Customer Reviews

Camilla: An Intimate Portrait

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My friends and I had been talking about how a woman who seemed to us to be rather ordinary, not very well educated and exceedingly plain, managed to make a future king fall head-over-heels in love with her. Prince Charles could presumably have had available to him a wide choice of some of the most beautiful women in the world. But he chose and married Camilla Parker Bowles. Why Camilla? This book does supply some answers to that question. She had gone to the right schools, knew the right people and and enjoyed treating His Royal Highness like a sex object. I don't imagine many others were so raunchy and down-to-earth in his presence. He obviously loves her attitude. And she and Princess Diana seem to be about as opposite in every respect as two human beings could be.
The book is not a great biographical opus but it is entertaining, light reading. It includes lots of gossip, transcripts of phone calls and has a lot of candid photographs. The author makes frequent use of British pop culture references with which, as an American, I am not familiar. So when she compared someone to a character in a British TV show, as she often did, it didn't mean anything to me. The writing isn't very good. In spots it is repetitive and the author's grammar could be improved. But she does present us with a picture of a real person as well as insight into the lifestyles of the British upper crust.

Book was good. But I am so sick of hearing about these two. I don't know how Diana's mother could stand watching her daughter be used and abused by these two. I wish to God someone would have stepped in and stopped Diana from marrying him. Note that he had absolutely no other prospects for marriage at the time. All his girlfriends ran for their lives. The whole story is stomach turning!

I am not sure I have some respect for Camilla after reading that book, not to mention for Prince Charles either. What bothers me about those two is that they have been sooo dishonest towards Diana. They both manipulated her, thinking she was very innocent and naive, so they would have no problem continuing to see each other whenever they wanted. And it's not very noble to say the very least. But oops... Diana was very clever and the poor girl has been miserable in that "menage a trois".

If prince Charles was so much in love with Camilla 35 years ago, why on God's green earth din't he married her then?? Diana would have been spared all that suffering and misery. Because, let's face it, Diana was "used" to produce an heir to the throne and for that reason only. She was very much in love with Charles and he din't return that love. Instead he betrayed her. And that's why I have no respect for him and Camilla. I think there is no word to describe the way Charles and Camilla manipulated that poor Diana... maybe there is one...disgraceful!