Royal Love? Prince Charles Refused to Split With Camilla Despite Disapproval
It has been almost 15 years since Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles got married, and their relationships continues to get stronger despite the test of time.
Interestingly, however, their relationship could have ended early. However, the Prince of Wales proved how much he loves the Duchess of Cornwall after he defied what the royal family wanted.
Rekindling Romance
Prince Charles and Camilla announced their relationship in 1999, which was two years after Princess Diana's tragic death in Paris. Because of the incident, Camilla struggled in winning the approval of the Queen, citizens and royal watchers as Prince Charles' new partner.
Prince Chalres being the heir to the throne made it even harder for Camilla to get Queen Elizabeth II's nod.
Meanwhile, according to Tom Bower's biography "Rebel Prince: The Power, Passion, and Defiance of Prince Charles," Her Majesty offered nothing but disapproval that she even reportedly called Camilla "that wicked woman" and showed so much displeasure towards her.
In pursuit of breaking the foundation between the two, Queen Elizabeth II reportedly sent someone to do the job for her -- but ultimately failed in the end.
The Queen's Last-Ditch Effort
Penny Junor, who authored the 2018 book "The Duchess: Camilla Parker Bowles and the Love Affair that Rocked the Crown," revealed how Queen Elizabeth II went against all odds by sending one person to Prince Charles' office.
Sir Michael Peat, the Keeper of the Privy Purse, Treasurer to the Queen, and Receiver General of the Duchy of Lancaster, received an instruction from the Queen to cut off the connection between his son and Camilla.
"Queen Elizabeth offered nothing but disapproval towards their relationship," Junor stated before adding that the Queen worried so much since the Prince of Wales is the first in the line to the British throne.
However, the plan ultimately came to waste after Peat realized that what the royal family wanted to do with Prince Charles and Camilla was an impossible dream to achieve, simply because the Prince refused to give up Camilla.
In the end, he turned into an ally and became the "loudest, fiercest advocate" of their marriage.
As he continued to be one of the most-trusted staff of the Prince of Wales, he later on got the position of Principal Private Secretary to the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall before he retired.
"The Prince of Wales really is the most curious character. In his usual way, he was dithering," Junor described the future head of the monarchy. "On the one hand, he had stood his ground against his parents, the media, and the voice of the nation in making Camilla non-negotiable."
Why Their Marriage Got Delayed
Prince Charles and Camilla had to wait for six years before they get married. While the approval of the royal family was undoubtedly a big deal, the real reason why they delayed their marriage was mainly because of the "sensitivity towards" Prince William and Prince Harry.
As excerpted in the 2005 book "The Firm" by Penny Junor, a royal biographer, Prince Charles and Camilla did not want to force Prince William and Prince Harry to meet and accept a stepmother wholeheartedly before they had fully grown up.
They also took note of the sudden death of Princess Diana, which affected the two princes emotionally and mentally.
Nonetheless, as time went by, the two grew up and became old enough to understand what their father wanted.
On April 9, 2005, Prince Charles and Camilla finally tied a knot at Windsor Guildhall.
They also had a service at St. George's Chapel to receive a special marital blessing. They had to do another event since, at the time of their engagement, the Church of England could not support second marriages if a spouse was still living (which was the case of Camilla's ex, Andrew Parker Bowles).
