It was attended by 3,500 guests and watched by 750m people around the world, but was Camilla at Princess Diana’s wedding to Prince Charles?
Charles and Camilla had a brief relationship in the early 70s before he met Diana. Camilla went on to marry Andrew Parker Bowles while Charles started his life with Diana.
Although he and Camilla remained close friends – even after he and Diana got engaged – author Penny Juror claims Charles didn’t initially reveal the full extent of their relationship.
Prince Charles and Princess Diana kiss on the balcony of Buckingham Palace following their wedding. Credit: Getty
Writing in The Duchess: Camilla Parker Bowles and the Affair That Rocked the Crown, Penny said, ‘Instead of explaining to Diana at the outset that Camilla was an old girlfriend, he had presented her as nothing more than a friend. It didn’t occur to him that she needed to know before someone else told her.
‘He came clean after the engagement, admitting that Camilla had been one of his most intimate friends, but reassured Diana that from now on there would be no other women.’
Was Camilla at Princess Diana’s wedding?
Given that he and Camilla were so close, it’s not that surprising that Camilla was at Princess Diana and Prince Charles’ wedding – but by then Diana had her suspicions about Charles and Camilla’s relationship.
Penny wrote, ‘[Diana] became jealous – obsessing about Camilla Parker Bowles – turning against people she appeared to like, convinced they were out to get her.’
And Diana herself confessed to being so obsessed with Camilla that she was the person she looked for as she walked down the aisle…
What did Camilla wear to Princess Diana’s wedding?
Diana described Camilla’s outfit for the wedding when speaking to Andrew Morton in 1991. She said, ‘I knew she was there, of course. I looked for her. So walking down the aisle, I spotted Camilla, [she was wearing a] pale grey, veiled pillbox hat. [I] saw it all, her son Tom standing on a chair. To this day, you know – vivid memory.’
Why was Camilla at Princess Diana’s wedding?
As well as her close friendship with Charles, Camilla’s then-husband Andrew Parker Bowles played an important role in Princess Diana’s wedding. As the Commanding Officer of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment, he oversaw the ceremonial escort that accompanied Charles and Diana’s carriage during its procession through London.
Prince Charles and Princess Diana with one of their bridesmaids, Clementine Hambro, and their pageboys Edward Van Cutsum and Lord Nicholas Windsor. Credit: Getty
But Diana did draw the line when it came to Camilla’s son Tom, Charles’ godson, being in the wedding party.
Penny said, ‘When it came to choosing her attendants for the wedding, she vetoed Charles’ suggestion that Camilla’s son, Tom, his godchild, be in the wedding party. She agreed to several of his other godchildren, but there was a big scene about Tom Parker Bowles and Charles backed down.’