OPINIONS
OPINIONS
Hunting the Fox Hunter
By Prof. Talaat I. Farag
Prince Charles' (56) wedding on April 8, 2005 to his longtime companion Ms. Camilla (57) made the world remember the first time the two met at a polo match in Windsor in June 1971. The couple became close, but their relationship ended after Charles left for duty with the Royal Navy and the marriage of Ms. Camilla to cavalry officer, Andrew Parker Bowles.
Britons are divided between supporters and opponents of the new marriage. Since Camilla was still blamed by many for the breakdown of Charles' first marriage with Diana, who was killed in a tragic traffic accident in 1997, there is sympathy for many setbacks Charles and Camilla suffered through their engagement. The horsewoman Camilla never dropped her eyes on the heir to the throne since they first met 33 years ago. She was interested to become a member of the Royal family, and she succeeded to "hunt" him. A few days before Valentine's Day, Prince Charles decided to ask Camilla's hand for marriage. Wearing his most expensive Seville Row suit, kneeling down on bended knees to propose; a semi-sweet tale of romance and redemption mentioned J.F.O. McAllister in his article in Time magazine. As a result, they announced that their marriage would take place on April 8. This marriage is different from that of King Edward VIII, Charles's great uncle, who in 1936 determined to marry divorcee Wallis Simpson. They had waited more than three decades for the marriage, which was delayed one more day to April 9, due to the funeral ceremony of Pope John Paul II. Souvenir hunters were snapping up commemorative mugs, spoons and thimbles with incorrect days made them collectors items.
The First Meeting
Prince Charles' mother, the Queen, gave him on his 21st
birthday, the Duchy of Cornwall, a 56,700-hectare estate to support him
financially. One year later, he met the 23-year old Camilla at a polo match in Windsor in June
1971. She said to Prince
Charles during their first meeting, "My great-grand mother was the mistress
of your great-great-grandfather, so how about it?" However, the young
22-year old prince failed to propose. Both had a romance, which cooled in late
1972, when Charles was called away on naval duties. Soon enough, Camilla married his philandering
friend Andrew Parker Bowles, however they remained friendly even after Charles married Ms. Diana
Spencer.
In November 1977, Charles met the 16-year-old Diana Spencer at a shoot at the Spencer's Althorp estate. Charles had been dating Diana's older sister Sara, but he married Diana in a lavish ceremony at St. Paul's Cathedral on July 29, 1981 that was watched by more than 750 million people around the world.
In 1996, the book entitled, Mrs. Keppel and Her Daughter by Diana Souham published by HarperCollin, documented the story of Edward VII's mistress, Mrs. Keppel and her daughter Violet Trefuses. For the record, Camilla is the grand daughter of Mrs. Keppel's younger daughter, Sonia. Prince Charles is the great great grandson of Edward VII's son, George V. The family of those called to the illustrious rank of "royal mistress" Alicia Keppel was a young wife and mother in her 20s when she had a relation with the Prince of Wales in late 1890 until his death as Edward VII in 1910.
In January 1989, Prince Diana confronted Mrs. Camilla at a dinner party, demanding she end the affair with her husband. Andrew Morton's biography, Diana: A True Story, released in June 1992, alleged that Camilla has been Prince Charles long-term mistress and that Diana suffered from bulimia and attempted suicide several times. Princess Diana said about her husband's affair with Camilla, "There were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded." She also felt "hunted" by Mrs. Camilla.
In January 1995, Camilla and Andrew Parker Bowles divorced, and
in August 1996, Prince Charles and Princess Diana also divorced. On 31 August 1997 Princess Diana
died in a car crash in Paris,
leaving a massive scar in the hearts of many Britons.
Camilla stepped from unstepped ambiguity into legitimate public with her long-awaited engagement to the Prince of Wales, to hear the title "Your Royal Highness". During the long years as Prince Charles's secret lover, then as his not-so-secret lover, and then, after his divorce from Diana, as his common-law live-in partner and paid employee!
Mrs. Parker's son, Tom, 30, was one of the witnesses to her marriage. Her former husband and his current wife, whom he married after their divorce, were invited to the reception at Windsor Castle.
Camilla-Charles Love Story
Some mention that Prince Hamlet had done up his mind to do what he should have done in the first place. Others mentioned that "Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cornell, Camilla," never dropped her eyes on the heir to the throne for more than three decades. The horsewoman succeeded to hunt the fox-hunter!
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Prof. Talaat I. Farag, MD,FRCP,FACP,FACMG is a former adjunct professor at
Dalhousie University in Canada. He is the founder of The Ambassadors Research
Foundation in 1998. Email: tfarag@dal.ca.
