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W Magazine
Royals

Why Can’t All Royals Be More Like Camilla Parker Bowles?

It isn’t easy to constantly be held in comparison to Princess Diana, who’s still impossibly popular even more than two decades after her untimely death. And yet, over the past few decades, Camilla Parker Bowles has somehow still managed to thrive. On her 72nd birthday on Wednesday, it’s high time we recognize the unsung royal; after all, Meghan Markle has already begun to do so. (See: that time the Duchesses erupted into laughter when a bee flew into Prince Harry’s face in the middle of him giving a speech.) In any case, rest assured that we’re in for a promising season of The Crown. Bowles, played by the actress Emerald Fennell, will be front and center in the Netflix series’s upcoming episodes (though of course Princess Diana will as well). Get to know Bowles in her own right with a look back at some of her most delightful (and birthday cake-filled) moments over the years, here.

by Stephanie Eckardt
July 17, 2019 9:46 pm
The Prince Of Wales & Duchess Of Cornwall Visit Australia - Day 1

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Camilla Parker Bowles wielding a knife in front of Prince Charles during a visit to Seppeltsfield Winery in Barossa Valley, Australia, November 2015.

Prince Of Wales And The Duchess Of Cornwall Visit Northern Ireland - Day Two

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Camilla Parker Bowles double-fisting ice cream during a visit to the village market in Droromore, Northern Ireland, May 2017.

The Duchess Of Cornwall Attends The Annual ICAP Charity Day

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Camilla Parker Bowles hanging out with a crew of “Donald Trumps” at the ICAP’s annual charity day in London, December 2017.

The Prince of Wales visits the 'Dig for Victory' Organic Allotment

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Camilla Parker Bowles trying some of her 61st birthday cake during her visit to the “Dig for Victory” organic allotment in St James’s Park in London, July 2008.

The Prince Of Wales And Duchess Of Cornwall Visit Australia - Day 3

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Camilla Parker Bowles holding a koala named Matilda with Prince Charles during their Diamond Jubilee Tour of Papua New Guinea, Australia, and New Zealand, in Adelaide, November 2012.

Duchess Of Cornwall Visits Dents Factory

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Camilla Parker Bowles presenting a “special doggy cake” and long service certificate to a rescue dog named Ruby in Warminster, England, February 2015.

VE Day 65th Anniversary Tributes Observed At Cenotaph

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Camilla Parker Bowles holding an umbrella at the VE Day 65th anniversary tributes, in commemoration of Victory in Europe day, in London, May 2019.

The Duchess Of Cornwall Visits The Isle Of Wight

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Camilla Parker Bowles eating ice cream with Dame Judi Dench at the Queen Victoria’s private beach in East Cowes, Isle of Wight, England, July 2018.

The Prince Of Wales And Duchess Of Cornwall Visit St. Kitts And Nevis

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Camilla Parker Bowles taking a sip of rum punch during a visit to the Hermitage Plantation House in Saint Kitts and Nevis, March 2019.

The Prince Of Wales And Duchess Of Cornwall Visit Devon And Cornwall - Day 3

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Camilla Parker Bowles going to great lengths to cut a cake during a visit to the Newquay Fire Station in Cornwall, England, July 2017.

The Prince Of Wales & Duchess Of Cornwall Visit New Zealand - Day 2

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Camilla Parker Bowles encountering a reptile known as a Tuatara on her and Prince Charles’s visit to the Orokonui Ecosanctuary in Dunedin, New Zealand, November 2015

Duchess Of Cornwall Visits Wiltshire On Her 60th Birthday

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Camilla Parker Bowles reacting to Prince Charles lighting the candles of her 60th birthday cake during a visit to Bronham in Wiltshire, England, July 2007.

The Prince Of Wales And The Duchess Of Cornwall Visit Honiton

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Camilla Parker Bowles preparing to take a shot of gin during a visit to a food market in Honiton, England, July 2018.

Camilla Visits Essex Dog Training Centre

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Camilla Parker Bowles taking in the action at the Essex Dog Training Centre in Brentwood, October 2011.

The Duchess Of Cornwall Visits The Beaumont Sainsbury Animal Hospital

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Camilla Parker Bowles marveling at a plastinated dog’s heart during a visit to Beaumont Sainsbury Animal Hospital in London, February 2015.

The Prince Of Wales & Duchess Of Cornwall Visit Australia - Day 6

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Camilla Parker Bowles and Prince Charles wielding boomerangs during a visit to Kings Park in Perth, Australia, November 2015.

Camilla, Duchess Of Cornwall Visits Ebony Horse Club

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Camilla Parker Bowles at a loss for words upon glimpsing the cake at the opening of Ebony Horse Club in London, October 2011.

Invictus Games - Opening Ceremony

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Prince William and Camilla Parker Bowles laughing during the opening ceremony of the Invictus Games, a sporting event for wounded servicemen and women, in London, September 2014.

Sandingham Flower Show

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Camilla Parker Bowles and Prince Charles reacting to a bald eagle flapping its wings during their visit to the Sandringham Flower Show in King’s Lynn, England, July 2015.

The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall Tour Oman - Day 1

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Camilla Parker Bowles double-fisting cupcakes at a “Women in Business” event during a royal tour of the Middle East, in Muscat, Oman, November 2016.

The Duchess Of Cornwall Visits The Queen Mother Hospital For Small Animals

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Camilla Parker Bowles preparing to cut a cake at the 30th anniversary celebration of the Queen Mother Hospital for Small Animals in Hatfield, England, April 2016.

The Prince Of Wales And Duchess Of Cornwall Visit Germany - Day 2 - Leipzig

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Camilla Parker Bowles toting a giant teddy bear that an admirer gave her during an official visit to Leipzig, Germany, May 2019.

The Prince Of Wales And The Duchess Of Cornwall Visit The Royal Television Society

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Camilla Parker Bowles sampling a spread on the set of ITV’s This Morning, where she was celebrating the 90th anniversary of the Royal Television Society, in London, January 2018.

The Duchess Of Cornwall Attends A Reception To Mark Australia Day

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Camilla Parker Bowles sampling a glass of Australian wine during an Australian Day Reception at the Violin Factory in London, January 2015.

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