[11] She grew up with dogs and cats,[12] and, at a young age, learnt how to ride by joining Pony Club camps, going on to win rosettes at community gymkhanas.

Her classmates at Queen's Gate knew her as "Milla"; her fellow pupils included the singer Twinkle (Lynn Ripley), who described her as a girl of "inner strength" exuding "magnetism and confidence".

[27][28] In the late 1960s, Shand met Andrew Parker Bowles, then a Guards officer – a lieutenant in the Blues and Royals – through his younger brother, Simon, who worked for her father's wine firm in Mayfair.

Her wedding dress was designed by British fashion house Bellville Sassoon,[32] and the bridesmaids included Parker Bowles's goddaughter Lady Emma Herbert.

Robert Lacey wrote in his 2008 book Royal: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II that Charles met Shand too early, and he had not asked her to wait for him when he went overseas for military duties.

According to Charles's cousin and godmother Patricia Knatchbull, 2nd Countess Mountbatten of Burma, some palace courtiers at that time deemed Shand unsuitable as a prospective consort.

During this period, rumours began circulating, among close friends of the Parker Bowleses and in polo-playing communities, that Camilla and Charles had rekindled their intimate relationship.

[104] On 4 April, the marriage was delayed by one day to allow the Prince of Wales and some of the invited dignitaries to attend the funeral of Pope John Paul II.

[109] As a wedding gift, The Marinsky Theatre Trust in St. Petersburg brought a Belarusian mezzo-soprano singer, Ekaterina Semenchuk, to the United Kingdom to perform a special song for the couple.

[121] Clarence House later released a statement on the incident: "A car carrying Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall was attacked by protesters, but the couple were unharmed.

[130] Camilla's first solo engagement as Duchess of Cornwall was a visit to Southampton General Hospital;[131] she attended the Trooping the Colour for the first time in June 2005, making her appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace afterwards.

She made her inaugural overseas tour in November 2005,[132] when she visited the United States,[132] and met George W. and Laura Bush at the White House.

[156][157] In June 2014, Camilla and Charles attended the 70th anniversary commemorations of D-Day in Normandy, France,[158] and in November of that year, they embarked on a nine-day tour to Mexico and Colombia.

[176] In the same month, it was announced that unlike the previous consort, Prince Philip, Camilla would not receive a Parliamentary annuity and her activities would be funded through the Sovereign Grant instead.

[181] Due to the King's cancer diagnosis in 2024, the Queen deputised for him in his absence at the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey and at the Royal Maundy at Worcester Cathedral,[182][183] making her the first consort to hand out the ceremonial coins at the latter event.

[208] In March 2022, as president of the Royal Voluntary Service, Camilla launched the organisation's Platinum Champions Awards to honour 70 volunteers nominated by the public for their efforts in improving lives in their communities.

The international conference, which took place in Lisbon, Portugal, brought together worldwide public figures to focus on osteoporosis treatment and called for government assistance around the world.

Camilla thought of the gesture after she visited a centre in Derbyshire and asked victims what they would like to help them feel at ease after the trauma and forensic examinations.

[243] The following year, she partnered with retail and pharmacy chain Boots to create a line of wash-bags which will be given to sexual assault referral centres around the United Kingdom.

[248] In October 2021, she gave a speech at the launch of Shameless, a project endorsed by the Women of the World Foundation and Birkbeck, University of London looking to educate people on sexual violence.

She expressed her shock at the murder of Sarah Everard and urged both men and women to break down the "culture of silence" surrounding sexual assault.

[249] In February 2022, the Duchess and Theresa May supported a campaign initiated by the NHS England to encourage survivors of sexual and domestic abuse to come forward for help.

[250] She also visited the Haven Paddington, a sexual assault referral centre in West London and Thames Valley Partnership, a charity for domestic abuse survivors in Aylesbury.

In a world where the written word competes with so many other calls on our attention, we need more Literacy Heroes to keep inspiring young people to find the pleasure and power of reading for themselves.

[263] In January 2021, Camilla launched the Duchess of Cornwall's Reading Room online club for readers, writers and literary communities to connect and share their interests and projects.

[266] The inaugural Queen's Reading Room Festival was held at Hampton Court Palace on 11 June, with Judi Dench, Richard E. Grant, Robert Harris, Kate Mosse and other celebrities as guests.

The Entente Littéraire Prize will recognise Young Adult (YA) Fiction and allow UK and French citizens to share joint literary experiences, reinforcing cultural ties whilst celebrating the joys of reading.

[300] Legally, Camilla was Princess of Wales but adopted the feminine form of her husband's highest-ranking subsidiary title, Duke of Cornwall, in a concession to the low public opinion of her.

[323] Camilla is descended from Dutch emigrant Arnold Joost van Keppel, who was created Earl of Albemarle by King William III in 1696.

[324] Through Anne van Keppel, Countess of Albemarle and a granddaughter of King Charles II, Camilla's bloodline is descended from the Houses of Stuart and Bourbon.