King Charles may be a monarch, but he still has his priorities in the right order when it comes to married life with his wife Queen Camilla.
The couple has been married since 2005 and were crowned King and Queen in 2023 following the death of Queen Elizabeth the following year. They've travelled the world on royal tours together and are tasked with leading the nation through bad times and good – but there are also moments where they're remarkably down to earth.
For example, during a reception for VJ veterans in November last year, the King was seen walking with purpose through the corridors of Windsor Castle, before suddenly pausing to check where Camilla had got to.
He stopped and turned around, checking she was still with him. Once he'd made sure she was following, Charles moved on to greet guests.
They were joined at the event by the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Edinburgh and the Duchess of Gloucester to mark the 80th anniversary of VJ Day, which honours veterans who served in the Pacific during the Second World War.
Relatable moment
The King proved he's just like the rest of us when it comes to being a family man, waiting patiently for his wife in the doorway – perhaps not wanting to get into trouble later on. The classic married couple moment was soon picked up by royal fans on social media.
© Getty ImagesOne person wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that Charles and Camilla were "just like every day married couple", adding that the moment was "cute".
Another person noted: "He always makes sure she is there before leaving." "A sweet moment yesterday during a reception at Windsor Castle as King Charles was waiting on Queen Camilla," a third person commented.
King of speed-walking!
During an interview on BBC Radio 5 Live with Emma Barnett in 2020, Camilla revealed that her husband always "leaves everybody miles behind" because he walks so quickly, so it's no wonder Charles was forced to wait for her. She said: "He'll walk and walk and walk. He's like a mountain goat, he leaves everybody miles behind."
© Getty ImagesEmma joked: "So you're the silver swan and he's the mountain goat?" Camilla, 79, appeared to like the comparison, agreeing: "I'm the ancient silver swan, and he's the mountain goat, yes!"
She also said her husband was the "fittest man" she knows for his age. The King is known to enjoy a long walk, and is regularly seen strolling to church in Sandringham for the Sunday morning service. In January, he even left joggers speechless as he turned up at the local parkrun to cheer people on as they completed the 5km route. Charles, 77, continues to undergo cancer treatment after his diagnosis in 2024.
A love story
King Charles and Queen Camilla first met in the early 1970s after being introduced through a mutual friend, but their romance ended when Charles left to serve in the Royal Navy in 1973.
© Getty ImagesDespite both marrying other people - Camilla married her first husband, Army officer Andrew Parker Bowles, in July 1973, while Charles married Princess Diana in 1981 - their undeniable connection couldn't be broken, and they both underwent high-profile divorces from their respective spouses in the mid-1990s.
According to royal author Catherine Mayer's new book, Divide & Rule, multiple friends of the monarch said Charles "deemed Camilla's role in his life a 'non-negotiable'".
She told Fox News Digital: "I think the non-negotiability was the point after the divorce and, of course, after Diana's death. He understood that this was the one woman who could really sustain him. And I think he felt the need for that kind of support, and Camilla has clearly always been prepared to do that."
Mayer, who previously wrote a biography of Charles, revealed she was "doggedly following him around" during her research, and was privy to the depths of the monarch's feelings for him.
"You would see him tired, very obviously out of sorts. And then she would come into a room, and he would light up. She just lifts him," Catherine said.
