‘Just two old people getting hitched’: Camilla’s very down-to-earth reaction to her engagement to Charles – and why it’s still so significant 21 years after the announcement that risked ‘public backlash’

After a 35-year love affair, the announcement of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles‘s engagement felt like a long time coming when it finally hit the front pages 21 years ago.

While the couple had planned to reveal the news of their upcoming nuptials on Valentines Day, Clarence House were hastily forced to confirm the reports after it was unexpectedly leaked to the press.

In a statement, it was announced that the pair’s ‘largely private’ civil ceremony was set for April 8 at Windsor Guildhall, while Charles, now 77, publicly declared how ‘delighted’ he was to be re-marrying following his high-profile divorce.

Camilla, however, was understandably fearful of ‘public backlash’ and so opted to take the title of HRH the Duchess of Cornwall in a bid to avoid ‘stepping into Diana’s shoes as the next Princess of Wales‘, according to royal author Katie Nicholl.

It was, of course, neither Charles nor Camilla’s first time walking down the aisle – with Camilla having wed Andrew Parker Bowles in 1973, while Charles and Diana exchanged vows in a fairytale ceremony at St Paul’s Cathedral in 1981.

But an ever-romantic Charles still planned a simple yet thoughtful proposal for his future bride – who has stayed by his side years after, supporting her husband through his ascension to the throne, and later, his cancer diagnosis.

Shortly before the New Year in 2004, at the Scottish estate of Birkhall, the then prince got down on one knee and presented her with a stunning £212,000 ring.

It was just ‘two old people getting hitched’, an overjoyed Camilla, now 78, later told a close friend, according to Sally Bedell Smith.

‘And that is pretty much how the country reacted: cheerful, relieved, unalarmed,’ added Ms Nicholl in her book, The New Royals.

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After a 35-year love affair, the announcement of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles’s engagement felt like a long time coming when it finally hit the front pages 21 years ago. Pictured: Camilla shows off her £212,000 engagement ring shortly after the announcement

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Queen Camilla’s impressive jewel had once belonged to the late Queen Mother and featured a five-carat, emerald-cut diamond with baguette cut-diamonds on each side

The impressive jewel had once belonged to the late Queen Mother and featured a five-carat, emerald-cut diamond with baguette cut-diamonds on each side.

While the Queen Mother had been seen wearing the historic sparkler several times during the eighties, it was never her engagement ring. In fact, she received the dazzling piece when she gave birth to Queen Elizabeth II in 1926.

Estimated at £212,000 the ring is the second most expensive one in the Royal Family, coming in behind the late Princess Diana’s iconic sapphire and diamond engagement band, which is worth £300,000.

It was a fitting jewel for Charles’s future bride, with preparations soon underway for their upcoming ceremony at Windsor Guildhall.

However, on April 2, the Vatican announced Pope John Paul II had died and his funeral would take place on the same day as the nuptials.

Diplomatic sources soon said the prime minister, Tony Blair, would be going to Rome, not the royal wedding, making it the first time a serving prime minister attended the funeral of a pontiff.

The then Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, who was set to bless Charles and Camilla’s wedding, also echoed Blair’s sentiment and confirmed that he would attend the service.

Eventually, a Buckingham Palace spokesman confirmed the Pope’s funeral must take priority and declared that Charles was very keen to be sensitive to the circumstances at the time.

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Charles and Camilla wed on April 9, 2005 in a relatively understated service attended by just 28 guests. This was later followed by a larger service at Windsor’s St George’s Chapel which was televised to the nation and attended by approximately 800 guests

He agreed to postpone his wedding by 24 hours and attended the The Requiem Mass in Rome himself on behalf of the Queen.

Charles and Camilla wed on April 9, 2005 in a relatively understated service attended by just 28 guests. This was later followed by a larger service at Windsor’s St George’s Chapel which was televised to the nation and attended by approximately 800 guests.

In a stray from tradition, the pair tied the knot on a Saturday. While it is typically royal convention to get married in a weekday ceremony, there have been exceptions to this rule, such as Harry and Meghan’s wedding on Saturday, May 19, 2018.

While the late Queen and Prince Philip did not attend the civil ceremony, the happy couple were present at the dedication and held a reception for the newlyweds at Windsor Castle afterwards.

Almost 21 years since their big day, the King and Queen Consort are stronger than ever, with Camilla helping to keep the Royal Family united and stand in for her husband after his cancer diagnosis in February 2024.

Indeed, her compassionate nature and unquestionable dedication to her duties has even seen her nicknamed ‘the nation’s grandmother’, with the down-to-earth royal often praised for her steadfast presence amid a particularly challenging time.

Integral in keeping the ‘royal show on the road’, Queen Camilla was on duty almost daily, combining back-to-back engagements with supporting her husband.

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Almost 21 years since their big day, the King and Queen Consort are stronger than ever, with Camilla helping to keep the Royal Family united and stand in for her husband after his cancer diagnosis in February 2024

However, while the role is undoubtedly tiring, a dedicated Camilla was said to have been ‘proud’ to take on the extra duties as a loving display of her support for her husband.

And when King Charles returned to public engagements in May 2024, the Queen lovingly joked that she had been ‘trying to hold him back’ during his cancer treatment.

In September 2022, during King Charles’s first address to the nation since becoming the monarch, he paid tribute to is ‘darling’ wife Camilla and insisted he would be counting on her ‘loving help’ as he navigated life as King.

He added: ‘In recognition of her own loyal public service since our marriage 17 years ago, she becomes my Queen Consort.

‘I know she will bring to the demands of her new role the steadfast devotion to duty on which I have come to rely so much.’