Discussion:
What Would the Royal Family Be Like, If Charles Wed Camilla After 1970?
(too old to reply)
Aggie
2007-06-02 18:52:50 UTC
Permalink
Today the Daily Mail asks, what if Charles married Camilla after 1970?

Here is an excerpt: "What if Camilla had bowed to the moral dictates
of the day - admittedly in Swinging London they were fast becoming
unfashionable - and decided to keep herself "tidy" until after
marriage? If she had been a virgin and she and Charles had married
after their famous meeting on a polo field in 1970, what would the
Royal Family be like? "
-Aggie

The night Camilla lost her virginity - and changed the history of the
royals. By NATALIE CLARKE. June 2nd, 2007. THE DAILY MAIL.

Milla Shand, the young debutante, was elegant in black silk and
chiffon as she posed beside her formidable looking mother against a
marble fireplace.

The image, captured by a photographer, was rather formal, and even at
the time had something of a dated air.

The picture was taken in 1965 at a cocktail party in Knightsbridge
hosted by Major Bruce and Rosalind Shand to mark the coming out of
their 17-year-old daughter. It has a deliberate stiff formality, which
does not succeed entirely in disguising the earthy sensuality of the
young debutante.

In those clear, confident blue eyes, one detects a glint of mischief,
a hint of fun. Indeed, it is said that within just a few days of
Milla's coming out party, the future Duchess of Cornwall lost her
virginity to a rakish young gentleman called Kevin Burke.

To those who knew Milla, it came as no surprise. There was always a
touch of the rebel about her; her devil-may-care habit of climbing
onto her school roof in Kensington to have a sneaky cigarette had been
much admired by the other girls.

A Channel 4 documentary depicted the Duchess as a "woman of easy
virtue" whose lost virginity prevented her marrying Prince Charles in
her youth.

That is certainly true, but the tag is harsh. No, she wasn't a virgin,
but there weren't that many boyfriends. By today's standards, she was
positively chaste.

Some might say it is prurient to revisit Camilla's long-past sexual
history, yet what took place between her and Burke raises a
tantalising constitutional question.

What if Camilla had bowed to the moral dictates of the day -
admittedly in Swinging London they were fast becoming unfashionable -
and decided to keep herself "tidy" until after marriage?

If she had been a virgin and she and Charles had married after their
famous meeting on a polo field in 1970, what would the Royal Family be
like?

It is doubtful there would be the modernity and glamour Lady Diana
Spencer brought to "the Firm" when she married Charles. If he had been
allowed to marry Camilla, the monarchy would surely have remained
remote and fusty, stuck in an age in which hunting was held in higher
regard than haute couture.

Perhaps the mystique of the Royals - stripped to naked ridicule in the
Diana years - would still remain.

Would the culture of celebrity and emotional incontinence, which many
argue Diana created in Britain, have held such sway if Camilla had
been Princess of Wales?

Such lofty considerations would never have entered the head of Camilla
Shand in 1965, of course: then, the woman who may yet become Queen had
no inkling of the momentous role she was to play in the Royal Family
of the late 20th century.

She was concerned only with having fun. Raised at The Laines, a former
rectory in East Sussex, she enjoyed a charmed childhood, riding her
ponies on the South Downs and taking weekend family trips to the
seaside.

Her father, Major Bruce Shand, was a former Army officer who had
become a partner at a wine merchants in Mayfair. At the age of ten,
she was sent to the fashionable Queen's Gate School in South
Kensington, which was convenient because the Shands owned a three-
storey Victorian house nearby.

Milla was one of those girls who stand out and are envied and looked
up to by the other girls. She had not an iota of interest in fashion -
her look never wavered from twinsets and pearls - yet she was "cool".

She had a magnetism that men found incredibly attractive - and she
knew it.

A childhood friend, Broderick Munro-Wilson, recalled: "She was into
boys much quicker than other girls of her age. There was this
daredevil element in her.

"She would make the running. There is a certain boldness required to
go riding, hunting and jumping, and that shone through."

Milla was sexy and sensual, and after acquiring the required degree of
"polish" at a Swiss finishing school she was deemed ready to be
introduced to society.

The coming out party took place at Searcy's, an upmarket venue just
behind behind Harrods in Knightsbridge.

By all accounts the do was a little staid at first, but the atmosphere
was helped along by the generous flow of wine and champagne, and
Camilla's impeccable social skills.

Among the 150 guests was Rupert Hambro, of the banking dynasty, who
was to become her lover after she dumped Kevin Burke.

Whether Burke was at the party is not known, but according to the
Mail's legendary former diarist, Nigel Dempster, they became lovers
just days later.

Kevin was the 19-year-old son of Sir Aubrey Burke, who had built up
the aviation giant, Hawker Siddeley.

Fresh out of Eton, he was vulnerable to the charms of Milla Shand, who
possessed a confidence and charm way beyond her years.

It is not known where Burke seduced Camilla or, indeed, if it was the
other way round, and it would be imprudent to ask. But later, Burke
was to speak fondly of her.

