All About Queen Camilla's Ancestor Alice Keppel — a Mistress to King Charles' Relative King Edward VII

Did you know that King Charles and Queen Camilla's relatives had an affair?

The decades-long relationship between King Charles and Queen Camilla has been long documented, as it infamously continued through his marriage to Princess Diana and her marriage to Andrew Parker Bowles.

But their relationship wasn't the first between their families: King Charles's great-great-grandfather King Edward VII had an illicit affair with Queen Camilla's great-great-grandmother, Alice Keppel, according to Town & Country.

Born Alice Frederica Edmonstone and raised in Duntreath Castle in Scotland, the Queen's ancestor was a beloved member of Edwardian society.

"She was luminous, resplendent... She not only had a gift of happiness, but she excelled in making others happy. She resembled a Christmas tree laden with presents for everyone," her daughter Violet said.

Related:Camilla 'Never Contemplated Becoming Queen,' Says Biographer: 'It's a Hell of a Challenge at This Age'

Alice was nicknamed "Freddie" — and sometimes "Flirtatious Freddie," perhaps due to the reported affairs that helped her move up the social ladder.

It's a similar reputation to the one that seemed to follow Camilla when she and then-Prince Charles first started dating in 1971, contributing to reports that claimed she didn't meet the royal prerequisites for marrying the heir to the throne. It's that reputation that largely caused Charles and Camilla's initial split.

And like Camilla, who married British royal officer Bowles, Alice wed Lieutenant-Colonel George Keppel. But when they moved to London, she met King Charles's ancestor Prince Albert Edward in 1989 — when he was 56 and she was 29.

Alice and Edward's relationship continued for 12 years through his coronation as King Edward VII in 1902, and they were still together when he died in 1910.

Alice was reportedly at the King's deathbed and was so hysterical that she had to be "removed from his room."

But unlike Princess Diana, who was distressed by her husband's affair with Camilla — and famously said "Well, there were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded" during her bombshell 1995 Panorama interview with Martin Bashir — Edward's Queen Alexandra liked having Alice around.

Alexandra "preferred her to the king's previous mistress, Daisy Warwick," according to Town & Country, as Alice was more discreet and even helped the King pick out thoughtful gifts for Alexandra, such as a set of Faberge animal collectibles.

Alice also was well-known for settling Edward's at-times "erratic" behavior.

A close palace insider recently told PEOPLE that Queen Camilla maintains a calming effect on the monarch. "She is the yin to his yang," the insider said. "She is the type to say, 'It'll all be fine; let's crack on and get on with things.' "

Royal biographer Christopher Wilson, who studied the couple in the book A Greater Love, told PEOPLE that Camilla soothes Charles in a way no one else can.

"Her presence reassures him," Wilson says. "Despite all the trappings of majesty, it's cold and lonely at the top, and it's easy to see the comfort she provides him."

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And while Alice's presence in King Edward's life was largely accepted, she remains the last mistress who was given a place at court.

In fact, when his grandson Edward VIII abdicated the throne to marry the American divorcée Wallis Simpson — the move that put Queen Elizabeth in line for the throne when her father, King George VI, assumed the monarchy — Alice is rumored to have declared, "Things were done much better in my day."

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