King Charles and Queen Camilla made their first public appearance as a couple on January 28, 1999. The moment quietly changed royal history while setting off headlines across the country.
The then-Prince Charles stepped out with Camilla Parker Bowles at her sister Annabel Elliot’s 50th birthday party in London. Photographs showed the pair leaving the Ritz Hotel just before midnight, marking the first time they had been seen together in public as a couple. The carefully planned appearance was reportedly dubbed “Operation Ritz” at the time.
By then, Charles and Camilla had already been the subject of intense scrutiny for years, including throughout Charles’ marriage to Princess Diana. Their decision to be seen together openly was always going to attract attention, and it did exactly that.
King Charles and Queen Camilla make first outing as couple in 1999
For the occasion, the future king looked polished in a suit, blue shirt and tie. Camilla opted for an all black look, wearing a coat dress with tights and heels, paired with a black handbag and matching shoes.
Pictures showed the pair leaving the Ritz and getting into a waiting car, with newspapers quick to declare that Charles and Camilla had finally gone public with their relationship.
Six years later, in 2005, the couple married in a civil ceremony at Windsor Guildhall.
Why Camilla chose black for the historic night
A body language expert later analysed the couple’s appearance. He explained why Camilla may have chosen to dress head to toe in black for such a significant moment.
Speaking to Royal Insider on behalf of Genting Casino, Darren Stanton said: “First of all, Camilla is wearing black. It’s like she’s off to a funeral. People tend to wear black to blend in and they don’t want to stand out.
So I guess for her wearing black is a bit like the ending of a previous relationship.
“So I guess for her wearing black is a bit like the ending of a previous relationship. And she’s got a little bit of trepidation in her eyes and a little bit of fear and her micro expressions are showing that she’s actually really self-conscious of how she is going to be perceived – like her eyebrows puling towards each other and forced smile.
“She was known as the other woman. It was a big deal for her to be pictured with Charles and she knew there would be backlash. She doesn’t feel at ease but knows it’s something that had to be done.”
Why Charles looked uneasy beside her
Mr Stanton also suggested Charles appeared uncomfortable during the outing. He pointed to his posture and gestures in the photographs.
He said: “Charles is looking very unconfident and it’s only recently that we’ve seen him come into his own and feel less judged. When people are nervous or fearful, they do a thing called the open palm gesture.
“So when we put our hands in our pockets or tuck it in our jacket like Charles is doing it shows that his level of confidence was quite low. In a lot of these photos, there’s one where he is stepping away from Camilla and has his hands in his pocket. It’s quite a strange gesture for a man to make wearing a suit jacket.”
Charles and Camilla ‘fearful and anxious’
Darren added: “Not many people do it. But that was his gesture for feeling nervous and anxious. He was massively overwhelmed with the fact of whether the public would accept Camilla or not because there was a big outcry over Diana.
“They’re both not in a good place psychologically here. They’re fearful and anxious about how the world is going to react to them as a couple.”
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Looking back, that night outside the Ritz captured a turning point for Charles and Camilla, with every glance and gesture revealing just how much was at stake as they stepped into the spotlight together.
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