As head of the royal family, King Charles serves the people of Great Britain and the Commonwealth. However, there is only one individual for whom he'll go through "painstaking" trials. After years of hiding his feelings for her, Charles’ dedication and love for Queen Camilla is finally on full display.
In Catherine Mayer's new book Divide & Rule, the author writes that the King and Queen’s connection is visible to anyone they encounter. She writes, “With Camilla, you only need to see her and Charles together to understand that she has this ... magical effect on him. It's transformative.”
The author notes that Camilla’s impact on Charles is the most palpable when he is stressed. She explains, "You would see him tired, very obviously out of sorts. And then she would come into a room, and he would light up. She just lifts him."
The two originally met in 1970 at a polo match. They dated for two years before Charles left to serve away at sea with the Royal Navy. When he returned in 1976, Camilla was already married to Andrew Parker Bowles. Charles then went on to marry Princess Diana.
It wasn’t until after Diana’s death in August 1997 that Charles and Camilla made their first official public appearance together at the Ritz Hotel in London. Since then, the King has reportedly "deemed Camilla's role in his life a 'non-negotiable," Mayer writes. His determination to keep her close has resulted in "painstaking" efforts to repair their public image after the scandals that ensued during their previous marriages.
"I think the non-negotiability was the point after the divorce and, of course, after Diana's death," Mayer writes. "He understood that this was the one woman who could really sustain him. And I think he felt the need for that kind of support, and Camilla has clearly always been prepared to do that."
