Early 1970s: Charles and Camilla’s love story began.
Charles and Camilla reportedly met for the first time at a Polo match at Windsor Castle in 1970, setting the stage for an on-and-off relationship that would span the next five decades.
Although the pair appeared to be smitten, Prince Charles’ service in the Royal Navy, which began in 1972, put an end to their fledgling romance.
July 1973: Camilla married Andrew Parker Bowles, setting the stage for a platonic relationship with Charles.
In the years after the Parker Bowles tied the knot in July of 1973, she and her husband developed a close friendship with Charles, according to People magazine.
Charles was even named godfather to the Parker Bowles’ first son, Thomas.
Late 1970s: Charles met then-16-year-old Lady Diana Spencer.
The pair met in November 1977 when Diana was 16 years old and Charles was dating her older sister.
Charles and Diana began dating in July 1980 and only met up 13 times before Charles proposed the next year.
July 29, 1981: Charles and Diana were married.
Diana and Charles were married in a fairytale ceremony that, at the time, was called “the wedding of the century.”
June 21, 1982: Charles and Diana’s oldest son, Prince William, was born.
Charles and Diana welcomed their first child, Prince William, about a year after their wedding.
By this time, Camilla and Andrew Parker Bowles had already welcomed two children — Thomas and Laura.
September 15, 1984: Charles and Diana welcome their second child, Prince Harry.
When Prince Harry was born, Charles was reportedly slightly disappointed because he wanted a girl.
According to Good Housekeeping, Diana’s biography “Diana: Her True Story — in Her Own Words” said that she knew her whole pregnancy that she was carrying a boy, but she refrained from telling Charles because she knew he would be disappointed.
November 1992: “Camillagate” shone a light on Charles and Camilla’s affair.
In winter 1992, an intimate transcript of a 1989 phone call between Charles and Camilla was released to the public.
They talked, among other things, about Charles being transformed into a pair of her “knickers” or her tampon because Charles said, “I’ll just live inside your trousers or something. It would be much easier.”
The scandal was dubbed “Camillagate” by the press.
December 1992: Charles and Diana formally separated.
Shortly after “Camillagate” made headlines, Prime Minister John Major confirmed that the Prince and Princess of Wales had formally separated.
Their split raised questions about Charles’ future relationships because he was not permitted to divorce and remarry in the Church of England at that time.
June 1994: Charles publicly admitted to having an affair.
According to The New York Times, following months of speculation, Charles admitted to being unfaithful during an interview with documentary filmmaker Jonathan Dimbleby.
When Dimbleby asked him if he was “faithful and honorable” during his marriage to Diana, he said, “Yes, absolutely. Until it became irretrievably broken down, us both having tried.”
Although he didn’t specifically name Camilla as his lover, he called the other woman “a great friend of mine,” and someone who “will continue to be a friend for a very long time.”
Later, Dimbleby’s biography of the prince, titled “The Prince of Wales: A Biography,” confirmed that Camilla was the woman in question.
January 1995: Camilla filed for divorce from Andrew Parker Bowles.
The announcement of Camilla and Andrew Parker Bowles’ planned divorce set off a media firestorm with reports that Charles and Diana were next.
August 1996: Charles and Diana finalized their divorce.
Charles and Diana made their divorce official in the summer of 1996.
July 1997: Charles threw a birthday party for Camilla.
After his divorce from Diana was finalized, Charles began trying to endear Camilla to the public and to his family.
Doing so included hosting a lavish 50th birthday party for her at his home of Highgrove, the Associated Press reported. Diana was reportedly not invited.
August 31, 1997: Princess Diana died after a tragic car crash.
Nearly a year after the former couple signed their divorce papers, Diana died after a car crash in Paris.
Amidst the outpouring of public grief and mourning, Charles traveled to Paris to bring Diana’s body back to England, and temporarily put his campaign to publicly introduce Camilla as his girlfriend on hold.
1998: Camilla reportedly met William for the first time, and the queen seemingly snubbed Prince Charles for his new relationship.
After the public’s emotional response to Diana’s passing, Camilla and Charles kept their relationship out of the public eye. But they were still trying to get the royal family to warm up to it.
William reportedly met Camilla for the first time in 1998, though Harry did not come along to the initial introduction.
Later that year, as the Los Angeles Times reported, the queen was notably not in attendance at Charles’ 50th birthday. Many perceived it as a snub toward her son’s relationship since Camilla was at the event.
August 1999: Camilla reportedly accompanied Charles and his sons on a trip to Greece.
