Camilla's 'brag' about ancestor's royal affair as a child with startling admission
Camilla's 'brag' about ancestor's royal affair as a child with startling admission
Sophie McCabe, Hollie BealeSun, July 26, 2026 at 9:00 AM UTC
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Camilla wanted to 'follow in the footsteps' of her great-grandmother Alice Keppel (Image: Getty Images)
Queen Camilla has received considerable recognition for her charitable endeavors since becoming a working royal over 20 years ago.
Her wedding to then-Prince Charles in 2005 followed years of efforts to establish the Queen as a more beloved figure among the British public.
Both Charles and Camilla faced intense public scrutiny after revelations emerged that the two had been involved in an extramarital affair while the Prince of Wales was married to his first wife, Diana, Princess of Wales.
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Though the relationship shocked many when it came to light, one royal biographer has suggested that the Duchess had considered the idea decades before.
Christopher Anderson, author of 'The Day Diana Died', joined the To Di For Daily podcast to reflect on the late princess's lasting impact.
Alice was the preferred mistress of Edward VII's wife, Queen Alexandra (pictured). (Image: Getty Images)
He shared with host Kinsey Schofield that Camilla had previously "bragged" about her great-grandmother's royal liaison, and asserted the young Duchess aspired to emulate her ancestor.
Mr Anderson stated: "I interviewed a number of people who grew up with Camilla, and one of them was the actress Lynn Redgrave, who has passed away since.
"She went to the same school [as Camilla] and they all remembered, even as a little girl, she [Camilla] bragged about her great-grandmother, Alice Keppel, who was the King's mistress and she said she was going to follow in her great-grandmother's footsteps.
Camilla and Charles' romantic relationship began during the then-prince's marriage to Diana. (Image: Getty Images)
"It shows how long she had this in her mind."
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Alice Keppel was the infamous mistress of King Edward VII and had served as Camilla's inspiration since childhood.
At age 29, Alice encountered Edward, then Prince of Wales and next in line to the throne. Despite a 26-year age gap, Alice became the royal's mistress, and their affair endured through his accession to the throne in 1901 and continued until his death in 1910.
Edward's wife, Queen Alexandra, even called Alice to her husband's bedside during his final moments.
Alice once described her position as royal mistress: "My job is to curtsy first, and then jump into bed."
Although Alice passed away in 1946, a year before Camilla's birth, the Duchess developed a fascination with her great-grandmother's tale of royal romance.
In a 2016 piece for New York Post, Mr Anderson wrote: "Fellow pupils at the aptly named Queen's Gate boarding school near Kensington Palace remember 10-year-old "Milla" waltzing into class and grandly ordering the other children to bow before her. 'My great-grandmother was the lover of the King,' she proclaimed. 'We're practically royalty.'".
According to popular legend, the Queen employed similar words to captivate the Prince of Wales years later, with Camilla reportedly saying: "My great-grandmother was the mistress of your great-great-grandfather - so how about it?".
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Source: “AOL Entertainment”
