Queen Camilla shares secrets to happy marriage to King Charles
Queen Camilla credits friendship, laughter and "getting on with life" as key to her 20-year marriage to King Charles.
Queen Camilla credits friendship, laughter and "getting on with life" as key to her marriage to King Charles.
The couple celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary on Wednesday (09.04.25) during their state visit to Italy and Camilla admitted she was amazeed at how long it had been since they tied the knot.
Speaking to the British media during the trip, she said: “20 years, who could believe it was 20 years?
“What is the secret? I don’t know…I suppose it’s just sort of friendship, really.
“Laughing at the same things, getting on with life. I suppose doing this [public engagements] takes up most of the time.
“We are always going in different directions, like ships that pass in the night really. We whizz past each other.”
Earlier in the day, Camilla donned the outfit she had worn for the couple's 2005 civil ceremony, but modified and with added embroidery to the dress and coat.
The 77-year-old royal explained she and her husband had time in their diary for a "bit of a catch-up this afternoon" following five public engagements but before a state banquet.
And asked if the king would have accepted a break from work as a gift, she quipped: "Dream on."
Discussing if they get time to relax together on tour, she said: “Yes, we do. We have time over dinner to do a bit of catching up.
“It would be very nice if we got a day off and went somewhere but that was not going to happen!”
The couple hadn't exchanged gifts, but Camilla planned to give Charles some china, the traditional gift for a 20th anniversary.
She said: “We are going to do that when we get back.
“We are going to save that. Otherwise you can’t really…. you have to rush it. You don’t have time to say anything.
"I think we might dig into our pockets and pull something out at the end of the day. I have got something.”
Camilla was a regular visitor to Italy as a child because her family had a holiday home in Florence and she was delighted to return to the country.
She said: “I’ve always loved it here.
“You come to Italy and you feel better. They are so friendly. Everybody is so lovely.
“You’ve got the food, the weather, there’s something in the air. Everything tastes better here.
“Why is it tomatoes, why is it pasta tastes better? You take it back to England, it doesn’t taste the same.”
During the state banquet for 150 guests in the evening, Charles noted the timing of the visit was “all the more special to us both since today also marks our 20th wedding anniversary”.
He quipped: “On that score, I must say it really is very good of you, Mr President, to lay on this small romantic, candle-lit dinner for two.”
The couple made a last-minute visit to Pope Francis, and he wished them a happy anniversary during their 20-minute meeting.
Buckingham Palace shared a photo on social media, along with the caption: “The King and Queen were deeply touched by the Pope’s kind remarks about their 20th wedding anniversary and honoured to be able to share their best wishes with him in person.”
