Prince Charles Was ‘In Agony,’ How Camilla Parker Bowles Helped

As the world felt the shock of Princess Diana’s death in 1997, the woman who came between her and her former husband, Prince Charles, reportedly focused on the man she would eventually marry, and as a result, Camilla Parker Bowles was a big help to the future king, who was actually anguished over his ex-wife's death.

According to Express UK, while Princess Diana died in a car accident in Paris after being chased by paparazzi, many sought to blame Prince Charles for her death, and as a result, the prince was in agony. However, despite knowing she too would be the subject of criticism, the future Duchess of Cornwall did everything she could to show the man she loved she could be strong for him.

“That must have been an appalling period for her, and I thought she was courageous and humble and decent, former Charles staffer Julia Cleverdon recalled. “That must have been an appalling period for her, and I thought she was courageous and humble and decent.”

“He was in agony about it—he really, really was,” she added. “And the fact that she was prepared to go through all this for him I think, illustrates what an incredibly strong relationship and partnership they’ve had. Knowing a bit about it at that time, when we ever talked about it, he was in genuine agony about what she was putting up with.”

The couple’s relationship was not well accepted by the public at the time, and Prince Charles did temporarily halt things out of respect for his sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, who were grieving their mother. However, the pair did eventually resume their relationship, despite also not being accepted by Queen Elizabeth.

She eventually went on to seemingly accept Camilla’s place in her son’s life, which allowed the couple to progress their relationship further as well. They went on to marry in 2005, and out of respect for Diana, Camilla opted to style her name using Charles’ secondary title, avoiding the use of the title of Princess of Wales altogether.