By now, the love story of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Camilla Parker Bowles has been told six ways from Sunday, mainly in the headlines of the tabloid newspapers that are so very popular in the United Kingdom. While some people dislike Camilla and view her as the bane of the existence of Diana, Princess of Wales's tragically short life, others see her as the savior of the sanity of Prince Charles during and after the breakup of his first, and very public, marriage. Perhaps the real truth resides somewhere in between, and in THE DUCHESS, we are provided with all the facts necessary to form our own take on the tale.

"Penny Junor provides readers with a well-rounded portrait of the woman who was Charles' confidante, friend and lover for decades before the couple was finally free to be together."

In THE DUCHESS, we get to know Camilla better than we ever have before. For a woman who has lived many years in the public eye, there has been a surprising lack of information about her. Now, learning that Camilla had an idyllic childhood as the oldest of three children with parents who loved her, supported her and provided a stable home life gives insight into how she grew up to be a generous, loving, well-rounded woman, perfectly suited to support Charles in his present and future endeavors. We learn that she has a passionate love of horses, has turned to books to see her through some of the most difficult points in her life, and has dedicated herself to helping others through her work with several carefully chosen charities. Is it possible that the woman typically portrayed as a conniving homewrecker has been given a bad rap? It is.

At last, we see Camilla in her own light and in her own right. The Camilla whom we meet in THE DUCHESS is funny, gracious, loyal and down to earth. She is relaxed and able to take life as it comes. She has cultivated no particular image and isn't invested in her own publicity. In fact, it's not anything to which she devotes her time and attention. She's too busy living life, at long last, with the man she loves.

Marital love, however, wasn't always a given in Camilla's life. Despite being deeply in love with her first husband, Andrew Parker Bowles, and having two children with him, the marriage finally broke down completely after 21 years. Andrew's serial infidelity, occurring since the beginning of the marriage and usually taking place with Camilla's so-called friends, was a significant contributing factor.

Finally, after crossing and recrossing each other's paths for decades --- sometimes as lovers and sometimes merely as friends --- Camilla and Charles have been able to be open about their relationship and even marry, albeit amid a sense of disapproval from certain factions of the public.

Penny Junor provides readers with a well-rounded portrait of the woman who was Charles' confidante, friend and lover for decades before the couple was finally free to be together. She also explores the childhoods, educations, family relationships, previous marriages and achievements of both Charles and Camilla in a way that makes us feel that we really know them, instead of realizing that we are simply reading about public figures with private lives.