It appeared that William and Harry were starting to warm up to their future stepmother in the summer of 1999.
According to the BBC, the foursome took a trip to Greece, which seemed to signal that things were becoming more serious with the couple.
June 2000: In an indirect move, the queen seemingly agreed to formally meet Camilla.
According to The New York Times, in 2000, Queen Elizabeth II accepted an invitation to the King of Greece’s 60th birthday party held at Highgrove.
As she knew that Camilla would be there, her gesture was seen by many as a tacit acceptance of the relationship.
February 2005: The couple announced their engagement.
The longtime couple announced their engagement on February 10, 2005, immediately fueling speculation about Camilla’s new title.
Many wondered if she would be known as queen or princess consort in the event that Charles ascended the throne, and whether she would take the title of Princess of Wales (the name given to the late Princess Diana) in the meantime.
Sidestepping any potential controversy, Buckingham Palace confirmed that Queen Elizabeth II was gifting her new daughter-in-law the title of Duchess of Cornwall and that she’d be known as Princess Consort, not Queen Camilla, if Charles became king.
April 9, 2005: The longtime couple officially got married.
About 35 years after their first meeting, Charles and Camilla were married in a civil ceremony at Windsor Guildhall.
Although Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Phillip, were not in attendance at the ceremony, they came to the reception at Windsor Castle, according to The Sun.
August 31, 2007: Camilla chose not to attend the memorial service recognizing the 10-year anniversary of Princess Diana’s death.
On the 10-year anniversary of Diana’s death, the royal family held a memorial service at Buckingham Palace.
Camilla was invited to the service, but she decided that it was best if she didn’t attend.
According to CNN, she said in a statement, “I accepted and wanted to support them, however, on reflection I believe my attendance could divert attention from the purpose of the occasion which is to focus on the life and service of Diana.”
2012: Camilla received a new title from the queen and accompanied her during her Diamond Jubilee later that year.
In 2012, Camilla was granted the title of Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order by Queen Elizabeth II.
Later that year, Camilla rode alongside her during the Diamond Jubilee — which celebrated the queen’s 60th anniversary as monarch.
April 9, 2015: The couple celebrated their 10-year wedding anniversary.
The month before their anniversary, Charles spoke highly of his relationship with Camilla in an interview with CNN.
“It’s always marvelous to have somebody who, you know, you feel understands and wants to encourage. Although she certainly pokes fun if I get too serious about things. And all that helps,” he said.
June 9, 2016: Camilla joined Queen Elizabeth II’s privy council.
The Privy Council of the United Kingdom is a group of the queen’s most senior advisors, so Camilla’s addition was a great honor.
Most reports agree that Camilla and William were granted access to the council to ensure that they will both be present in the event that Charles ascends the throne.
November 15, 2020: Charles and Camilla traveled to Germany for the country’s National Day of Mourning.
The couple traveled to Germany to honor the country’s National Day of Mourning for victims of war — marking their first official overseas trip since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.
They attended the wreath-laying ceremony at the Neue Wache memorial, and Charles gave a speech highlighting the UK and Germany’s “enduring connections” in a post-Brexit world.
February 17, 2021: The couple thanked vaccine volunteers at a UK hospital.
In their first in-person engagement of 2021, Charles and Camilla visited Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham to meet and thank healthcare workers and volunteers working amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The couple received their first doses of the vaccine the week before.
February 5, 2022: Queen Elizabeth II announced that Camilla will have a new title when Charles becomes king.
The day before of her Platinum Jubilee, celebrating the 70th anniversary of her accession to the throne, Queen Elizabeth II announced that Camilla will be known as queen consort instead of princess consort when Charles becomes king.
She wrote in a public message, “When, in the fullness of time, my son Charles becomes King, I know you will give him and his wife Camilla the same support that you have given me; and it is my sincere wish that, when that time comes, Camilla will be known as Queen Consort as she continues her own loyal service.”
September 8, 2022: Upon Queen Elizabeth II’s death, Charles and Camilla assumed their new roles as reigning monarchs.
After the royal family confirmed Queen Elizabeth II’s death, Charles assumed the title of King Charles III and Camilla became queen consort.
Although he ascended to the throne immediately after his mother’s death because he was next in the British line of succession, Charles will officially be announced as England’s new reigning monarch when the Accession Council meets at St James’s Palace.
The palace announced the meeting will take place on September 10. Charles’ coronation, however, likely won’t happen for several months, after a period of mourning.