Queen Camilla's former wife Sarah Parker-Bowles (who was married to her son Tom with ex-husband Andrew Parker-Bowles) revealed that after Queen Elizabeth's death last September, she was "worried" that Camilla would be disliked again by the British public.

Although Camilla now enjoys a fairly good relationship with the public, she has had a rocky past dating back to the 1980s and 1990s, when she was still married to Andrew and had an affair with then-Prince Charles (who was still married to Princess Diana at the time). (Prince Charles and Princess Diana were married in 1981, separated in 1992, and divorced in 1996.) After Princess Diana's death in a Paris car accident in 1997, Camilla experienced "years of hate," which she feared would resume when she became queen following the late Princess Diana's death. (Prince Charles and Camilla finally married in 2005 after knowing and loving each other for over 30 years.)

The slander against Camilla Parker-Bowles at the time was never worse than in the years following Princess Diana's untimely death at the age of only 36. At first Camilla was hidden away, but finally debuted as Charles' girlfriend in their 1999 engagement; according to OK magazine, Sarah said, "Tom was worried that it would happen again once the Queen was gone, but it was the opposite."

Prince Charles and his wife Camilla have been generally well received by the British public during their first 10 months on the throne. Sarah was married to Tom from 2005 to 2018 and watched her former mother-in-law strive to win the affection of the public. Camilla has certainly come a long way since 1995, when Princess Diana told the BBC's Martin Bashir that "there were three of us in this marriage," alluding to Prince Charles and Camilla's longtime affair.

"[Camilla] was not accepted at all," Sarah told The Times. 'She never talked about it. She was very brave and didn't complain."

In February 2022, the late queen announced her desire to become queen upon Camilla's death, but "the news caused little stir in the headlines," OK reported. (At the time of her marriage in 2005, it was said that Camilla would only be called Princess Consort, but after 17 years as senior royalty, the palace changed course.) After Queen Elizabeth's death in September of that year, Camilla was referred to as Queen Consort to avoid confusion between her late mother-in-law and herself, but by the time of Prince Charles' coronation in May, Camilla, who just turned 76 on Monday, was known simply as Queen Camilla or Queen.

Of the coronation, Sarah said, "Camilla was really, really nervous. She wanted to be surrounded by people she loved. [The King] wasn't nervous at all. But Camilla didn't want this," she said, implying that Camilla never wanted to be queen, but always loved the person who would one day be king.

Ultimately, Camilla became "the human face of the royal family," Sarah said, and she is grateful for the positive reception she has received from the public now that a year has passed since the passing of her late Majesty.