Camilla Parker Bowles has a long history as a member of the British Royal Family. Her transition into becoming a royal was hardly smooth; she was rather disliked by the general public in the main.

People were enraged when she was revealed to be then-Prince Charles’ mistress – and a great deal of that was down to the love people bore for Princess Diana.

As mentioned, Camila’s popularity took a huge blow, though things have changed for the better over the years. Now though, royal expert and author Angela Levin claims that at the time, Camilla was afraid of even leaving her house – and had to endure “torrents” of mistreatment from the public.

King Charles and Camilla’s relationship goes back decades. In fact, their love story can be traced back to 1972, when they first met at a polo match.

In the book Charles and Camilla, Portrait of a Love Affair, author Gyles Brandreth claims that Charles and Camilla were introduced by their mutual friend Lucia Santa Cruz, the daughter of the Chilean ambassador.

The couple dated for a while but stopped when Charles left to serve in the Royal Navy. By the time he returned, Camilla was involved and engaged to Andrew Parker Bowles.

King Charles & Camilla relationship and affair
Bowles and Camilla married in 1973, but Camilla maintained a close and friendly relationship with Charles. The now-king started dating 19-year-old Diana Spencer in 1980.

When Diana was introduced to the Bowles couple, Camilla thought the young lady was “sweet and cute” and approved of her. At first, Diana and Camilla got along well. But things soon grew uncomfortable.