Royal Family: King Charles' 'first real love' who introduced him to Camilla

King Charles has spent his entire life in the spotlight having been destined to take over as monarch from his mother the moment he was born. With that spotlight has come a great deal of scrutiny and interest in his private life, stemming from his doomed marriage to Diana Spencer, affair and later marriage to

King Charles has spent his entire life in the spotlight having been destined to take over as monarch from his mother the moment he was born. With that spotlight has come a great deal of scrutiny and interest in his private life, stemming from his doomed marriage to Diana Spencer, affair and later marriage to the now Queen Consort Camilla.

What many royal fans won't realise though is that neither of these women were Charles' 'first real love', the title of which reportedly belongs to a third woman, who actually introduced the King to his now wife. Though the two only briefly dated and she wasn't depicted in the popular Netflix drama The Crown, Lucia Santa Cruz played an absolutely crucial role in Charles' life.

The daughter of the Chilean ambassador in London, Victor Santa Cruz, Lucia was a research assistant who had just published a book titled Three Essays on Chilean Women when she and Charles met in Cambridge in 1970 aged 28 and 22 respectively.

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As a lover of history and art Charles was said to be smitten by her intelligence and the two began dating not long after, Charles even introducing her to his mother The Queen. Sadly though, due to rules about British monarch's marrying Catholics the two could never be together long-term as Charles would have been forced to renounce his crown.

The two remained friends nonetheless, and Lucia soon played an even more crucial role in his life when she invited him to a social event at her home in 1970. Also invited to this gathering was a young Camilla Parker and it was here that the King and Queen Consort first met.

This is if you believe some recollections, as no-one is completely certain, The Crown famously depicting the two meeting at a polo match in Windsor.

Regardless, Charles and Camilla briefly dated following their meeting before going their separate ways as Charles joined the Navy and Camilla married another man. It would be decades before the two rekindled their romance and decades after that before they could finally marry in 2005.

Lucia also lived a successful life, becoming a University Professor and writing several books before being made the director of Chilean national TV. Marrying Juan Luis Ossa, she also had three children and remained friends with both Charles and Camilla until her death in 2019 aged 77.

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Dan Wiggins

MyLondon Trending Reporter interested in TV and film, lifestyle, human interest stories, news and more.

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