Camillagate?

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Camillagate was a scandal that erupted in the British tabloids in 1992 when a transcript of an explicit telephone conversation between Charles, Prince of Wales and his mistress Camilla Parker-Bowles was published. By the time the transcript was released, the public was already well aware that the prince’s marriage was experiencing deep problems, but the release of the transcript was a source of intense embarrassment to the British royal family. Subsequent investigations showed that the royal family’s phones had been tapped, allowing access to conversations that were presumed to be private.

Charles and Camilla met in 1970, before both parties were married, and are believed to have been in a relationship with each other both before and after their respective marriages. The Prince of Wales’ wedding to Lady Diana Spencer in 1981 attracted a lot of public attention, and it’s possible that Charles and Camilla may have put their relationship on hold for some time. However, it is clear that by the late 1980s, the relationship had resumed and Camilla Parker-Bowles became a hugely unpopular figure in the public eye, as she was accused of breaking up the “fairy tale marriage” between Charles and Diana. Diana famously (and understandably) hated Camilla.

The sexually explicit phone call released in the Camillagate transcript was made in 1989 and included numerous details suggesting that Charles and Camilla were sexually involved. Parts of the conversation were also a bit off-putting, adding to the furor when the transcript was published. Just a few years after the Camillagate scandal, Andrew Parker-Bowles and Camilla filed for divorce.

The tangled relationships uncovered by the Camillagate scandal have been a topic in Britain and abroad for years after the transcript was released. Following her divorce from Andrew Parker-Bowles in 1995, Camilla kept a low public profile, until she was seen in public with the prince in 1999, when the media speculated their relationship was official. The two went to great lengths to legitimize their relationship, with Prince Charles formally introducing Camilla to the queen in 2000; in 2005 the two got married.

Although Charles and Camilla were married, the shadow of the Camillagate scandal hung over their heads. Disputes over what titles Camilla would be allowed to use may have been triggered in part by the events at Camillagate, and some members of the British public expressed unease about the 2005 wedding, given that Charles was the heir apparent. This would make Camilla the eventual queen of England, though rumor has it that she will officially be known as the princess consort, not the queen.

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