On Saturday, May 6th 2023, Operation Golden Orb goes into full swing with millions expected to be watching.

The Operation has taken decades of planning, and this weekend it will be better known to the general public as the Coronation of King Charles III, along with Queen Consort, Camilla, where they will be officially crowned. Many “Royal Watchers” are ecstatic to see the pomp and pageantry, and millions of people in the United Kingdom and around the globe will have instant access for this crowning via satellite, cable, and internet. For comparison, when Charles’ mother, Queen Elizabeth II, was crowned years ago, the physical film of the event had to be flown to the United States for viewers to watch in the U.S.A.

What may be lesser known, though, is that King Charles III and his wife, who is the Duchess of Cornwall, share a familial connection that stretches back generations. In fact, many royals have married relatives over the past hundreds of years since they look to other royalty for a mate. Charles and Camilla are supposedly second cousins, once removed, through their shared ancestor, King Edward VII, it is said. Reportedly, Camilla’s great-grandmother, Alice Keppel, was one of Edward VII’s mistresses, and her daughter Sonia Keppel was Camilla’s grandmother, making Prince Charles’s great-great grandfather and Camilla’s great-great grandmother – well – “an item” long ago.

King Edward VII was born Albert Edward on November 9, 1841, and was the eldest son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. He reigned from 1901 until his death in 1910; he was known for his love of travel, fashion, and the arts, and his reign saw a great deal of social and political change.

Edward VII had six children, including George V, who would go on to become the grandfather of Queen Elizabeth II. George V was the father of Elizabeth’s father, King George VI. Meanwhile, Edward VII’s daughter Princess Alice married Prince Andrew of Greece and had a son named Prince Philip, who would go on to marry Queen Elizabeth II.

On Camilla’s side of the family, her great-grandmother Alice Keppel was one of Edward VII’s mistresses. Alice had a daughter named Sonia Keppel, who in turn had a daughter named Rosalind Cubitt. Rosalind Cubitt is Camilla’s grandmother.

For King Charles III, his connection to King Edward VII comes through his mother, Queen Elizabeth II. As mentioned earlier, Edward VII was the grandfather of Elizabeth’s father, King George VI, making him Charles’ great-grandfather. The Prince of Wales is also a direct descendant of Edward VII through his paternal grandmother, Queen Mary, who was Edward VII’s daughter-in-law.

Despite their familial connection, the relationship between Charles and Camilla was not without its complications. The two met in the early 1970s and began dating, but their relationship was put on hold when Charles joined the Royal Navy. Camilla went on to marry Andrew Parker Bowles, but the affair between Charles and Camilla it said to have continued throughout both of their marriages.

The relationship between Charles and Camilla was a source of controversy and criticism, particularly during the 1990s when the marriage between Charles and Princess Diana began to unravel. The public perception of Camilla as the “other woman” in Charles’ life was damaging to both her reputation and that of the Royal Family altogether.

The relationship between these two individuals has been the subject of much scrutiny and controversy over the years, particularly with regards to the Queen’s initial dislike of Camilla. According to various reports, the Queen was unhappy with Charles’ relationship with Camilla and was resistant to the idea of them getting married.

Despite these challenges, Charles and Camilla remained close over the years, and their relationship eventually became public in the early 2000s after both of their divorces had been finalized. They were married in a civil ceremony in 2005, and then have since become a beloved and enduring couple within the Royal Family’s history.

In an interesting twist, Camilla isn’t the only partner Prince Charles is related to, as he also had family ties to the late Princess Diana, as well. Reportedly, Charles and Diana were actually 7th cousins, once removed, through their shared family member in William Cavendish, 3rd Duke of Devonshire. Additionally, via another branch on the family tree, Princess Diana and Prince (now King) Charles were 16th cousins, once removed, as they were both descendants of King Henry VII.

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