When Prince Charles proposed to Lady Diana Spencer in February 1981, he was 32 years old and one of the most attractive bachelors in the world. But after and leading up to the wedding on July 29, 1981, that certainly changed, and Diana's star began to almost eclipse that of Prince Charles. It did not take long after the marriage for Diana, now Princess of Wales, to become the most famous woman in the world, and Prince Charles was often overcome with jealousy at how adored she was.

It is no secret that long before he knew Diana, his heart had already been stolen by Camilla Shand, who became Camilla Parker Bowles after she married Andrew Parker Bowles in 1973, breaking Charles' heart in the process. Charles' love for Camilla never cooled, and the two eventually resumed their affair, leading to their divorce in the 1990s and marriage in 2005.

There are a thousand differences between Charles and Diana's marriage, which lasted from 1981 until their separation in 1992 and divorce in 1996, and Charles and Camilla's marriage. According to the Mirror, Charles was “jealous of Diana's success” and “could not be more proud of Camilla.”

Charles and Diana's marriage was not meant to work for many reasons.

Camilla turned 77 this week and spent Wednesday's birthday with her husband at the opening of Parliament. After Prince Charles announced his cancer diagnosis on February 5, Camilla (now Queen Camilla) stepped up significantly for her husband, the king, often steering the monarchy to begin ongoing cancer treatments. The Mirror wrote, “It is fair to say that over the past seven months, Queen Camilla has become more comfortable in her role than anyone could have hoped for. Although considered one of the most unpopular members of the royal family because of her relationship with King Charles when he was still married to Princess Diana, her popularity has steadily risen over the years since she tied the knot with the king in 2005.” [If you had told anyone in, say, 1993 that Camilla Parker-Bowles would one day not only be called Queen Camilla, but would be absolutely loved by the British people and the world, you would have been laughed out of town. Add to that the fact that Camilla had kept the monarchy alive earlier in the year, and your friends in 1993 would have thought you had completely lost your mind. But it's true, Camilla has really proven herself in her royal role over the past 19 years, taking on tough topics and immersing herself in the work of being a member of the royal family.

“She must be surprised herself that she enjoys the hard work so much,” former BBC royal correspondent Jenny Bond said with a laugh. 'She is, after all, a woman who has never had a nine-to-five job. She's taken on a rapidly increasing workload and enormous responsibility in recent months and has become a fine sight to behold."

Bond added, “While Prince Charles was rather jealous of Princess Diana's success, he could not be more proud of Camilla, who has taken on this role late in life and without the safety net of an adoring public. These difficult months must have made his love for her even deeper.”

Interestingly, while Diana was loved, Charles could hardly stand it.

As for Camilla's dedication and work ethic in her role as queen, Bond said, “I think part of it is because she really wants the man she loves to be proud of her.” But it must be gratifying to have gained the widespread approval, even affection, of a public that once antagonized her as 'the other woman' who made Diana unhappy."

Of former Crown Princess Diana, who died in a car accident in Paris in 1997, Bond Diana, who died in a car accident in Paris in 1997.

Of Diana, Bond added that the former crown princess, who died in a Paris car accident in 1997, “was absolutely right when she told me that Camilla was ‘faithful’ and that Prince Charles' love for Camilla was stronger than any marriage he might ever have had.”

That gives me a lot to think about.