Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall

Recently, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall and the wife of Prince Charles, future King of England, celebrated her birthday.  Here are ten fun facts about Camilla.

1. The future royal was born as Camilla Rosemary Shand on 17 July 1947 at King’s College Hospital in London. She was the first child of parents Major Bruce Shand and his wife, the Honourable Rosalind Shand.

2. Camilla is actually 16 months older than her husband, as she was born in July 1947 while Prince Charles was born in November 1948 at Buckingham Palace.

3. Earlier this month Camilla visited Wimbledon where she watched Andy Murray play. At the end of the match, the Scottish tennis player threw his wristband up to the Duchess in the royal box. Camilla decided to put the signed wristband on eBay, and it eventually sold for £2,100, which will be donated to the Royal Veterinary College Animal Care Trust, chosen by Andy.

4. The royal is a big fan of Strictly Come Dancing, the English version of Dancing With The Stars, and in 2011 she visited the hit show’s set. The Duchess sat next to judge Craig Revel Horwood as she watched McBusted drummer Harry Judd rehearse with partner Aliona Vilani before giving the pop star a congratulatory score of “nine!”.

5. To mark Camilla joining the royal family, a new rose was named the Duchess of Cornwall in 2005.

6. When Camilla and Charles have time off from their royal duties, the Duchess is known to enjoy reading, fishing, gardening and taking country walks with her dogs. As a royal wife herself, Camilla has provided support to Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, and the pair are said to be rather close.

7. The Duchess shares her birthday with McBusted singer Tom Fletcher, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and ITV’s cheeky chef Gino D’Acampo.

8. As a senior member of the royal family, Camilla works with many charities and has won praise for her support for victims of rape and sexual abuse. In 2010 she joined London major Boris Johnson to open a new centre in Ealing, west London, for victims.

9. Camilla’s full royal title is ‘Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall, Duchess of Rothesay, Countess of Chester, Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order’.

10. During her wedding to Prince Charles at Windsor Castle in 2005, Camilla wore shoes from one of the Duchess of Cambridge’s favourite footwear designers, stepping out in pale beige suede LK Bennet court shoes.