Earthy, horse-loving Camilla has endured her fair share of criticism for being the long-term love of the heir to the throne.
But now the couple are engaged, the woman who has waited for so many years will finally get her prince.
Not entirely comfortable in front of the media, Camilla (57) is expected to make her entrance into official royal life slowly.
An intensely private person, she is said to have once vowed never to give a formal interview about her relationship with Charles.
Since coming out as the prince's partner, Camilla has swapped her casual clothes for glamorous gowns. Racy novelist Jilly Cooper, who is one of her close friends, has described her as "warm, earthy and funny".
Her image as a lover of countryside living and rural pursuits contrasted with stylish, city-dwelling, blood sports-hating Diana, Princess of Wales.
Despite accompanying the prince to many evening galas, Camilla still appears slightly nervous when facing the cameras. But she has learned to flash a broad smile and mastered the art of royal small-talk.
Charles used the pet name "Gladys" for her, but to Diana, Camilla was always "the Rottweiler".
When Charles toured India in 2002, one local newspaper savagely described her as "divorced, chain-smoking, horsey and leathery-complexioned".
Born on July 17th, 1947 in London, Camilla is the daughter of Bruce and Rosalind Shand.
She grew up in rural Sussex and was educated at the Queens Gate School in South Kensington, before finishing school in Switzerland and France.
Charles first met Camilla on Windsor Great Park polo field in 1970 when the he had just left Cambridge University, a year before he joined the Royal Navy.
No marriage proposal came despite the closeness between the pair and in 1971 Charles joined the Navy. The relationship cooled as he dedicated himself to duty and long periods away.
Camilla subsequently wed cavalry officer Andrew Parker Bowles in 1973 and had two children - Tom born in 1974, and Laura, who is five years younger.
Charles and Camilla became close again in the late 1970s, but once more the relationship cooled as he looked in earnest for a bride. Camilla was one of those who approved of his choice of the young Diana Spencer.
Diana believed Charles had a tryst with his old flame two days before their fairytale wedding.
It is thought their affair resumed in the mid 1980s, and that Charles looked to Camilla for support during his marriage difficulties. The relationship of Charles and Camilla was not public knowledge - until the bombshell of the so-called Camillagate tapes in 1992.
A couple of years later, Charles admitted adultery on national television.
Camilla and Andrew Parker Bowles divorced in 1995. After Charles's divorce and the death of Diana, Camilla emerged gradually into the spotlight.