"Every night we had two or three cocktail parties to go to and a dance
- and a couple of dances to choose from at weekends in the country.
All you needed was enough money to put petrol in the car (he had a
yellow E-type Jaguar, which Camilla nicknamed The Egg) and to pay for
your cleaning, and the rest was provided.

"It was the best time, and I had just about the best, most fun partner
you could possibly wish for.

"Camilla was terrific fun, immensely popular, and although she wasn't
a beauty, she was attractive and sexy. She was never shy, and always
had something amusing to say. I remained with Camilla all that year. I
suppose we were in love. Then she ditched me."

A childhood friend, Broderick Munro-Wilson, recalled: "She was into
boys much quicker than other girls of her age. There was this
daredevil element in her.

"She would make the running. There is a certain boldness required to
go riding, hunting and jumping, and that shone through."

Milla was sexy and sensual, and after acquiring the required degree of
"polish" at a Swiss finishing school she was deemed ready to be
introduced to society.

The coming out party took place at Searcy's, an upmarket venue just
behind behind Harrods in Knightsbridge.

By all accounts the do was a little staid at first, but the atmosphere
was helped along by the generous flow of wine and champagne, and
Camilla's impeccable social skills.

Among the 150 guests was Rupert Hambro, of the banking dynasty, who
was to become her lover after she dumped Kevin Burke.

Whether Burke was at the party is not known, but according to the
Mail's legendary former diarist, Nigel Dempster, they became lovers
just days later.

Kevin was the 19-year-old son of Sir Aubrey Burke, who had built up
the aviation giant, Hawker Siddeley.

Fresh out of Eton, he was vulnerable to the charms of Milla Shand, who
possessed a confidence and charm way beyond her years.

It is not known where Burke seduced Camilla or, indeed, if it was the
other way round, and it would be imprudent to ask. But later, Burke
was to speak fondly of her.

"Every night we had two or three cocktail parties to go to and a dance
- and a couple of dances to choose from at weekends in the country.
All you needed was enough money to put petrol in the car (he had a
yellow E-type Jaguar, which Camilla nicknamed The Egg) and to pay for
your cleaning, and the rest was provided.

"It was the best time, and I had just about the best, most fun partner
you could possibly wish for.

"Camilla was terrific fun, immensely popular, and although she wasn't
a beauty, she was attractive and sexy. She was never shy, and always
had something amusing to say. I remained with Camilla all that year. I
suppose we were in love. Then she ditched me."

A childhood friend, Broderick Munro-Wilson, recalled: "She was into
boys much quicker than other girls of her age. There was this
daredevil element in her.

"She would make the running. There is a certain boldness required to
go riding, hunting and jumping, and that shone through."

Milla was sexy and sensual, and after acquiring the required degree of
"polish" at a Swiss finishing school she was deemed ready to be
introduced to society.

The coming out party took place at Searcy's, an upmarket venue just
behind behind Harrods in Knightsbridge.

By all accounts the do was a little staid at first, but the atmosphere
was helped along by the generous flow of wine and champagne, and
Camilla's impeccable social skills.

Among the 150 guests was Rupert Hambro, of the banking dynasty, who
was to become her lover after she dumped Kevin Burke.

Whether Burke was at the party is not known, but according to the
Mail's legendary former diarist, Nigel Dempster, they became lovers
just days later.

Kevin was the 19-year-old son of Sir Aubrey Burke, who had built up
the aviation giant, Hawker Siddeley.

Fresh out of Eton, he was vulnerable to the charms of Milla Shand, who
possessed a confidence and charm way beyond her years.

It is not known where Burke seduced Camilla or, indeed, if it was the
other way round, and it would be imprudent to ask. But later, Burke
was to speak fondly of her.

"Every night we had two or three cocktail parties to go to and a dance
- and a couple of dances to choose from at weekends in the country.
All you needed was enough money to put petrol in the car (he had a
yellow E-type Jaguar, which Camilla nicknamed The Egg) and to pay for
your cleaning, and the rest was provided.

"It was the best time, and I had just about the best, most fun partner
you could possibly wish for.

"Camilla was terrific fun, immensely popular, and although she wasn't
a beauty, she was attractive and sexy. She was never shy, and always
had something amusing to say. I remained with Camilla all that year. I
suppose we were in love. Then she ditched me."

Why? Well, the short answer was that she was having a ball in London
society.

Camilla had taken her first and only job, as a receptionist at Colefax
& Fowler, the upmarket decorating firm, and shared a small flat in
Kensington with a girlfriend.

During 1965 she was photographed at balls and parties with a
succession of young, handsome men.

There she is wearing a long white dress, with Old Etonian friend
Patrick Robertson-Macleod; lounging on a sofa with Rupert Hambro, in
black satin, her strap falling coquettishly off her shoulder; a month
later, in pink and gold, pulling a Christmas cracker with Charles
Peel, a descendant of the 19th-century politician, Sir Robert Peel.

Men adored her. One associate who knew her at the time recalled: "When
a boy hove into view she could turn on the headlights - and how!"

