Queen Camilla may now have seen her personal popularity skyrocket as she has proven herself to be a devoted Consort and passionate advocate, but her journey was certainly not plainsailing. While it is known Camilla had always been King Charles’ true love, their affair during his marriage to the late Diana, Princess of Wales resulted in a lot of criticism.

While the topic is rarely focused on nowadays, The Queen did address their relationship in an interview with The Mail on Sunday in 2017. In the interview, Camilla spoke about the media's treatment of her when news of their affair became public knowledge.

As well as Charles being married at the time of the affair, Camilla was also married to her first husband Andrew Parker-Bowles, although the pair divorced in 1995.

Speaking about the treatment she received, Camilla said: "I couldn’t really go anywhere... It was horrid. It was a deeply unpleasant time and I wouldn’t want to put my worst enemy through it. I couldn’t have survived it without my family."

News of  Charles and Camilla's affair shocked some in the early nineties. Later, it became one of the most memorable moments in Diana's BBC Newsnight interview, as she said, “There were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded.”

Despite the criticisms they received, Camilla and Charles remained committed to each other and were finally allowed to marry in a civil service and religious blessing on April 9, 2005.

Since then, Camilla has slowly but surely experienced an upturn in her public image, especially over the last 12 months since King Charles’ cancer diagnosis. Throughout this time, Camilla has not only supported her husband, but she has also stepped up on the royal stage, resulting in a lot of public praise.

The Queen's support for her husband is set to be shown yet again this week as she joins King Charles on a state visit to Italy, where they will also celebrate their 20th anniversary.