Queen Camilla’s Boozy Past, Kinky Royal Calls, and Charles' Shocking 'Tampon' Fantasy Exposed as Couple Get Set to Toast 20th Wedding Anniversary
Camilla wants Charles to slow down, and stepping down for his health might eventually be considered – though it’s rare.
April 7 2025, Published 12:08 p.m. ET
King Charles and Queen Camilla's relationship has been far from a traditional royal romance.
As the couple approaches their 20th anniversary on April 9, RadarOnline.com can reveal their marriage has been a dramatic saga marked by scandal, steamy phone calls, secret rendezvous, and a whirlwind of emotions spanning more than fifty years.
Charles and Camilla's steamy affair started in the 1970s, but she married Andrew Parker Bowles in 1973, while Charles tied the knot with Princess Diana in 1981.
Today, the pair embody dignified formality after being crowned King and Queen of England on May 6, 2023.
But behind the regal titles, ceremonial splendor, and official responsibilities lies a relationship that's been wilder and more unconventional than any fairy tale.
Charles and Camilla engaged in kinky late night phone calls with one another during their steamy affair.
Camilla Shand, then 23, and Prince Charles, then 21, first met at a polo match and quickly hit it off, sparking a romance.
Unlike many others, she allegedly wasn't intimidated by him – and even spoke to him as an equal, friends dished at the time. They also bonded over a shared love of horses and the outdoors.
Camilla, from an aristocratic background, dated Andrew Parker Bowles before falling for Prince Charles in the late 1960s.
Although Charles was said to have wanted to propose in 1973, his great-uncle Lord Mountbatten discouraged the match, leading to Charles being sent away. After their emotional farewell, Camilla married Andrew and had two children, Laura and Tom.
After Mountbatten's assassination in 1979, Charles and Camilla rekindled their affair. Despite marrying Princess Diana in 1981, Charles' love for Camilla endured, and Diana eventually confronted Camilla about their ongoing relationship.
By 1989, Charles and Camilla’s affair was in full bloom, with the two engaging in intimate phone calls – where Camilla would express her desire, saying: "Oh, darling, I just want you now!"
The scandalous tapes became known as "Camillagate" after recordings surfaced of the future king making embarrassing comments, including expressing a desire to "live inside her trousers" and be reincarnated as Camilla's tampon.
Their flirty late-night calls revealed a side of the future king few knew, showcasing a passionate and unconventional relationship.
Charles and Camilla are set to attend the Maundy Service in Durham on Easter Sunday.
During the steamy calls, the couple discussed which highborn friend's house they'd use for their next secret meeting, dragging several of their friends into the scheme to keep the not-so-secret relationship hidden from Diana.
Camilla even said after the recordings were made public, she had to go into hiding for a whole year.
She explained in a previous interview: "It was horrid. It was a deeply unpleasant time, and I wouldn't want to put my enemy through it."
After numerous secret meetings, breakups, reunions, and late-night calls, the undeniable love between Charles and Camilla was eventually exposed.
Camilla and Andrew divorced in 1995, Charles and Diana in 1996, and tragically, Diana passed away in a car accident in 1997.
Camilla and Charles finally married in 2005, 35 years after they first fell in love.
Over the years, Camilla's fondness for drinking has often been discussed, with reports suggesting her behavior sometimes spiraled out of control.
Charles is said to have sent her to a private rehab facility in India, disguised as a "health spa," on several occasions.
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The most recent time Camilla reportedly relapsed was following the shock of Queen Elizabeth’s death on September 8, 2022, at the age of 96.
Sources say she was promptly sent to the exclusive Soukya center near Bangalore, India, which costs $4,000 a day, for treatment. There, the new queen was helped to regain sobriety in preparation for her royal duties.
Camilla and King Charles mark 20 years together, outlasting his marriage to Diana.
Camilla said: "I was scrutinized for such a long time that you just have to find a way to live with it. Nobody likes to be looked at all the time and, you know, criticized. But I think in the end, I sort of rise above it and get on with it."
Now, following their coronation as king and queen, the couple has grown closer than ever, though they remain mindful that the world has seen their most unrestrained moments.
Camilla added: "I have so many friends who, if I ever even vaguely look like getting uppity, which, touch wood, I never have, they would just say, 'Look, come on, pull yourself together! Don’t be so bloody grand!'"
