Marie Claire
  • Celebrity
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Culture
  • Power
  • Nice Talk
  • Style at Large
  • More
    • Politics
    • Career & Money
    • Health & Fitness
    • Power Play
    • Travel
    • Promo Codes
    • Food & Cocktails
    • About Us
    • Subscribe
    • Sex & Love
  • Newsletter SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Marie Claire
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    The ultimate daily digest for women of power, purpose, and style.


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    Want to add more newsletters?

    Marie Claire Daily

    Delivered daily

    Marie Claire Daily

    Get exclusive access to fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more.

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Sent weekly on Saturday

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Exclusive access to expert shopping and styling advice from Nikki Ogunnaike, Marie Claire's editor-in-chief.

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Once a week

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Insider tips and recommendations for skin, hair, makeup, nails and more from Hannah Baxter, Marie Claire's beauty director.

    Livingetc

    Once a week

    Livingetc

    Your shortcut to the now and the next in contemporary home decoration, from designing a fashion-forward kitchen to decoding color schemes, and the latest interiors trends.

    Homes & Gardens

    Delivered Daily

    Homes & Gardens

    The ultimate interior design resource from the world's leading experts - discover inspiring decorating ideas, color scheming know-how, garden inspiration and shopping expertise.


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • Winter Shoe Trends
    • Slick-Backed Buns
    • OleHenriksen
    • Holiday Candles
    • Statement Red Socks
    1. Celebrity
    2. Royals

    Queen Camilla's First Love Kevin Burke Has Passed Away at 77

    The two met during the queen's days as a debutante.

    Paulina Jayne Isaac's avatar
    By Paulina Jayne Isaac
    Published 22 August 2023 In News

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    Queen Camilla at an engagement
    (Image credit: Getty Images)
    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    Queen Camilla's first love, Kevin Burke, has sadly passed away at age 77. Long before she married King Charles in 2005, she met Burke as a young debutante who frequented high society soirees, according to the Daily Mail. Burke is believed to have died earlier this month, of an unknown cause, and his family is asking for donations to be made to the British Heart Foundation in his honor. The funeral will be held next month.

    The royal, who was known as Milla Shand, was thought to have met her late first love after her coming out party in Knightsbridge in 1965. The queen and Burke were ages 17 and 19, respectively. In the years since Burke had only wonderful things to say about the queen.

    "Every night, we had two or three cocktail parties to go to and a dance and a couple of dances to choose from at weekends in the country," he revealed in Jessica Jayne's biography, The Duchess of Cornwall: Camilla's Stories and Secrets. "It was the best fun, and I had the best and most fun partner you could possibly wish for. Camilla was immensely popular, and although she wasn't a beauty, she was attractive and sexy." 

    Latest Videos FromMarie Claire
    Watch full video here:

    Unfortunately, their relationship ended, and Burke was left heartbroken. "I remained with Camilla all that year. I suppose we were in love, and then she ditched me. Why? Well, the short answer is that she was having a ball in London," he explained in the book.

    After his relationship with the queen, he went on to marry advertising executive Peta Baker, before divorcing 14 years later in 2001. He then wed former head-hunter Luisa Fairey, and became a father at 58.

    The queen married her first husband, Andrew Parker Bowles, in 1973, with whom she had two children, Tom and Laura. They divorced in 1995. 

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    The ultimate daily digest for women of power, purpose, and style.

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
    Paulina Jayne Isaac
    Paulina Jayne Isaac
    Social Links Navigation

    Paulina is the Weekend Editor at Cosmopolitan.com. When she isn’t covering celeb and pop culture news, she can be found listening to Taylor Swift, watching a teen drama (One Tree Hill is her favorite), or perfecting her skincare routine.

    Latest in Royals
    For Halloween, Prince Louis picks up a pumpkin at the patch in an adorable throwback snap, taken by mom Princess Kate
    Royals Prince Louis's Mischievous Side Is on Display in Throwback Snap
    The exterior of Anmer Hall on the Sandringham estate
    Royals Prince William Reacts to Some Terrifying News About His Country House
     
     
    Meghan Markle & Prince Harry
    Royals Prince Harry and Meghan Markle "Snuck Out" for Halloween Before Going Public
    Prince William and Prince Harry.
    Royals Prince William Could Be “Forced” to Reconcile With Prince Harry
     
     
    Latest in News
    For Halloween, Prince Louis picks up a pumpkin at the patch in an adorable throwback snap, taken by mom Princess Kate
    Royals Prince Louis's Mischievous Side Is on Display in Throwback Snap
    The exterior of Anmer Hall on the Sandringham estate
    Royals Prince William Reacts to Some Terrifying News About His Country House
     
     
    Meghan Markle & Prince Harry
    Royals Prince Harry and Meghan Markle "Snuck Out" for Halloween Before Going Public
    Prince William and Prince Harry.
    Royals Prince William Could Be “Forced” to Reconcile With Prince Harry
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Marie Claire
    RSS
    • About us
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Advertise Online
    • Newsletter
    • Terms and conditions
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • Careers
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.