Camilla sent 'cruel' letter to Prince Charles - and it broke his heart

According to a royal author, Camilla wrote a letter to Prince Charles while he was away on tour with the Royal Navy - and its contents broke the future King's heart

King Charles was left completely heartbroken by a letter he received from Camilla in the very early days of their romance, it has been revealed.

Prior to their respective first marriages, Charles and Camilla were in a relationship with the then-Prince said to be completely smitten with the debutante. But the couple were forced to take a break when 24-year-old Charles went on a tour with the Royal Navy. And during his time away he received a 'cruel' letter from Camilla.

She wrote to Charles to tell him that she had accepted a wedding proposal from Andrew Parker Bowles, a Guards officer who had been her on-off boyfriend since the late 1960s. Royal author Penny Junor wrote about the letter in her book about Camilla, The Duchess: The Untold Story , revealing: "She wrote to Charles herself to tell him. It broke his heart."

Penny also stated that the devastated prince shared his heartbreak to his friends and family. "He fired off anguished letters to his nearest and dearest," she wrote. "It seemed to him particularly 'cruel', he wrote in one letter, that after 'such a blissful, peaceful and mutually happy relationship's fate had decreed that it should only last a mere six months."

Camilla and Andrew went on to marry on 4 July 1973 in a Roman Catholic ceremony at the Guards' Chapel, Wellington Barracks, in London. She was 25 years old at the time, while her new husband was 33. It was considered the "society wedding of the year" with 800 guests, including Princess Anne; the Queen's sister, Margaret; and The Queen Mother.

They went on to welcome two children, Tom - Charles was named one of his godfathers - and Laura. In December 1994, after 21 years of marriage, the couple issued divorce proceedings on the grounds they had been living separately for years. It was finalised on 3 March 1995. Charles and Camilla announced their own engagement in February 2005. They tied the knot in a civil ceremony at Windsor Guildhall, on 9 April 2005, followed by a reception hosted by the Queen and Prince Philip at Windsor Castle.

Just 28 people were on hand to witness their union - including Princes William and Harry , and Charles's siblings, Anne , Andrew and Edward . The groom's parents were noticably absent, however. As the head of the Church of England, the Queen ultimately decided that it was not appropriate for her to be at the wedding of two people who had each divorced their previous partners.

However, there was no doubt she was in full support of the couple. Former royal butler Grant Harrold previously shared how the Queen helped celebrate her son's special day. Grant worked within Charles' household for seven years between 2004 and 2011, and was a guest at the ceremony in Windsor on April 9, 2005.

Speaking to Guides for Brides, he revealed that the monarch actually organised important wedding details on the day, from the flowers, to Charles and Camilla's wedding rings. And she even gave a comical speech at the newlywed couple's reception. Grant said: "'The biggest misconception about the wedding is that the Queen didn't enjoy it or wasn't supportive, it's complete nonsense. There was talk about whether she would attend the service but her appearance at the reception was a joyful one.

"Her attendance and speech would have been seen as an olive branch to Charles and Camilla - her blessing of the marriage. The royals don't do things lightly and she would have not attended if she hadn't been happy to. "I remember walking to St George's Hall for the reception, where they had drinks. The Queen had not attended the actual service but she gave a speech at the reception, which was seen as a big sign of her approval to the marriage.

"The Queen was amazing at the wedding, she gave a very funny speech, she was really happy as was Prince Philip. I can't remember her exact words but she was funny. She compared their relationship to a Grand National horse race. She was a great comedian and had a way with words."