When Camilla Rosemary Shand was born on July 17 1947, no one could predict that she would one day be Queen of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth realms AND the wife of the future King.
Across her 76 years, Camilla has been at the centre of many public controversies, but her devotion to her second husband, and therefore The Firm has remained absolute. Scroll on as we take a look back at her colourful life so far.
Who are Queen Camilla’s parents?
Camilla was born to Rosalind Shand (nee Cubitt) and Bruce Shand at King’s College Hospital in London.
While her parents were not royalty themselves, they were firmly upper-middle class and thus Camilla enjoyed a comfortable childhood, splitting her time between the family’s country house in East Sussex and their city house in South Kensington.
In July 1994, Rosalind passed away at the age of 76. Her husband Bruce followed suit 12 years later at the age of 89 in 2006 from cancer.
How educated is Queen Camilla?
As a child, Camilla attended the Dumbrells School in Sussex, Queen’s Gate School in South Kensington, the Mon Fertile Finishing School in Switzerland, and finally the Institut Britannique in Paris where she studied French and French literature for six months.
Since marrying Charles in 2005, Camilla has been awarded several honourary degrees including a Doctor of Laws, Doctor of Science, and Doctor of Letters from the Universities of Aberdeen, Southhampton, and Chester respectively.
Does Queen Camilla have any siblings?
Queen Camilla has two siblings, three nieces, one nephew, three grand-nephews, and one grand-niece.
Annabel Elliot
Camilla has a younger sister called Annabel who was born on February 2nd 1949, and is currently 74.
She was married to Simon Elliot from 1972 before he passed away in 2023. They shared three children together: Ben, 47, Alice, 46, and Catherine (also known as ‘Katie), 42.
Ben married Mary-Clare Winwood in 2011 and the couple went on to welcome two sons into the world, Arthur and Ike, in 2012 and 2014.
As for Alice, after marrying her husband Luke Irwin in 2003, she welcomed two children of her own – Violet, and Otis – who were born in 2010 and 2006.
Mark Shand
Sadly, Camilla’s younger brother passed away at the age of 62 in April 2014 after a fall where he sustained “blunt impact head trauma with a skull fracture and subdural hematoma” according to the Chief Medical Examiner assigned to his case.
He was survived by his ex-wife Clio Goldsmith (m. 1990 d. 2009) and his daughter Ayesha, 28.
Who are Camilla’s children?
During her marriage to Andrew Parker Bowles from 1973 until 1995, Camilla welcomed two children into the world: Thomas, 49, and Laura, 46.
Thomas shares two children with his ex-wife Sarah Buys (m. 2005 d. 2021) – Lola, 2007, and Frederick, 2010 – while Laura has been happily married to Harry Lopes since 2006. The couple share children Eliza, 16, and twins Louis and Gus, 14 together.
Read more about the extended family here.
Does Camilla have royal blood?
While Camilla is world-famous, she’s not the first in her family to achieve such a feat!
Her maternal great-great-grandmother Alice Keppel was famously the favoured mistress of King Edward VII aka Charles’ great-great-grandfather.
As for her royal blood, both the Queen and King can trace their ancestry back to Henry Cavendish, 2nd Duke of Newcastle, making the husband and wife duo ninth cousins once removed.
What titles does Queen Camilla possess?
After marrying the then Prince Charles in 2005, Camilla was given the title of Duchess of Cornwall by the Queen.
Upon Prince Philip’s passing in 2021 and Charles’ inheritance of those titles, Camilla also became the Duchess of Edinburgh, Countess of Merioneth, and Baroness of Greenwich.
Finally, when her mother-in-law passed away in September 2022, Camilla briefly became Queen Consort before being crowned Queen in May 2023.
Is Queen Consort the same as Queen?
While the former Duchess of Cornwall is technically the Queen Consort as she is married to the ruling sovereign, her official title is Queen.
What happens to Camilla if King Charles passes?
If King Charles passes away prior to his wife, Camilla will henceforth be known as Queen Dowager, given she is not the ‘mother’ of the heir.
She will not be able to become sovereign herself given the throne can only be inherited.
Catherine, Princess of Wales is expected to inherit the title of Queen when her husband Prince William is crowned King.
