There are few phrases in the English language more fraught with dread than “my ex.” And that dread is often doubled when it comes to ex-spouses. Once someone knows all of your deepest, darkest secrets, you might feel like you have to walk on eggshells whenever you’re around them.
Shockingly, this isn’t the case when it comes to Queen Consort Camilla. Despite all the messy circumstances surrounding her romance with Charles (which led to he and Princess Diana divorcing), Queen Camilla enjoys a great relationship with her ex-husband, Andrew Parker Bowles.
More than that, Andrew might just be the one ex-husband who puts regular husbands to shame. Keep reading to discover exactly why that is!
A close friendship after divorce
You’ve probably heard of bitter stories about ex-spouses turning downright frosty. However, Andrew Parker Bowles never got that particular memo from the other ex-husbands. And, accordingly, he has been a model ex-spouse.
Keep in mind that the world basically watched their marriage implode. It was an open secret that Camilla was cheating on Parker with then-Prince Charles. As the Birmingham Mail reports, this left Andrew feeling “publicly humiliated” by her behavior.
Nonetheless, he has remained a close friend to Camilla since she got with Charles and even gave their relationship his blessing. Fittingly enough, Andrew attended Charles and Camilla’s 2005 service of blessing.
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Putting duty above (almost) everything
Part of what made Andrew a decent husband and an arguably better ex-husband is his sense of decorum and duty. Basically, when someone needs Andrew, he sets everything else aside and focuses on helping them out.
We saw this happen last month at the funeral of John Bowes-Lyon. Andrew is a cousin to the deceased, and Bowes-Lyon was a second cousin to Queen Elizabeth. Therefore, royalty was expected to officially attend his funeral.
It was going to be Queen Consort Camilla’s duty to attend the funeral on behalf of the royals. Instead, she had Andrew formally attend on her behalf. This is the first time Andrew has attended an event in Camilla’s name, and it likely won’t be the last!
He knows how to “get on with it”
It’s downright impressive to see how much and how often Andrew Parker Bowles is willing to stand by and serve his ex-wife. What’s the secret to this kind of support? Depending on who you talk to, it may be a matter of breeding as much as anything else.
As reported by Best Life, a royal insider offered their opinion on how Andrew is able to keep a great working relationship with Camilla. When it comes to both Andrew and Camilla, the insider claims “That set are pretty robust. The Gloucestershire hunting set – a sort of aristocratic arrogance perhaps? As to the relationship, they are mutual parents and grandparents. So they do get on with it.”
Honestly, “get on with it” is probably a great motto for any divorced couple who decides to stay friends. And when children and grandchildren are in the mix, Andrew understands that his own feelings need to take a backseat while he “gets on with it.”
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A good relationship with Charles himself
It’s already surprising enough that Andrew Parker Bowles has such a great relationship with Queen Consort Camilla. However, what is downright shocking is that he is on such good terms with King Charles himself!
In their messy, intertwined relationship dynamic, Charles is “the other man.” Specifically, he’s the other man that essentially stole Camilla away from Andrew. And while there were rumors of Andrew having his own adulterous adventures during his rocky marriage to Camilla, nobody really expected Andrew to stand by his ex-wife’s new man as much as he has.
Maybe it should have been expected, though. According to Today, Andrew and Charles were both polo teammates and polo rivals back in the day. This may have been enough to instill a lifelong bond. And Andrew went so far as to ask Charles to be godfather to Andrew’s son, Tom!
Supporting Camilla after the split
It’s one thing for Andrew to be this perfect, supportive husband years after he and Camilla divorced. Time, as they say, heals all wounds. But perhaps the most impressive thing about Andrew Parker Bowles is how much he supported Camilla immediately after the two got divorced.
As the Telegraph reports, Ingrid Seward (royal expert and editor of Majesty Magazine), points out how supportive Andrew was when Camilla needed him the most. “I think when she was having a really bad time when she was first with Prince Charles, when people were dreadful to her, she couldn’t even go out of her house,” she said. “[Andrew] was very supportive to her… I think from very early on they just found a sort of equilibrium together and it’s never gone.”
And “equilibrium” is a beautiful way to put it. Andrew and Camilla help to balance each other out, and their subsequent divorce and then each re-marrying hasn’t taken that equilibrium away. Now that Andrew is representing Camilla at official functions, one thing is clear: where Camilla goes, so goes Andrew, the most supportive ex-husband of them all.
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