View source for Camillagate

A scandal (hence the Suffix "gate", in analogy to "Watergate") of the early 1990s, involving [[Camilla Parker-Bowles]] and [[Prince Charles]]. 

At the beginning of 1993, the Australian women's weekly magazine ''New Idea'' first published the transcript of a very sexual and intimate phone conversation between Prince Charles and his then mistress Camilla Parker-Bowles, who was at that time still married to one of Charles' closest friends at that time. Later, the transcripts where also published in the US ''Star'' magazine and in the German ''Bild Zeitung''. It was also released in Dutch and Belgian newspapers. However, British newspapers first  hesitated to publish the transcripts since media mogul Rupert Murdoch said that the release of the full transcript would be far too damaging for the monarchy (Marks 1).
Later, when the transcripts where released in the British press, it turned out that [[Princess Diana]] supported the release actively (Holden 310). Even though the public already expected that Charles and Princess Diana had problems in their marriage, the phone conversation between Charles and Camilla left no doubt that the royal marriage between Charles and Diana was over (ibid. 27).

The content of the conversation led to many radical reactions; for example, students of the William-and-Mary University initiated a costume party called "Camilla's and Charles' sleepover" for the 300-year-anniversary of the university. Other British women used the term "Charlie" for a tampax (ibid. 265).

Due to this humiliating scandal, Charles became very depressed and withdrew from public events, while his wife Diana experienced a lot of compassion from the British public (ibid. 325 ff.). The royal establishment, however, was allegedly not that shocked about the affair itself. The true scandal was that Charles was caught cheating and that it could be proven without any doubt (ibid. 312).

An excerpt from the conversation:

Camilla: It's like that programme Start the Week. I can't start the week without you.

Charles: I fill up your tank!

(...)

Charles: Oh. God. I'll just live inside your trousers or something. It would be much easier!

Camilla: (laughing) "what are you going to turn into, a pair of knickers?

Both laugh

Camilla: Oh, You're you're going to come back as a pair of knickers.

Charles: Or, God forbid a Tampax. Just my luck! (Laughs)

Camilla: You are a complete idiot (Laughs) Oh, what a wonderful idea.

Charles: My luck to be chucked down the lavatory and go on and on forever swirling round on the top, never going down.

Camilla: (Laughing) Oh, Darling!

Charles: Until the next one comes through.

Camilla:  Oh, perhaps you could come back as a box.

Charles: What sort of box?

Camilla: A box of Tampax, so you could just keep going.


(For a transcript of the full conversation please see http://www.textfiles.com/phreak/camilla.txt)


Sources:

Holden, Anthony. ''Der wankende Thron''. Hamburg: Hoffmann und Campe, 1994.

Marks, Kathy. "Global audience for Camillagate script." The Independent. 27th April 2010 
<http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/global-audience-for-camillagate-script-1478405.html>.