Camilla Parker Bowles Remains King Charles’ ‘Rock’ After 19 Years of ‘Yin and Yang’ Marriage
King Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles‘ relationship was kept under the radar for decades. Both were married to others and until an infamous series of phone conversations were publicly released, little was known about their depth of affection for each other. Now married for 19 years and the United Kingdom’s king and queen, Charles and Camilla are depicted as having a stable and caring marriage, with Camilla described as his “rock” despite their “yin and yang” relationship.
Camilla Parker Bowles is King Charles’ ‘rock,’ says her sister
In a 2023 documentary titled Charles III: The Coronation Year, Camilla Parker Bowles’ sister Annabel Elliot spoke about her sister’s relationship with the United Kingdom’s king. She claims she performs an essential duty in their relationship as the king’s “rock” during his royal duties and at home.
“She’s somebody who is completely loyal, and she isn’t somebody who has huge highs and lows,” Elliot explained. “She is his rock, and I can’t actually emphasize that enough.”
Elliot added that the couple share inherently different interests. Yet, this element of their relationship works because Camilla is interested in learning.
Camilla is a voracious reader and enjoys understanding new things. Charles’ interests are so varied that he always finds something to speak about with his wife, and she, in turn, remains queued in on what he’s saying.
Elliot added that Charles’ ongoing interest in life has allowed her sister to become more open-minded about different topics. She explained that Charles “has such knowledge and interest in so many different things, which she wouldn’t really have been open to if she hadn’t met him.”
“They are yin and yang, really. They are polar opposites, but I think it works brilliantly.”
Camilla Parker Bowles and King Charles’ relationship spans 54 years
King Charles first met Camilla Parker Bowles in 1970. Both were single when united at a Windsor Great Park polo match.
Their romance cooled by 1971. Charles entered the Royal Navy, and Camilla married Andrew Parker Bowles within two years.
By 1980, Charles had struck up a relationship with Lady Diana Spencer. However, he maintained Camilla as a close confidante.
In 1981, Charles and Diana married, and Camilla became a significant interruption due to her closeness with the then-Prince of Wales. Diana’s insecurity about their relationship continued throughout her marriage to Charles.
By the early 1990s, Charles and Diana’s marriage became irreparable, and Camilla was named as the other woman in their relationship. In 1995, Diana famously said during a television interview that her marriage was “a bit crowded” as there were three people involved in it: her, Charles, and Camilla. That same year, Camilla and Andrew divorced.
Diana’s 1997 death allowed Charles and Camilla to open up about their relationship. They remained devoted to one another and, in 2005, married with Queen Elizabeth’s blessing. While their relationship has had its ups and downs, including Charles’ recent cancer battle, they appear to be united.
There are still times when their relationship hits bumps. One “constant battle” has lingered for many years.
What is the ‘constant battle’ between King Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles?
Annabel Elliot, Camilla Parker Bowles’s sister, revealed intimate details of the couple’s marriage in Robert Hardman’s biography, King Charles: New King. New Court. The Inside Story. Elliot, Camilla’s sole living sibling (their brother Mark Shand died in 2014), shared some insider observations about just how volatile the couple’s relationship truly is.
GB News shared excerpts from Elliot’s statements. They are “polar opposites,” and these differences lead to “banter” at home.
The most significant “constant battle” between the couple is the temperature within their home. While Charles likes a cool breeze and keeps the windows open, Camilla prefers to feel warmer no matter the season. This has led to more than one instance where the couple have butted heads.
“There’s a constant battle about it,” Elliot stated. “He will have opened [the window]. She will creep in behind and shut it.”
However, according to Elliot’s statements, it doesn’t appear that the “banter” over the home environment raises the couple’s temperature. She explained their dialogue: “So there’s a lot of: ‘Oh, darling, you shut the window,’ ‘Yes, I have, because we’re all freezing.’ So a lot of banter goes on.”
Charles and Camilla became the United Kingdom’s king and queen consort upon Queen Elizabeth’s death in September 2022.
