With the coronation of Charles III. (74) on May 6, his wife Camilla (76) will officially become the queen. The Queen Consort is a woman who has long been rejected by the British: As a “third person” she is said to have destroyed Charles’ first marriage to Diana (1961-1997), people and the press called her “Rottweiler”. But over the years, the 76-year-old has earned the respect of many Brits. And yet there are some things that nobody knows about the woman at Charles’ side to this day: On the occasion of the coronation, Buckingham Palace has now published 25 lesser-known fun facts about “Her Majesty The Queen Consort”. Some facts should be new even to long-time Royal fans.
After her marriage to Charles on April 9, 2005, Camilla Parker-Bowles became the Duchess of Cornwall. As such, she took on the patronage of more than 100 organizations. The work of the Royal Osteoporosis Society is particularly close to Camilla’s heart: she has been committed to the organization since the 1990s, and in 2005 she became its first patron. Both her mother and grandmother suffered from the condition.
Another heart issue is the fight against sexual harassment. In 2013 she launched the “Wash Bag” initiative, which provides help centers for victims of sexual harassment with wash bags containing hygiene items such as shampoo or shower gel. Since 2021, Camilla has been the patron of the first help center for sexual harassment in Nigeria.
Since September 2014, King Charles and Queen Camilla have served as President and President of the Elephant Society. Camilla’s late brother Mark Shand (1951-2014) founded the charity in 2002 and dedicated his life to rescuing Asian elephants.
The Queen Consort also has a heart for dogs: she has been the patron of the Battersea Dogs animal shelter since 2016
In order to stay fit and agile in old age, Queen Camilla takes ballet lessons at “Silver Swans” – an initiative of the Royal Academy of Dance for the elderly. One of her favorite shows is also about dancing: Camilla is a big fan of “Strictly Come Dancing”, the British equivalent of “Let’s Dance”.
Queen Camilla is a “self-proclaimed bookworm”, can also be read on the palace website. She reads one book in particular over and over again: the Jane Austen novel “Pride and Prejudice”. During the lockdown, Camilla founded the Instagram platform “The Reading Room” in 2021. In 2023, this became the charity “The Queen’s Reading Room”.
It is therefore not surprising that her favorite games revolve around words: The Queen likes to play Scrabble and Wordle.
When she’s not dancing ballet or reading, Queen Camilla spends time in the garden, where she regularly lends a hand. The 74-year-old even produces her own honey in the garden of her home in Wiltshire. She sells the honey for a good cause.
In February 2005, Clarence House announced Charles and Camilla’s engagement. At the time, it was said that the ring was an heirloom of the royal family. It is now revealed that it once belonged to the jewelry collection of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, grandmother of King Charles III.
