Why does King Charles and Camilla’s wedding anniversary have a different meaning this year?

This year marks the couple’s first wedding anniversary since Charles ascended the throne on May 6, 2023.

On this day, April 9, 19 years ago, King Charles and Camilla got married. It was 2005 and the couple were united in the holy bonds of matrimony in a civil ceremony at Windsor Guildhall.

Despite 19 years of marriage, the monarch and his wife rarely share photos or tributes on the occasion.

One of those rare times was their 14th wedding anniversary (2019). They had then made an unannounced visit to Belfast, Northern Ireland, to mark the reopening of Hillsborough Castle following its £20 million renovation.

At the time, Charles had referred to the special date for him and his wife, declaring in a speech: “ Ladies and gentlemen, I am extremely grateful to all of you for coming from so far to celebrate our wedding anniversary. That is incredibly kind of you .’

The special significance of this year’s anniversary of Charles and Camilla

This year marks the first anniversary since Charles’s enthronement on May 6, 2023. But that doesn’t seem to be the reason why this year’s anniversary will be very different from the others.

From May 2023 to April 2024, many things seem to have changed in the life of Charles, the most essential of which, however, is not ultimately the assumption of the responsibilities that accompany the reign, but the dramatic development concerning his health.

His diagnosis of cancer, the type of which has not been disclosed, seems to be one of the reasons that nothing seems the same as last year for the couple, according to a report by the British Hello.

According to the same media, it is likely that King Charles will celebrate his wedding anniversary with Camilla in private.

Karolos and Camila’s path to marriage was not easy

The couple met at a polo match in 1970 at the age of 23, but their romance cooled when the then-king-to-be had to go overseas on naval duty.

Then they parted ways. Camilla married and had two children with Andrew Parker Bowles, while Charles joined his life with Lady Diana Spencer, whom he married in July 1981.

Charles and Camilla remained friends throughout their previous marriages, which ended in divorce. Camilla separated from her husband in 1995 and Charles divorced Diana the following year.

Charles later admitted that he was not just friends with Camilla, but had extramarital affairs with her while he was married to Diana. Nevertheless, the couple slowly rebuilt their public image, with Camilla accompanying the royals on their first outing together in 1999.

They moved into Clarence House together in 2003 and announced their engagement on 10 February 2005. Buckingham Palace had originally announced their plans to marry on 8 April that year, but the wedding was pushed back a day so that Charles could represent Queen Elizabeth at the funeral of Pope John Paul II in the Vatican.

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