Was Camilla at Princess Diana's wedding to Prince Charles?

a close up of Queen Consort Camilla in a wedding hat

(Image credit: Future/Getty)

published 10 November 2022

It was attended by 3,500 guests and watched by 750m people around the world, but was Camilla at Charles and Diana's wedding?

They had a brief relationship in the early 70s before Charles met Diana, with Camilla going on to marry Andrew Parker Bowles - while Charles started his life with Diana. It's no secret that he and Camilla remained close friends - even after Charles and Diana got engaged - although author Penny Juror claims Charles didn’t initially reveal the full extent of their relationship.

Writing in The Duchess: Camilla Parker Bowles and the Affair That Rocked the Crown, Penny said, "Instead of explaining to Diana at the outset that Camilla was an old girlfriend, he had presented her as nothing more than a friend. It didn't occur to him that she needed to know before someone else told her. He came clean after the engagement, admitting that Camilla had been one of his most intimate friends, but reassured Diana that from now on there would be no other women."

Was Camilla at Charles and Diana’s wedding?

Yes, Camilla was in attendance at Charles and Diana's wedding in 1991. And it's not necessarily a surprise - given that the Queen's son and Camilla were so close.

Diana had her suspicions about Charles and Camilla’s relationship and she confessed to being so obsessed with Camilla that she was the person she looked for as she walked down the aisle. Penny Juror wrote: "[Diana] became jealous - obsessing about Camilla Parker Bowles - turning against people she appeared to like, convinced they were out to get her."

a black and white photo of Camilla and Diana together back in 1980.

What did Camilla wear to Princess Diana’s wedding?

Diana described Camilla’s outfit for the wedding when speaking to Andrew Morton in 1991. She said, ‘I knew she was there, of course. I looked for her. So walking down the aisle, I spotted Camilla, [she was wearing a] pale grey, veiled pillbox hat. [I] saw it all, her son Tom standing on a chair. To this day, you know - vivid memory.’

Why was Camilla at Princess Diana’s wedding?

As well as her close friendship with Charles, Camilla’s then-husband Andrew Parker Bowles played an important role in Princess Diana’s wedding. As the Commanding Officer of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment, he oversaw the ceremonial escort that accompanied Charles and Diana’s carriage during its procession through London.

Prince Charles and Princess Diana kiss on the balcony of Buckingham Palace following their wedding. Credit: Getty

But Diana did draw the line when it came to Camilla’s son Tom, Charles’ godson, being in the wedding party.

Penny said, ‘When it came to choosing her attendants for the wedding, she vetoed Charles' suggestion that Camilla's son, Tom, his godchild, be in the wedding party. She agreed to several of his other godchildren, but there was a big scene about Tom Parker Bowles and Charles backed down.’

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Jack White is Celebrity Content Director at Future, working across Women's Lifestyle brands such as Woman&Home, Woman, Woman's Own, Women's Weekly and GoodtoKnow. When he's not interviewing your favourite stars or writing about the latest make-up/break up, you'll find Jack searching for new Gemma Collins memes, singing (badly) in the office or binge-watching crime dramas.