Prince Charles and Camilla Spend 15th Anniversary Reunited After Self-Isolation at Scottish Home
Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall are celebrating 15 years of marriage on Thursday, and the royal couple is spending it together at their Scottish home, Birkhall, after being in self-isolation due to coronavirus.
Camilla recently came out of her self-isolation period on Monday, and then reunited with Charles, PEOPLE confirmed. Despite not having tested positive for COVID-19, Camilla, 72, had to remain in isolation for 14 days due to Charles’ positive diagnosis of the virus, which was revealed on March 25.
The Prince of Wales, 71, came out of self-isolation last week, seven days after he was diagnosed, which followed the current U.K. policy regarding coronavirus.
RELATED: Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall Reunites with Prince Charles After Self-Isolation at Birkhall
Anwar Hussein Collection/ROTA/WireImage
The future king was self-isolating in Birkhall — and that meant keeping apart from Camilla, who was also self-isolating in another part of their grand home in the Scottish highlands.
Despite living in different parts of the house, the royal couple still supported each other.
“Both of them remain in good spirits. There is a sense of keeping calm and carrying on. The duchess is concerned for him but she is aware of his own good spirits and therefore is keeping a close eye on him and mindful of her own situation,” a palace source told PEOPLE during their isolation. “She is upbeat.”
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Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall
The Prince of Wales and Camilla Parker Bowles officially tied the knot in a civil ceremony on April 9, 2005 at Windsor Castle. After the marriage, Camilla assumed the title of Duchess of Cornwall.
Camilla’s wedding dress for the first ceremony was a white silk chiffon dress, which she paired with a matching coat. She completed the outfit with a wide-brimmed hat by Philip Treacy, decorated with elaborate feathers.
Since both of them were divorced, Charles and Camilla had a civil marriage ceremony followed by a blessing at Windsor Castle instead of a church service.
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Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall
Anwar Hussein Collection/ROTA/WireImage Prince William and Prince Harry at their father Prince Charles’ wedding to Camilla Parker Bowles
Charles’ parents Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip did not attend the civil wedding ceremony. However, both were present at the Service of Prayer and Dedication at St. George’s Chapel.
Charles first met Camilla Shand in a meeting arranged by mutual friend, Lucia Santa Cruz, at a polo match in 1970. The two had an instant connection. In 1971, Charles joined the Royal Navy, putting a strain on his relationship with Camilla. To make matters more complicated, she didn’t have what were then seen as prerequisites for marrying the Prince of Wales: An aristocratic bloodline and her virginity. They eventually parted ways, and she reconnected with Andrew Parker Bowles (a former boyfriend of Princess Anne), whom she wed. She and Charles remained close friends. Charles went on to marry Lady Diana Spencer in 1981. By 1986, Camilla and Charles start seeing each other again, even though both were married with children.
STUART C. WILSON/POOL/AFP via Getty Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Charles
Charles’ affair with Camilla became public knowledge when tapes of conversations between Charles and Camilla were leaked in the press in 1992. Prince Charles and Princess Diana officially announce their separation later in the year. In 1995, Camilla and Parker Bowles announce their intention to divorce. Charles and Diana divorce on August 28, 1996. Diana died in a car crash in Paris one year later.
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In 1998 — one year after the death of Diana — Charles introduced sons William and Harry to Camilla, but it still seemed impossible that the two would ever be able to marry if Charles was to retain his position as heir to the throne. But in 2000, the Queen attended a lunch that both Charles and Camilla are attending — a subtle, but significant acknowledgement of her approval of their relationship.
