Duchess Camilla Had a Long History of Being Cheated On Before She Became Charles' Mistress

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Most royal watchers know Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall’s story from her infamous love triangle with Prince Charles and Princess Diana, but Tina Brown’s new book, The Palace Papers, sheds light on her life before living in the palace. Her first marriage to Andrew Parker Bowles was fraught with almost 22 years of infidelity on her husband’s part.

Camilla wasn’t blind to his cheating from the start because she “always knew Andrew’s weakness for other women” and still chose to marry him. Lady Caroline Percy recalls, in an excerpt of Brown’s book obtained by SheKnows, “When I was with Andrew, she would come up to me at parties and ask me what I was doing with her boyfriend. She was always doing this to girls at parties. But I got fed up with it and said to her, ‘You can have him back when I’ve finished with him.'” His infidelity created paranoia issues for Camilla, who always believed Andrew was always up to something — and that feeling stuck around throughout their entire union.

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Even after starting a family with her husband and giving birth to son Tom, and daughter Laura, Brown explains that “Camilla never knew where her husband was or with whom during the week.” He preferred to prowl for women with brother-in-law Nicholas Paravicini in London and take them back to the flat they shared. Camilla likely did not have a marriage that was free from infidelity the entire time she was with Andrew.

So Camilla knows the implications of an affair from both sides of the equation, and her involvement with Prince Charles led to years of headlines before they eventually married in 2005. While some royal fans embrace her duty to service in her senior royal role, others will never forget how her choices affected Princess Diana in her marriage to Prince Charles.

The Palace Papers: Inside the House of Windsor — the Truth and the Turmoil

by Tina Brown

Buy: 'The Palace Papers: Inside the House of Windsor — the Truth and the Turmoil' by Tina Brown $22.66

Even as casual British royal family observers, there’s still so much we don’t know about what happens in the House of Windsor. 2022 is poised to be a memorable year for the royal family. But with historic highs come lows and pitfalls. Royal biographer Tina Brown takes readers from the troubling years following Princess Diana’s death, to the rift between Princes William and Harry, the scandals of Prince Andrew, and Queen Elizabeth’s steady resolve through it all in The Palace Papers: Inside the House of Windsor — the Truth and the Turmoil. Brown’s book features new, intimate details about the royal family, and contemplates how the House of Windsor moves into a new era.

Before you go, click here to see the 100 best photos of the royal family from the past 20 years.