But what became of the Duchess of Cornwall's first love?

For many years after their separation, Kevin Burke was well known in
London society for a seeming phobia for marriage.

It was said that his parents, Sir Aubrey and Lady Burke, "despaired"
of him ever settling down. Perhaps Kevin still held a torch for Milla.
Indeed, his eventual choice of bride bore some resemblance to her.

Kevin, then 42, married 26-year-old advertising executive Peta Baker,
at St Paul's, Knightsbridge, in December 1987.

The couple separated in 2001 and Burke now lives with former
headhunter, Luisa Fairey, 43, on a farm in Sussex.

Burke, a chartered accountant who is a director of three oil
companies, has led his life largely out of the public eye. He made an
appearance in the gossip columns, however, three years ago, when news
emerged that Luisa was pregnant and he was to become a father for the
first time at 58.

"It was very unexpected, but I'm a very lucky fellow,' he said.

His ex-girlfriend Milla Shand is now, of course, living a life of
regal splendour at Clarence House.

Nowadays, if she wants to let her hair down, she must do so in
private. Back in 1965, she could do - and did - what she liked.

When the romance with Kevin Burke fizzled out, Camilla was soon on the
look-out for another chap.

Accounts differ as to whether Rupert Hambro came before the handsome
Army officer Andrew Parker Bowles or was a diversion during one of
Andrew's frequent unfaithful periods.

Camilla was besotted with Parker Bowles, a young captain in the
Household Cavalry, whose father Derek was a racing friend of the Queen
Mother.

Andrew was irresistible to women and the romance with Camilla was on
and then off again as other young women fell at his feet.

During one "off" period, he even engineered a liaison with Princess
Anne.

It is during this time of being led a merry dance by Andrew that
Camilla met Prince Charles at a polo match in Windsor Great Park.

Legend has it that she introduced herself with the line: "You know,
sir, my great-grandmother was the mistress of your great-great-
grandfather - so how about it?"

The line was a reference to Edward VII and his mistress, Alice
Keppel.

Camilla is fascinated by Keppel and as she was growing up she would
often talk proudly about her great-grandmother's sexual adventures.
Even today, she uses a pencil sketch logo of Mrs Keppel on her writing
paper.

If as a child Camilla ever toyed with the idea of becoming a royal
mistress herself, it is doubtful she could have envisaged that the
mistress would become a bride.

Fate decreed otherwise - but not for many years.

Camilla had "history", and in the early Seventies such a person was
not deemed suitable to become a royal bride.

Charles and Camilla clicked instantly, but they both knew that
marriage was not a possibility. Charles was in the Navy and, six
months after they had begun meeting in secret, he went off to sea as
an officer on the frigate Minerva.

While he was away, he learned that Camilla had become engaged to
Andrew Parker Bowles. The couple were married in 1973 and two children
followed, Tom and Laura.

The affair with Charles is believed to have resumed after Laura's
birth in 1979, stopping for a time after the Prince's marriage to
Diana, before resuming again once the marriage broke down.

Charles and Camilla had their happy ending, finally, when they married
in 2005.

But how different their romance - and in many ways the face of modern
Britain - might have been if she had never set eyes on the young rake
Kevin Burke.
From http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/femail/article.html?in_article_id=459315&in_page_id=1879
-------------------------
Aggie
Aggie
2007-06-03 17:31:06 UTC
Permalink
What if Charles actually married Camilla when travelling with the HMS
Minerva and visiting various islands? What if he provided the Privy
Council with notice of this marriage, but tried to keep it secret,
thus making Tom Parker Bowles the legitimate heir?

It seems that some of the public wants to believe this.


Aggie
Brian Watson
2007-06-04 06:33:49 UTC
Permalink
Post by Aggie
What if Charles actually married Camilla when travelling with the HMS
Minerva and visiting various islands? What if he provided the Privy
Council with notice of this marriage, but tried to keep it secret,
thus making Tom Parker Bowles the legitimate heir?
It seems that some of the public wants to believe this.
Since neither Charles or Camilla are dead, I suggest you take this foolish
speculation elsewhere where it might be appreciated.
--
Brian
Aggie
2007-06-04 14:05:58 UTC
Permalink
Post by Brian Watson
Post by Aggie
What if Charles actually married Camilla when travelling with the HMS
Minerva and visiting various islands? What if he provided the Privy
Council with notice of this marriage, but tried to keep it secret,
thus makingTom Parker Bowlesthe legitimate heir?
It seems that some of the public wants to believe this.
Since neither Charles or Camilla are dead, I suggest you take this foolish
speculation elsewhere where it might be appreciated.
--
Brian
All speculation deals with things that have not happened, but may
happen, and is foolish. Yet this idea that the public wants to believe
that a marriage occurred between Charles and Camilla is not foolish,
for it deals with the realities presently, not in the future.

Aggie
Michael Rhodes
2021-08-01 21:44:21 UTC
Permalink
Obit Broderick Munro-Wilson

https://peeragenews.blogspot.com/2021/08/broderick-munro-wilson-1945-2021.html
Loading...