Royal Profile: Camilla, The Duchess of Cornwall

Camilla, The Duchess of Cornwall was born on 17 July 1947 as Camilla Rosemary Shand to Maj. Bruce Shand and The Hon. Rosalind Shand {Source}. She has two younger siblings{Source}:

1. Annabel Shand Elliot (1949)
1. Simon Elliot (m. 1972)
1. Ben William Elliot (1975)
1. Mary-Clare Winwood-Elliot (m. 2011)
1. Arthur Elliot (2012)
2. Ike Stephen Mark Elliot (2014)
2. Alice Elliot-Irwin (1977)
1. Luke Irwin
1. Otis Irwin (2005)
3. Catherine Camilla Elliot (1981)
2. Mark Shand (1951-2014)
1. Clio Goldsmith (m. 1990-div prior 2010)
1. Ayesha Shand (1995)

She grew up in East Sussex, England {Source}. She attended Dumbrells School and Queen's Gate School {Source} She attended finishing school in Switzerland {Source} She also attended the Institut Britannique in Paris {Source}.

 

In 1973, she marred Andrew Parker-Bowles , with whom she has two children{Source}.

They divorced in 1995 {Source}. Ten years after her divorce, sh married the future King of the United Kingdom in a civil ceremony on 9 April 2005{Source}. Both of her children were married in 2005 and 2006 and have five children between them {Source}:

1. Mr. Thomas Parker-Bowles (1974)
1. Mrs. Sara (Buys) Parker-Bowles
1. Miss Lola Parker-Bowles (2007)
2. Master Freddy Parker-Bowles (2010)
2. Mrs. Laura Lopes (1978)
1. Mr. Harry Lopes
1. Miss Eliza Lopes (2008)
2. Master Gus Lopes (2009)
3. Master Louis Lopes (2009)

 

She is also a stepmother, stepmother-in-law and step-grandmother to:

1. Prince William, The Duke of Cambridge (1982)
1. Catherine, The Duchess of Cambridge (1982)
1. Prince George Alexander Louis of Cambridge (2013)
2. Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana of Cambridge (2015)
3. Prince Louis Arthur Charles of Cambridge (2018)
2. Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex (1984)
1. R. Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex (1981, m. 2018)

 

When her husband becomes King, it is her intention to be known as HRH The Princess Consort rather than Queen Camilla {Source}.

Her ex-husband, Andrew Parker-Bowles once dated her current sister-in-law, The Princess Royal {Source}

 

 

She is technically, Camilla, The Princess of Wales, but chooses not to refer to herself as that title out of respect for her stepsons and the strong association it has with their mother.

The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall have undertaken 775 engagements together in the UK alone{Source}. The Duchess of Cornwall has undertaken 832 engagements in the UK and overseas since 2005{Source}  The Duchess of Cornwall has made official visits to 45 countries{Source}. The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall have been on 27 official overseas tours together. The Duchess has taken part in 10 incoming State Visits{Source}

 

The Duchess of Cornwall is Patron or President of 85 charities{Source} She is also Chancellor of the University of Aberdeen {Source}. The consort of The Prince of Wales is affiliated to 15 other organisations{Source}  The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall are joint Patrons or Presidents four organisations. The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall share affiliations to 7 other organisations, including{Source}:

• The Bondi Beach Surf Bathers Life Saving Club

 

The Duchess of Cornwall is affiliated with eight regiments in the UK and the Commonwealth{Source}

 

She was appointed to be a Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO) in April 2012 {Source}

The Duchess also has two Foreign Orders{Source}

• Order of the Star of Melanesia (Papua New Guinea, 2012)
• Grand-Croix, Ordre Nationale du Mérite (France, 2014)

She is a keen supporter of the arts, horses/animals,

She is patron of London Chamber Orchestra {Source}

Along with her husband, she is a joint patron of Georgian Theatre Royal {Source}.

She is a patron of{Source}:

• British Equestrian Federation
• The Brooke
• The Lady Joseph Trust
• Ebony Horse Club

She owns two jack Russell terriers{Source}:

• Beth
• Bluebell

She rescued her puppies from Battersea Dogs and Cats Home in London {Source}

 

During tours of Egypt and Pakistan in 2006, she visited the Brooke Hospital for Animals{Source}. Later that year, The Duchess became President of the Brooke which operates worldwide providing free veterinary treatment for horses and donkeys, and advice for their owners on how to care for them{Source}. In 2007, the consort to The Prince of Wales became Patron of the Kennel Club Charitable Trust, the charitable arm of the Kennel {Source}. She is also Patron of the Animal Care Trust, part of the Royal Veterinary Hospital{Source}. In October 2010, The Duchess visited Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, where she opened the new cattery, as well as visiting some of the home’s residents{Source}. In November 2006, The Duchess became Patron of the Langford Trust for Animal Health and Welfare {Source}.

 

The Duchess is the great-great-great-granddaughter of Sir Allan MacNab, who was prime minister of the Province of Canada before Confederation and the builder of Dundurn Castle in Hamilton{Source}

She is patron of the Dundurn National Historic Site {Source}

 

To celebrate The Queen's Diamond Jubilee, The Duchess of Cornwall created a competition for schools in the UK, ‘Cook for The Queen’, inviting schools to submit menu suggestions which were served at a reception attended by Her Majesty The Queen at Buckingham Palace in June 2012 {Source}

 

She became Colonel-in-Chief of The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada in January 2011 {Source} The Duchess of Cornwall has been Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Australian Corps of Military Police since 2012{Source}

Both with and without her husband, some of the counties she has visited include{Source}:

• Canada
• Papua New Guinea
• Australia
• New Zealand
• India
• Sri Lanka
• Mexico
• Columbia
• The United States

In March 2009, with her husband, she visitied Equador and made the first-ever visit to the Galapagos Islands to learn about the outstanding research being done to protect this unique biosphere which serves as an indicator for wider global environmental trends{Source}

In April 2009, they visited the Vatican and held an audience with The Pope {Source}