Marie Claire 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

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    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
    • U.S. Open
    • Sézane's Next Act
    • Postpartum Texts
    • New Beauty Launches
    • Transitional Loafer Outfits
    1. Celebrity
    2. Royals

    Why Queen Camilla "Reportedly Felt a Little Broken" on Her Wedding Day to King Charles, According to a New Royal Biography

    She was "reluctant to emerge from under her duvet."

    Amy Mackelden's avatar
    By Amy Mackelden
    Published 18 July 2026 In News

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

    Queen Camilla wears off-white and pale green on her wedding day, including a white hat, to marry King Charles in 2005
    (Image credit: Bruno Vincent/Getty Images/CHRIS YOUNG/AFP via 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 and King Charles's romance has spanned decades, with the pair finally tying the knot on April 9, 2005. But according to a new royal biography, Queen Camilla wasn't entirely joyous on her wedding day for an understandable reason.

    In her new book, Divide and Rule: Royal Women and Their Battles, royal author Catherine Mayer discusses Camilla's royal wedding to Charles.

    "When dawn finally broke on her happiest day, Camilla reportedly felt a little broken too, reluctant to emerge from under her duvet," Mayer explains. "When she did, it was to a service that joined her and Charles in the prayer of preparation, an admission of 'manifold sins and wickedness' written by Thomas Cranmer for Henry VIII."

    Latest Videos FromMarie Claire
    Watch full video here:

    The seeming insistence on pointing out the couple's former indiscretions on their wedding day can't have been easy. In spite of any difficulties Camilla faced on the day itself, she reportedly moved forward.

    "Still, this daughter and ex-wife of military men has never allowed adversity to rain on her parade," Mayer says.

    You may like
    • Queen Camilla in a turquoise hat and coat sitting next to King Charles Queen Camilla Wouldn't Give Up One Part of Her Life When Marrying The King
    • Princess Diana sitting in a carriage with Prince Charles Diana Said Her Wedding to Charles Was One Family Member's "Proudest Day"
    • Queen Camilla and King Charles laughing as they pull pints at a pub Queen Camilla’s “Cautious Approach” Helped Win Over the Public

    Divide and Rule

    Catherine Mayer
    'Divide and Rule'
    $28
    SHOP NOW

    Mayer continues, "Photographers captured the couple laughing as they posed on the steps of the chapel after the blessing, while the wind tried to whip away the feathered confection Camilla had chosen in place of a more traditional tiara. It was a glimpse of a key dynamic between them."

    Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles' 2005 wedding day

    "The wind tried to whip away the feathered confection Camilla had chosen in place of a more traditional tiara."

    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Noting King Charles's alleged "discomfort" when pictured with Princess Diana, Mayer reflects on the marked change he seems to exhibit with Queen Camilla.

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

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

    "He and Camilla, by contrast, tend to mirror each other, engaging with a sustaining intimacy that is instantly recognizable and impossible to counterfeit," Mayer writes.

    Queen Camilla and King Charles smiling on their wedding day

    "He and Camilla, by contrast, tend to mirror each other."

    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles at their 2005 wedding

    King Charles and Queen Camilla at their wedding on April 9, 2005.

    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Even if Camilla did feel "a little broken" on her wedding day to Charles, hopefully the ceremony itself—and their enduring marriage—more than made up for it.

    Explore More
    Weddings relationships Romance Queen Camilla King Charles
    CATEGORIES
    Sex and Love
    Amy Mackelden
    Amy Mackelden
    Social Links Navigation
    Weekend Editor

    Amy Mackelden is the weekend editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity and royal family news. She was the weekend editor at Harper’s BAZAAR for three years, where she covered breaking celebrity and entertainment news, royal stories, fashion, beauty, and politics. Prior to that, she spent a year as the joint weekend editor for Marie Claire, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR, and two years as an entertainment writer at Bustle. Her additional bylines include Cosmopolitan, People, The Independent, HelloGiggles, Biography, Shondaland, Best Products, New Statesman, Heat, and The Guardian. Her work has been syndicated by publications including Town & Country, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Delish, Oprah Daily, Country Living, and Women's Health. Her celebrity interviews include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Chastain, the cast of Selling Sunset, Emma Thompson, Jessica Alba, and Penn Badgley. In 2015, she delivered an academic paper at Kimposium, the world's first Kardashian conference.

    Read more
    Queen Camilla in a turquoise hat and coat sitting next to King Charles
    Royals Queen Camilla Wouldn't Give Up One Part of Her Life When Marrying The King
    By Kristin Contino
    Queen Camilla turned to the side wearing a green dress
    Royals Queen Camilla's Friend Shares Her Philosophy on Prince Harry Relationship
    By Kristin Contino
     
     
    Queen Camilla smiling in a group of people, wearing a blue dress
    Royals Queen Camilla Admits She “Almost” Revealed The King's Cancer News Early
    By Kristin Contino
    Royal Family on the Buckingham Palace balcony
    Royals One Royal Is "Extraordinarily Certain of Who" They Are
    By Amy Mackelden
     
     
    Latest in Royals
    A split image of Ken Wharfe talking to Princess Diana
    Royals Princess Diana’s Bodyguard Shares How She Made Staff "Part of the Party"
    Sarah Ferguson wearing a green dress standing in front of a maroon wall
    Royals Sarah Ferguson Is “Looking at Her Options” For a Tell-All Interview
     
     
    Princess Eugenie wearing a white dress
    Royals Princess Eugenie Shares Sweet New Photos of “Happy Days” With Her Kids
    The exterior of Althorp House with a lowered flag
    Royals Princess Diana’s Brother Shares Moving Images of Their Childhood Home
     
     
    Latest in News
    A split image of Ken Wharfe talking to Princess Diana
    Royals Princess Diana’s Bodyguard Shares How She Made Staff "Part of the Party"
    Céline Dion styled the Bermuda shorts trend for fall with a croc-embossed leather jacket and matching boots
    Celebrity Style Céline Dion Proves the Bermuda Shorts Trend Will Go on for Fall 2026
     
     
    Selena Gomez styled a brown turtleneck with a matching suede maxi skirt and shiny fall boots
    Celebrity Style Move Over, Mini Skirts: Selena Gomez Took Suede to the Floor
    Sarah Ferguson wearing a green dress standing in front of a maroon wall
    Royals Sarah Ferguson Is “Looking at Her Options” For a Tell-All Interview
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    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.