Queen Camilla and King Charles's romance has spanned decades, with the pair finally tying the knot on April 9, 2005. But according to a new royal biography, Queen Camilla wasn't entirely joyous on her wedding day for an understandable reason.
In her new book, Divide and Rule: Royal Women and Their Battles, royal author Catherine Mayer discusses Camilla's royal wedding to Charles.
"When dawn finally broke on her happiest day, Camilla reportedly felt a little broken too, reluctant to emerge from under her duvet," Mayer explains. "When she did, it was to a service that joined her and Charles in the prayer of preparation, an admission of 'manifold sins and wickedness' written by Thomas Cranmer for Henry VIII."
The seeming insistence on pointing out the couple's former indiscretions on their wedding day can't have been easy. In spite of any difficulties Camilla faced on the day itself, she reportedly moved forward.
"Still, this daughter and ex-wife of military men has never allowed adversity to rain on her parade," Mayer says.
Mayer continues, "Photographers captured the couple laughing as they posed on the steps of the chapel after the blessing, while the wind tried to whip away the feathered confection Camilla had chosen in place of a more traditional tiara. It was a glimpse of a key dynamic between them."
Noting King Charles's alleged "discomfort" when pictured with Princess Diana, Mayer reflects on the marked change he seems to exhibit with Queen Camilla.
"He and Camilla, by contrast, tend to mirror each other, engaging with a sustaining intimacy that is instantly recognizable and impossible to counterfeit," Mayer writes.
Even if Camilla did feel "a little broken" on her wedding day to Charles, hopefully the ceremony itself—and their enduring marriage—more than made up for it.
