Love despite obstacles Charles and Camilla celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary
King Charles and Camilla celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary in Italy on a trip abroad. They visited the Colosseum in Rome on April 8.
Image: KEYSTONE
The Kingdom's Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team flew over the Roman landmark for the high-ranking visit.
Image: KEYSTONE
On their trip to Italy, the British royals also stopped at the Palazzo del Quirinale with Italian President Sergio Mattarella (left) and his daughter Laura.
Image: KEYSTONE
Handshakes with King Charles included.
Image: KEYSTONE
Later, the British community at Villa Wolkonsky also had a drink for the King.
Image: KEYSTONE
The picture of the coronation of King Charles on May 6, 2023 in London.
Image: KEYSTONE
Leaving the chapel after the wedding on April 9, 2005.
Image: KEYSTONE
At last: the official wedding favors.
Image: KEYSTONE
Wedding photo from Clarence House on April 10, 2005: The Prince of Wales Charles with his bride Camilla and their family: Prince Harry, Prince William, Camilla's children Tom and Laura Parker Bowles (from left to right). In the front row: Queen Elizabeth II with her husband and Camilla's father Major Bruce Shand.
Image: KEYSTONE
King Charles and Camilla, then still Camilla Parker Bowles, have known each other for ages. Here at the Mey Games in Scotland in August 2004. A turbulent love story.
Image: KEYSTONE
A photo from 2002. The royal couple only married three years later.
Image: KEYSTONE
The wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana in July 1981 - an unhappy marriage.
Image: KEYSTONE
King Charles and Camilla celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary in Italy on a trip abroad. They visited the Colosseum in Rome on April 8.
Image: KEYSTONE
The Kingdom's Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team flew over the Roman landmark for the high-ranking visit.
Image: KEYSTONE
On their trip to Italy, the British royals also stopped at the Palazzo del Quirinale with Italian President Sergio Mattarella (left) and his daughter Laura.
Image: KEYSTONE
Handshakes with King Charles included.
Image: KEYSTONE
Later, the British community at Villa Wolkonsky also had a drink for the King.
Image: KEYSTONE
The picture of the coronation of King Charles on May 6, 2023 in London.
Image: KEYSTONE
Leaving the chapel after the wedding on April 9, 2005.
Image: KEYSTONE
At last: the official wedding favors.
Image: KEYSTONE
Wedding photo from Clarence House on April 10, 2005: The Prince of Wales Charles with his bride Camilla and their family: Prince Harry, Prince William, Camilla's children Tom and Laura Parker Bowles (from left to right). In the front row: Queen Elizabeth II with her husband and Camilla's father Major Bruce Shand.
Image: KEYSTONE
King Charles and Camilla, then still Camilla Parker Bowles, have known each other for ages. Here at the Mey Games in Scotland in August 2004. A turbulent love story.
Image: KEYSTONE
A photo from 2002. The royal couple only married three years later.
Image: KEYSTONE
The wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana in July 1981 - an unhappy marriage.
Image: KEYSTONE
Charles and Camilla celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary on Wednesday - in the middle of their visit to Italy. There's not much time for romance and dolce vita: the day is full of appointments and ends with a state banquet.
09.04.2025, 18:04
09.04.2025, 18:08
SDA
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- Charles and Camilla have known each other since the 1970s and had to overcome many personal and social obstacles before they were able to marry in 2005.
- The relationship was long met with disapproval from the public, church and politicians; even the Queen was absent from the civil wedding, but later supported the couple.
- A shared path to the crown: Today, Charles and Camilla are King and Queen; she was officially crowned in 2023 and is considered an important pillar of support for the King - especially since he fell ill with cancer.
Charles and Camilla have known each other for more than 50 years and quickly fell in love. However, they had to overcome scandals and a few other obstacles before their wedding.
Charles III loves having Camilla by his side, and not just since his cancer was made public in February 2024. In public, the 76-year-old likes to call his wife, who is almost a year older than him, his "much-loved wife".
The two are simply a good match, says royals expert Richard Fitzwilliams: "same age, same friends, same sense of humor".
Their strong sense of duty is another thing they have in common. And Camilla makes Charles "laugh, which is particularly important in times of crisis".
After all, the king is an "impatient sick person" who is difficult to convince to take a step back.
Marriage seemed inappropriate
Charles, then still Crown Prince, met Camilla in the 1970s and was immediately fascinated by the young aristocrat, who gave him confidence with her witty and very direct manner. A brief romance followed, but Charles ended it when he joined the Royal Navy. A marriage between the Crown Prince and Camilla seemed inappropriate at the time.
Camilla then married Andrew Parker Bowles at the age of 25. Charles walked down the aisle in 1981 with Diana Spencer, who was twelve years his junior. Camilla and her husband were also among the wedding guests. But even though the pompous ceremony was celebrated around the world as a supposed dream wedding, Charles' marriage was not a happy one. After the birth of his sons William and Harry, he fled into Camilla's arms.
Charles and Camilla divorce
Diana did not miss this. She expressed her contempt for Camilla by giving her the mocking name "Rottweiler". Charles and Diana separated in 1992 and divorced in 1996 - one year after Camilla and Andrew Parker Bowles divorced.
The tabloid press demonized Camilla as the reason for Diana's unhappiness. The tragic accidental death of Lady Di in 1997 during a chase with paparazzi in Paris also ended Camilla's hopes of marrying Charles in the foreseeable future.
The Queen takes her time
In 1999, Charles and Camilla made their first public appearance together again, and the following year Camilla met Charles' mother Elizabeth II. However, it took the Queen some time to accept that her son wanted Camilla by his side for the rest of his life and thus also as King.
There were "enormous constitutional, political and religious obstaclesto Charles and Camilla's marriage, not to mention the family," says royal expert Fitzwilliams. The question of whether a British pretender to the throne should be allowed to marry a divorced woman was hotly debated among constitutional lawyers.
The then Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, who was also the spiritual leader of the Church of England, refused to allow the couple to marry in church. The Anglican Church doubted whether a wedding was possible if the bride's former spouse was still alive and the groom was the future British king and therefore also the future secular head of the Church of England.
But crowned Queen
Public opinion in the United Kingdom was also against Charles and Camilla's relationship for a long time. When their marriage was finally announced, there was an obvious effort to avoid causing even more turmoil. The announcement stated that if Charles were to become king one day, Camilla would not be queen, but "prince consort".
The Queen did not attendthe civil wedding on April 9, 2005 in Windsor Town Hall with around 30 guests. However, she took part in the blessing of the couple in the castle chapel and hosted a reception for the newlyweds. In a toast to her son, Elizabeth II acknowledged that Charles had overcome "terrible obstacles" for this marriage and that she was "very proud" of him.
Camilla is now Queen; she was crowned together with Charles on May 6, 2023. The King paid tribute to his wife, saying that she was his "unwavering support" and that he was "deeply grateful" to her for that.
