QUEEN Camilla has been in the spotlight for longer than we can remember.

Her life has played out in front of us as she met King Charles and then became the Queen. But what was she like in her 20s?

How old was Camilla Parker Bowles when she met Charles?

King Charles and Queen Camilla met and struck up a friendship way before they eventually went on to get married.

They were just 23 when their worlds first collided and they soon noticed they had a connection.

The pair were introduced in 1971 by their mutual friend Lucia Santa Cruz.

They have had quite the relationship timeline, starting out by constantly talking on the phone and now being the King and Queen of England

It has been said that it didn’t take long for the two of them to fall for each other but they couldn’t be in a romantic relationship straight away due to warnings from Charles’ great-uncle Lord Mountbatten.

He had said that Camilla was not sufficiently aristocratic, which meant they went their separate ways.

Camilla moved on when Charles left to serve in the Royal Navy, as he returned to find her engaged to another man.

She had been proposed to by Andrew Parker Bowles, who had previously dated Charles’ sister, Princess Anne.

Camilla got engaged to and married Andrew in 1973, while Charles wed Princess Diana on July 29, 1981.

But this wasn’t the end of King Charles’ and Camilla’s love story as the two of them tied the knot in a civil ceremony at Windsor Guildhall, on April 9, 2005.

Who was Camilla’s first husband?

Camilla was married to Andrew Parker Bowles, a retired British Army officer, before marrying Charles.

They got married in 1973 but went their separate ways in 1995.

They were married for 22 years and had a son and daughter together in that time.

How old is Camilla and how many children does she have?

Camilla was born on July 17, 1947 and is a mum-of-two.

Tom Parker Bowles and Laura Lopes, are both children from her previous marriage with Andrew Parker Bowles.

The two of them, according to royal experts, tend to stay away from the limelight.

Thomas Henry Charles Parker Bowles

Thomas Henry Charles Parker Bowles was born on December 18, 1974, in London.

He is the eldest child of Camilla and Andrew.

Tom went into the food industry and works as a food writer, food critic and is the author of seven cookbooks.

In 2010, he won the Guild of Food Writers 2010 award for his writings on British food.

He has also gone into TV, appearing as a judge in multiple cooking shows.

He also reviews restaurants around the UK and overseas for GQ, Esquire, and The Mail on Sunday.

Tom was previously married to the associate editor of Harpers & Queen magazine and senior editor of British Town & Country magazine, Sara Buys.

The pair have two children together.

Laura Lopes

Laura Rose Lopes, born January 1, 1978, is the second child of Camilla and Andrew.

She is married to Harry Marcus George Lopes who is a chartered accountant.

The couple tied the knot in May 2006 and share three children, daughter Eliza and twin sons Gus and Louis.

Laura works as an English art curator and co-founding partner and gallery director of London’s Eleven gallery.

Your Queen Camilla questions answered