Seeing the Queen, Charles and Camilla this week, I am reminded of a story I heard about Camilla and Charles’s wedding night I heard a few years ago.
It seems that Camilla was quite sensitive to being compared - fashion wise - to the late Princess Diana. So for her wedding day to Charles, she orders a really magnificent dress and matching shoes that are intended to end that comparison.
The dress is fitted and it arrives just in the nick of time, the day of the wedding, with the shoes that perfectly match the color of the dress. The only problem is that the wrong size shoes were sent. They are 1/2 size too small and it is too late to make an exchange as the shoe’s color was custom matched to the dress. Determined to make her fashion statement, Camilla decides to wear the shoes just the same, thinking they might stretch out a bit during the day.
It’s a lovely ceremony, the day’s weather sunny and warm. However with the warm day and being on her feet for hours (the poor thing), Camilla’s feet swell. As the day wears on, the shoes get tighter and tighter. By the time the formal reception ends, poor Camilla is in agony but pleased with the comments she’s received on her wedding outfit. It’s all been worth it.
A honeymoon is planned but after such a long day, the newlyweds retire to Buckingham for a fresh start in the morning. Their palace suite is right next door to the Queen’s and Phillip’s. As Camilla and Charles are readying for bed, Camilla asked Charles to help her remove her shoes, which by this time, were quite impossible to remove.
As Charles tugs and tugs on her shoes, Phillip can hear the some effort through the wall but does not know what exactly is going on. His imagination is running wild so he gets a water glass and eaves drop on the love birds.
“Oh Charles! Be ever so kind, don’t hurt me”, says Camilla. Phillip hears this and turns to the Queen and winks a proud father’s wink. Now onto the second shoe. “Charles, one more. And much harder this time. The first one wasn’t as bad as I imagined. You were masterful.”, Camilla says. Hearing that, Phillip winks at the Queen again.
Seeing that shoe number two was stuck worse than shoe number one, Charles replies, “Perhaps I should try it from the rear this time, my love.” The proud Phillip again turns to the Queen and says, “That’s my boy! Once a Navy man, always a Navy man !!”
You know, Charles and Diana’s marraige was doomed from the start. She was so disappointed on their wedding night. Diana thought that a ruler was always 12 inches long.