5 Things Queen Camilla Had to Give Up After Marrying King Charles

Queen Camilla and King Charles have had a romance that spanned distance, separation, and public vitriol. Although their enduring love found its happily ever after at the altar, it didn't come without sacrifice. The Queen Consort had to give up several things for the marriage to work.

Camilla used to be a regular smoker, reportedly using 10 cigarettes a day. However, she quit the habit in 2001 for two reasons. The first was her rhinitis, a condition where one's nose gets irritated by allergies, causing persistent coughing and sneezing. The second reason was reportedly Charles. The monarch was not fond of the habit, and it was his favored health guru at the time, Dr. Mosaraf Ali, who helped her give up smoking.

Marrying into the royal family is not easy. While one may see the fancy clothes, dazzling tiaras, and over-the-top functions from the surface, the pomp comes with several strict royal protocols that all members of the monarchy must follow. And that can be a difficult thing to do. Royal author Tom Quinn mentioned in his book that Camilla had begun to get irritated by the rules. "One member of staff told me that at one point, Camilla hated the idea of being queen and would regularly say to Charles, ‘Can’t we get away from all this protocol? It’s all b*llocks," he wrote, before adding, "Charles, who hates swearing, would demurely reply, ‘You’re doing it (becoming queen) for me, darling'."

During an appearance on Virgin Radio UK last month, Camilla's son, Tom Parker Bowles, revealed that his mother had to 'revise' her language after marrying Charles. The habit was further curbed after the latter took the throne in 2022. Parker Bowles mentioned that Camilla used to say "shove a lemon where the sun don’t shine" while talking about the roast chicken recipe. And now she has toned down her phrases, and her son attested to it while giving out the recipe. "You get the best chicken you can afford. Yep. ‘Shove a…’ ‘Place, please, place a lemon. Place a lemon actually down its neck cavity," he said via Hello!. He further added, "She used to say ‘where the sun don’t shine,’ but it’s not actually where the sun don’t shine—it’s the neck."

Camilla had to give up staying with her kids, Tom and Laura Rose Lopes, after marrying into the royal family. She shares the siblings with her former husband, Andrew Parker Bowles.

Although she regularly visits and meets with them, it certainly must not be the same as living with them.

Before marrying Charles, the Queen Consort lived at Ray Mill House. Currently, the couple stays at Clarence House. Although Camilla still owns the property, she can no longer live there as a senior working royal. "Before she married Charles, she made a pact with him that she would keep Ray Mill House as her bolthole. She goes every weekend when she can, and she goes during the summer so that she can spend some time with her grandchildren and her children, and it’s something that’s away from the whole royal world," royal biographer Ingrid Seward had said via InStyle.