How Camilla Parker Bowles Gained a Large Net Worth Despite All the Controversy
Camilla Parker Bowles is undoubtedly one of the most contentious figures in the royal family today. Because she and Prince Charles had an ongoing affair while the future king was still married to Princess Diana, the Duchess of Cornwall has been infamously dubbed "the third person."
Despite the scandal though, Camilla has held her own and been able to enjoy the lavish lifestyle of the British royal family. Thanks to her affluent upbringing and familial ties to the monarchy, the Duchess now has a good amount of money to her name. As of 2019, Camilla has amassed a net worth of $5 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
The total is quite small when compared to her husband, Prince Charles, who is worth a whopping $100 million, says Go Banking Rates. Still, her net worth is very impressive given that she wasn't born into the Windsor household.
Wondering where all that money came from? Here's how the Duchess was able to amass such a large fortune over the years.
Camilla didn't exactly come from humble beginnings.
Humbler than Charles, yes, but her family was certainly well-to-do. Camilla, born on July 17, 1947, had a financial advantage thanks to her wealthy parents. Her mother, Rosalind Cubitt, reportedly came from money and was given an estimated $663,000 of inheritance (which, at the time, was quite substantial), according to Independent. As for her father, Major Bruce Shand, he was a well-known wine merchant, charabanc owner, Vice Lord Lieutenant of East Sussex, and a distinguished officer in the British army.
Because of Bruce's important role, which included looking after the royal family and Heads of State when they visited East Sussex, Camilla was brought up around regality and the British "in" crowd, according to the Daily Star.
She spent her childhood living in a huge $2 million estate in Plumpton, Sussex. As Camilla got older, she attended the fashionable Queens Gate School in Kensington and finishing schools in France and Switzerland.
After her attendance at the University of London Institute in Paris, Camilla began working as a secretary for many businesses in London's West End until landing a job at a decorating firm. It was around this time she met her first husband, Andrew Parker Bowles, who also had strong ties to the military and the throne.
She married a military man and fell for a prince.
Andrew was a member of the Blues and Royals, the second-most senior regiment in the Army under the ultimate command of Queen Elizabeth. By 1973, Camilla was married to Andrew and had now gained even more connections to the royal family. She ended up having two children with Andrew — Thomas Henry and Laura Rose.
As we later found out of course, Prince Charles had already taken her heart after she met him in 1970 at a polo match in Windsor. The couple dated up until 1971 when Charles joined the Royal Navy.
Still, Camilla kept her marriage to Andrew alive until 1995. Looking back at Camilla's love life, her former boarding school classmate, Lynn Redgrave, reportedly once said, that for the Duchess, "landing a rich husband was the top of the agenda. Camilla wanted to have fun, but she also wanted to marry well because, in her mind, that would be the most fun of all."
She weds Prince Charles and takes on a new role.
After Diana's tragic death in 1997, it took Charles a full year to introduce Camilla to his sons, Prince William and Prince Harry. For a while, Queen Elizabeth II did not accept Camilla. Her Majesty even turned down an invite to her son's 50th birthday party in 1998 upon learning that she was going to be there, according to BBC.
Eventually, the Queen did recognize Camilla and Charles' relationship and the two wed (reportedly without a prenup) in a small ceremony at Windsor Guildhall in 2005. It was here that Camilla was given the title "Duchess of Cornwall."
Ever since, the Duchess has taken on a wealth of new jobs. As part of her royal duties, she is the patron of the National Osteoporosis Society and a trustee of the Wiltshire Bobby Van Trust.
Popsugar reports she has become the president or patron of over 90 charities since wedding Prince Charles. While her work is varied, her official profile states that Camilla is mostly interested in health, literacy, supporting victims of rape, sexual abuse, and domestic violence, empowering women, food, animals, and heritage and the arts.
Reports indicate that Prince Charles now divides an estimated $3-5 million between his wife, Prince Harry, Prince William, Kate Middleton, and now Meghan Markle to cover the cost of their work and "official royal activities."
In upcoming years, when Prince Charles takes the throne as king, the Duchess of Cornwall's value will surely grown even more. As it stands, Money reports that Queen Elizabeth has an estimated $520 million to her name. Though Camilla may never get to that level, her worth as Queen Consort will surely skyrocket once the transfer of power is complete.
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