Queen Camilla

Camilla, born Camilla Rosemary Shand, is Queen of the United Kingdom as the wife of King Charles III. She became queen consort upon Charles's accession to the throne in 2022 and was crowned alongside him in 2023. Over the course of her public life she has become known for her patronage of charitable causes, particularly those relating to literacy, domestic abuse awareness and animal welfare.

Early life

Camilla was born in London and raised in the south of England. She came from a well-established British family and was educated in England and abroad, including time in France and Switzerland, as was customary for many young women of her background at the time. In 1973 she married Andrew Parker Bowles, a British Army officer, and the couple had two children before divorcing in 1995.

Career

Camilla's public role developed gradually through her long association with Charles, then Prince of Wales, whom she had known since the early 1970s. After their relationship became public in the 1990s, she took on an increasing number of official engagements. She married Charles in a civil ceremony in 2005, after which she was styled Duchess of Cornwall, although she carried out duties on behalf of the Crown under various titles.

In her royal role she established and supported numerous charitable initiatives. She founded a reading initiative to promote literacy and books, and became a prominent campaigner for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, helping to raise public awareness of these issues. She also lent her patronage to organisations focused on osteoporosis, animal welfare and the arts, often drawing on personal experiences to highlight causes.

Recent work

Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022, Charles became king and Camilla became queen consort, later styled simply as Queen Camilla. She was crowned with the King at Westminster Abbey in May 2023. As queen she has continued her established charitable work while undertaking state visits, official ceremonies and engagements both within the United Kingdom and overseas. She has remained particularly visible in her advocacy for literacy and for victims of domestic abuse, using her platform to spotlight reading and support services across the country. In her public engagements she has placed particular emphasis on encouraging reading among children and adults, and on supporting refuges and services for survivors of abuse. She is also a patron of numerous arts, health and animal-welfare organisations, and has used her platform to draw attention to issues such as osteoporosis, drawing on her family's personal experience. As queen she has accompanied the King on state visits and ceremonial occasions while maintaining a steady programme of solo charitable work.