Charles and Camilla Celebrate 20th Wedding Anniversary in Italy

King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary this Wednesday, April 9th. Two decades of official union mark over 50 years of a love that has endured scandals, two marriages and their respective divorces, countless criticisms, and nearly brought the British Crown to its knees. Once considered the villains of the story, they have emerged over the years as victims of the rigid English aristocracy and its rules, ultimately becoming the most harmonious royal couple.

The royal couple began their state visit to Italy on Monday, which will last four days, during which they will celebrate their wedding anniversary. In fact, they have already started commemorating it with the release of photographs taken by photographer Chris Jackson at Villa Wollonsky. "As we begin our first visit to Italy as Kings, we look forward to celebrating our twentieth wedding anniversary in such a special place, and with such wonderful people!" they expressed.

This Wednesday, a meeting is scheduled between the King and the Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, at Villa Pamphilj. Meanwhile, the Queen will visit a school with the British Council. Later in the afternoon, Charles III will address Parliament in a joint session, as well as participate in a roundtable with business leaders and the Foreign Ministers of Italy and the United Kingdom. The day will culminate with a state dinner at the Quirinale. A packed agenda that will surely include nods to the monarchs' 20 years of marriage.

In the early 1970s, a young Charles and Camilla met for the first time at a polo match in Windsor Great Park. "Did you know my great-grandmother was your great-great-grandfather's mistress?" Camilla said to the prince, referring to the years when King Edward VII and Alice Keppel, their ancestors, were lovers. Little did they know at the time that they would live a clandestine love for years. For the son of Queen Elizabeth II, it was love at first sight. With shared interests and hobbies, they immediately connected and began a romance that was interrupted when the Prince of Wales embarked on an eight-month tour with the Royal Navy.

During his absence, the relationship cooled, and Camilla resumed her courtship with Andrew Parker Bowles, who would become her husband and the father of her children. However, the main reason Charles and Camilla's union did not prosper was her romantic past, which did not align with the British monarchy's strict decorum rules for women.

In March 1973, Camilla announced her engagement to Andrew. The wedding took place in July of that same year, much to Charles's surprise and disappointment, who thought their romance would last forever.

Charles then began a relationship with Diana Spencer, a 19-year-old with no past. On July 29, 1981, the grand wedding of the heir to the British throne took place. A fairy-tale ceremony at St. Paul's Cathedral followed by millions worldwide.

Despite their respective marriages, the friendship between Charles and Camilla endured over the years, and as time went on, they rekindled their romantic relationship in 1986, when Charles already considered his marriage to Diana "irreparably broken," although both he and Camilla remained married. Their extramarital relationship became a public scandal in 1992 when intimate conversations between them were leaked. These revelations damaged the image of the Prince of Wales and caused a deep reputational crisis for the British monarchy.

In 1994, during a television interview, Prince Charles admitted to being unfaithful to Diana, confessing his relationship with Camilla. This revelation was a milestone, as it was the first time a member of the royal family confessed to something similar. Diana, for her part, also admitted in 1995, a year later, to being unfaithful to Charles with James Hewitt. These statements evidenced the definitive breakdown of the marriage, which became official in 1996 with their divorce.

The tragic death of Diana in a car accident in 1997 in Paris shocked the world and put any attempt by Charles and Camilla to formalize their relationship on hold. However, over time, they began appearing together at public events, and the public and royal family's acceptance of their relationship increased.

Finally, more than three decades after that first meeting, on April 9, 2005, Charles and Camilla had their happy ending by marrying in a civil ceremony at Windsor Town Hall, followed by a religious blessing at St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle. Queen Elizabeth II did not attend the civil ceremony but did attend the religious blessing, showing her support for the union.

In fact, in 2022, during her Platinum Jubilee celebration, Queen Elizabeth II expressed her desire for Camilla to be recognized as Queen Consort when Charles ascended the throne. This gesture symbolized the full acceptance of Camilla into the royal family and her role in the British monarchy. A role she has performed impeccably since the passing of Elizabeth II and which has increased following King Charles's cancer diagnosis in early 2024.

This Wednesday, the couple celebrates 20 years of a 'yes, I do' that was much more than a mere formal union; it marked the triumph of a love story and a change in the strict norms of the monarchy.