immeasurably in confidence.”

“What a contrast to those early days when she looked and sounded so very nervous if she had to speak in public. Now she is assured, confident and comfortable in her new and very demanding role,” Bond emphasized. 

On July 9, 2024, Camilla was spotted hanging out with her sister, Annabel Elliot, at Wimbledon, taking a break from royal engagements. Daily Express reported that when the Queen arrived and talked to former player Laura Robson, she noted how it was “so nice to be able to escape for a day.” 

Happy Birthday, Queen Camilla! What are your wishes for Queen Camilla? Let us know, and pass this on to your family, friends, and other Royal Family fans out there!