The “Virgin Rule” – Why Charles Couldn’t Marry the Woman He Loved
Charles and Camilla were in love by the early 1970s. So why didn’t he marry her? Because the monarchy demanded a virgin bride. Lord Mountbatten, Charles’s closest father figure, told him point-blank: “Lovely fling, but this absolutely cannot end in marriage.” Camilla had dated other men – her relationship with Andrew Parker Bowles was public knowledge. In the language of the British establishment, she was “experienced.” The cruel irony? Mountbatten also told Charles to “sow his wild oats” before settling down. A man could sleep around. A woman couldn’t. While Charles was in the Navy, Camilla married Parker Bowles in 1973. Charles was devastated – and the monarchy began shopping for a suitable virgin.