Unlike Charles and Diana, the thoroughly upper-class Camilla had an extraordinarily boisterous and joyful childhood.

According to Junor, when the late actor Elaine Stritch told her, “No bullshit, you look great,” Camilla replied, “You need eyeglasses.”Ĭamilla Rosemary Shand was born on July 17, 1947, in London. Whether she’s giggling with Prince William, slyly winking at photographers during Donald Trump’s 2019 visit to England, playing or laughing after a bee flew into Prince Harry’s hair, Camilla often seems to be having the most fun in the room. “She always has a twinkle in her eye and is a terrible giggler, often reducing Charles to fits of giggles too.” She’s very approachable, very easy to talk to, warm, friendly, funny,” Junor, a journalist who has written numerous books on the royals, including The Duchess, which is the only serious biography of Camilla, tells Vanity Fair. Mosse’s reaction to Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, is typical of those who actually meet her. It was only later in the evening that she learned the mystery woman who was a “complete hoot” was none other than Tom’s mother, the notorious Camilla Parker Bowles.

It was the women’s locker-room moment,” Mosse told Penny Junor, author of The Duchess: Camilla Parker Bowles and the Love Affair That Rocked the Crown. The Heywood Review had, however, ruled out any quid pro quo between the two governments.In 2004, author and playwright Kate Mosse was at a party for food writer Tom Parker Bowles. “I remember standing in the queue for the loo with an incredibly nice woman who had a rather deep and infectious laugh, and we had a bit of a chat. According to Miller's report, the UK helped India with Operation Blue Star because it wanted to sell defence equipment to India. According to the statement, the military advice from the UK officer had limited impact in practice and the actual operation implemented by the Indian Army differed significantly from the approach suggested by the UK military.Ī report, 'Sacrificing Sikhs', written by Miller and published by the Sikh Federation UK last year, termed the Heywood Review a “whitewash”. It said there was no other UK military assistance, such as training or equipment, for Operation Blue Star. Then British Prime Minister David Cameron ordered a review into this discovery, named as the Heywood Review, which led to a statement in Parliament declaring that the UK government did send one military officer to provide military advice but it was a one-off. Another controversial declassified document was Thatcher's letter to then indian prime minister Indira Gandhi in which she gave Gandhi full support after Operation Blue Star and said Britain supported India's unity in the face of demands for a separate Sikh homeland.

The Secret Queen by Mark Miller