EXCLUSIVE: Why Queen Camilla Was 'Terrified' of Marrying King Charles

Queen Camilla was so terrified of marrying King Charles III she tried to persuade him to abandon the idea – fearing royal life would destroy the independence she had spent decades protecting.

That's according to our sources and explosive accounts by two royal biographers, RadarOnline.com can reveal.

The Queen, 79, married Charles, now 77, on April 9, 2005, following a turbulent 35-year romance that managed to survive their marriages to other partners, public hostility and the death of Princess Diana.

Despite their enduring relationship, Camilla is said to have resisted becoming Charles' wife, apparently believing the demands of royal duty would overwhelm her comfortable private existence.

A palace source claimed to Radar: "The extraordinary thing about Camilla's reluctance to marry Charles is that it was never necessarily about doubting her feelings for him. The problem was everything that came with becoming his wife. She understood that marrying the future king meant surrendering a degree of personal freedom that she had spent her entire adult life taking for granted, and that left her terrified.

"Camilla had seen firsthand what royal life could do to somebody, particularly through the very public collapse of Charles' marriage to Diana. She knew that becoming his wife would mean living under extraordinary scrutiny, with every appearance, decision, and personal relationship subjected to intense examination."

The insider added, "There's an enormous difference between being the woman Charles loves and becoming the woman expected to stand beside him at hundreds of official engagements. Camilla was comfortable with the former, but the latter represented a completely different existence. She wasn't somebody who naturally enjoyed the spotlight or the endless ceremonial obligations that accompanied royal life.

"Charles was accustomed to a world governed by timetables, protocol and an almost relentless sense of duty. Camilla's personality was considerably more relaxed. She enjoyed her independence, her friends and the ability to organize her life without having every hour dictated by an official schedule. Marriage threatened to change all of that.

"The shadow of Diana was another enormous complication. Camilla knew that she would inevitably be compared with one of the most famous and beloved women in the world, and that many people would never forgive her for the role they believed she played in the breakdown of Charles's first marriage."

The source continued, "Following Diana's death, the prospect of Camilla becoming Charles' wife became even more sensitive. Public emotions were extraordinarily raw, and there was no guarantee that the British people would ever accept her as a senior member of the royal family. That uncertainty made the prospect of marriage particularly daunting.

"Charles, meanwhile, was determined to establish a permanent future with Camilla. He wanted the woman he loved to be accepted by his family and recognized publicly as his partner. But his determination did not necessarily make the prospect any less intimidating for her.

"There's a certain irony in the suggestion that Camilla eventually developed some understanding of Diana's frustrations. Their circumstances were very different, but both faced the reality that life alongside Charles involved expectations and restrictions that could be difficult to reconcile with their individual personalities."

The insider added: "What makes Camilla and Charles' story so unusual is that marriage wasn't necessarily the obvious prize for Camilla. She already had Charles' affection and companionship. Becoming his wife meant taking on an institution, its history, its expectations and all the public hostility that had surrounded their relationship for years.

"Ultimately, their wedding in 2005 represented much more than the formalization of a longstanding romance. For Camilla, it meant accepting a public role she had reportedly spent years resisting, while Charles finally achieved the recognition for their relationship that he had wanted for so long."

Royal biographer Ingrid Seward revealed in her book My Mother and I that Camilla considered the prospect of marriage deeply intimidating.

Seward wrote: "The full implication of what it would mean to be Prince Charles's wife frightened Camilla, and she was strident in her refusal to be sucked into the vortex of royal life."

The author described how Camilla attempted to discourage Charles from pursuing marriage, despite their longstanding emotional attachment.

She wrote: "She persuaded Charles it would not be a good idea to consider marriage, telling friends the prospect was 'farcical' and that it would never happen, as he would always put his duty first."

Charles, however, remained determined to establish Camilla's position within the royal family and secure acceptance from his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.

Seward noted: "Charles desperately wanted Camilla accepted by his family, especially the Queen (Elizabeth), and refused to contemplate her hiding away."

Camilla and Charles' relationship became particularly complicated following Diana's death in a Paris car crash on August 31, 1997.

Diana, who was 36, had divorced Charles the previous year, but public sympathy for the princess made Camilla's emergence as his partner politically and personally sensitive.

Seward wrote: "(Camilla) realized she was a long way from being accepted as (Charles') consort, but she had to make the effort for his sake."

The biographer suggested Charles would have acknowledged their relationship publicly much earlier without opposition from advisers and concerns about public opinion.

Camilla nevertheless remained apprehensive about surrendering her freedom to the rigid expectations surrounding the future monarch.