Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Charles have now been married for 14 years. Although the pair first met in the early Seventies, it would take a long time before Charles assuaged the misgivings of the public, and the Queen, about marrying Camilla. The Prince of Wales’ first marriage, to Diana, Princess of Wales, and its eventual disintegration is well-documented. 

However, Camilla’s marriage to Andrew Parker Bowles also suffered in the years before their 1995 divorce. 

Royal author Penny Junor, in her 2005 book “The Firm”, takes a look at what caused the Duchess of Cornwall’s first marriage to crumble. 

Ms Junor wrote: “Today the name Camilla Parker Bowles is almost as well known as that of the Prince of Wlaes, but up until 1992 she was scarcely known outside her own circle of friends – and neither was her relationship with the prince. 

“[Andrew] Morton’s book changed all that.” 

Mr Morton’s 1992 book “Diana: Her True Story” was later revealed to have been written with the collaboration of the princess herself. 

Ms Junor continued: “Overnight Camilla’s peaceful existence in the heart of the countryside was shattered. 

“She wasn’t even safe in her own garden; photographers were waiting with their long lenses. 

“Hate mail began to arrive accusing her of breaking up the royal marriage. 

“For someone with no experience of being he object of such hatred it was extremely unnerving. 

“It also put her husband in a difficult situation, and wasn’t easy for her two children, Tom and Laura (then both in their teens), or for her elderly parents. 

However, she added: “But Morton was as nothing compared with what followed in relatively quick succession. 

“The Camillagate tapes, the Dimbleby documentary and Panorama. 

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“The first two put an end to Camilla’s twenty-one year marriage. 

“The third brought brought the prince’s marriage to an end.” 

The so-called Camillagate tapes were published in 1993, and exposed the prince and Camilla’s intimate late-night conversations with each other.

This was followed by Charles’ “disastrous” interview and authorised biography with veteran broadcaster Jonathan Dimbleby in 1994. 

The BBC programme caused controversy when it aired, as Charles answered for the first time publicly the question of if he had been unfaithful in his marriage to Diana. 

He admitted: “Yes, the marriage having irretrievably broken down, us both having tried.” 

In her book, Ms Junor said: “When [private secretary] Aylard confirmed at a press conference the next day that the adultery to which the Prince had confessed had indeed been with Mrs parker Bowls, her goose was finally cooked. 

“Andrew Parker Bowles, filed for divorce and, less than a year later, married his long-term girlfriend, Rosie Pitman. 

“The public blamed Camilla for breaking up the royal family home, and the reputation of the monarchy was once again dragged through the mire.” 

Indeed, according to Ms Junor, both the Queen and Prince Philip were furious with Charles’ decision to make the Dimbleby film. 

She wrote: “The Duke of Edinburgh was incensed, the rest of the family flabbergasted, the Queen’s advisers and courtiers stunned, the prince’s friends appalled.” 

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