Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, born in 1947, second wife of Charles, prince of Wales. The former Camilla Parker Bowles and Prince Charles, heir to the British throne, were married on April 9, 2005, in a civil ceremony in Windsor, England.

Camilla Rosemary Shand was born in London, England. Her father was an officer in the British Army, and she had a privileged upbringing with a debut in 1965. She met the prince of Wales at a polo match in 1970, a year before he left for service in the Royal Navy. They dated, shared a love of horses, and became great friends. Noted for her earthy sense of humor, Shand reportedly reminded Charles that her great-grandmother Alice Keppel had been the mistress of his great-great-grandfather King Edward VII, and suggested a rematch. While Charles pursued his naval career, Shand married another suitor in 1973, army officer Andrew Parker Bowles. The Parker Bowleses had two children, Tom, born in 1974, and Laura, born in 1979.

Charles married Lady Diana Spencer in 1981. After the breakdown of the royal couple’s marriage became public knowledge in the early 1990s, the princess of Wales blamed Camilla, claiming that three people made for a crowded marriage. Taped telephone conversations between Charles and Camilla revealed embarrassingly intimate details of their relationship, and the Parker Bowleses divorced in 1995. Supporters of the princess of Wales sought to make Camilla an outcast. In 1997, a year after her divorce from Charles, Diana died in an automobile accident, and Charles gradually began to appear in public with Camilla.

Although Charles referred to Camilla as a “non-negotiable” part of his life, the possibility of their marriage seemed a matter for the Church of England to decide. As king, Charles would head the church, which opposes the marriage of divorced people whose spouses are still living. The approval of Queen Elizabeth II, Charles’s mother, was also needed before the couple could marry. By February 2005 the necessary approvals had been obtained and the wedding plans were announced. In deference to Diana, the late princess of Wales, Camilla has not taken this title and is known instead as the duchess of Cornwall. In Scotland, where Charles carries the title duke of Rothesay, she is known as the duchess of Rothesay. When Charles assumes the throne, his wife is expected to take the title of princess consort rather than queen. However, all wives of English kings have traditionally been called “queen.”