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She has been one of the most controversial figures in the modern day royal family. Her
long standing friendship - and then affair - with Prince Charles made her, for a time,
massively unpopular with the British public, who were so in love with Princess Diana.
But now Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, has a very different role in public life - loyal
wife to Prince Charles, supportive step-mum to Harry and Wills, confidante to Catherine
and a hard working Royal.
Here are out top 5 reasons to take our hats off to Camilla.
First up - her love for Prince Charles. The pair dated when they were in their 20s but
never made it down the aisle. Camilla was later quoted as saying 'it could never happen,
not then'...and they both went on to famously marry other people. In 1992, it was revealed
that she'd had an affair with Prince Charles when he was married to Diana. Tapes of their
private conversations were obtained by the press, Diana said 'there were three of them
in her marriage' and Camilla was attacked by the press. Despite the continual criticism,
after their respective divorces Camilla began being seen at private and low key events with
the man she had always loved. In 2005 they were married and no one can fail to see the
love between them.
The Duchess is nothing if not strong. When faced with the mutiny of the British public
and being vilified by the press, she managed to keep a low and fairly dignified profile.
She took criticism on the chin, and calmly and gradually rebuilt her role in public life.
Criticised for everything from her looks to her love life, she has managed to overhaul
public perception and impress wherever she goes.
Prince Charles' former deputy private secretary Mark Bolland said of her - Camilla's a lovely
woman - kind and patient. She has no desire to be famous, or popular. What she doesn't
want is to be hated.
Camilla's got a good relationship with William and Harry. It's reported relations were more
strained in the early days, but Prince Charles' sons have welcome Camilla into the fold. It
was once reported that when the boys arranged a surprise birthday party for their father,
Charles was deeply moved by the fact they made a point of seating Camilla right next
to him. When they became engaged, William and Harry released a statement saying 'We
are both very happy for our father and Camilla, and we wish them all the luck in the future.'
In 2007, despite being an official member of the family, Camilla stayed away from the
boys concert celebrating their mum's life saying "she wished not to divert attention
from the purpose of the occasion which is to focus on the life and service of Diana".
Camilla has been a good friend to another woman faced with the daunting task of marrying
into the royal family - Kate Middleton. It has been widely reported that Camilla took
her under her wing as things progressed between Catherine and William - and apparently enjoyed
many raucus lunches with the young bride to be in the run up to one of the most important
days of her life.
And finally - Camilla is a hard working, proud member of the royal family - overseas tours
around the world, joint and solo engagements are all obvious parts of her duties - but
she also does a massive amount of charity work.
Being a patron of countless organisations, ranging from animal charities to groups helping
young girls. Camilla also works closely with the National Osteoporosis Society, and is
dedicated to helping the victims of *** assault and *** victims. Much of her work
goes unreported - and despite breaking her leg in 2010, she carried out all the engagements
she was committed to that month.