PRINCE AND LOVE ‘QUADRANGLE’ How The Crown got it wrong on Charles and Camilla
Bowles and The Love Affair That Rocked the Crown – says: “I think if Camilla ever made that comment about mistresses it was in jest. Camilla knew she wasn’t Queen or Princess material, so did Charles.
“At that time it seemed to be important for the prince to marry a member of the Church of England who was an aristocrat and virgin and Camilla did not tick those boxes.”
Suitable or not, Charles was smitten with Camilla, described as warm, sexy and friendly by pals. Penny says: “She
West Indies early in 1973 when a letter from Cami l l a arrived – saying she was engaged to Andrew. They wed that July.
But five years later, with Andrew away on duty, Camilla found herself once again drawn to Charles, a regular visitor as godfather to her son Tom.
Penny says: “She found it comforting to be with someone who appreciated her in a way her husband didn’t.”
The affair was compounded by Parker Bowles’ infidelity. Penny says he slept with so many of Camilla’s pals that at one dinner party a friend who felt left out asked him: “What’s wrong with me?”
Charles and Camilla’s second fling continued until he met Princess Diana – though he did propose to another brunette along the way. Lord
Mountbatten paired Charles with his grand- daughter Amanda Knatchbull. She rejected his offer in 1978 because there was no spark. Andrew Lownie, who penned The Mountbattens: Their Lives & Loves, said: “They liked each other but couldn’t fall in love. There was no chemistry.
“And they had known each far too long – since they were children.”
Had Ama n d a accepted it would have changed Charles’ life – and the course of royal history. Instead, on July 29, 1981, he wed Diana – while still holding a candle for Camilla. Of course, the royal love story that continues today was far from over...
Being with a man who appreciated her was a comfort to Camilla... PENNY JUNOR ON VISITS BY CHARLES TO CAMILLA
Series 1, 2 and 3 of The Crown are available on Netflix.