Queen Camilla’s first love, Kevin Burke, has died aged 77, several decades after their romance began on the London debutante scene.
Mr Burke passed away earlier this month, with his funeral due to be held in September, and his family have asked for donations to be made to the British Heart Foundation.
The pair met when Camilla – then known as Milla Shand – was attending soirees and parties as a debutante, following her coming out party in Knightsbridge in 1965.
Mr Burke, the son of Sir Aubrey Burke, deputy chairman of the aircraft manufacturer Hawker Siddeley, was aged 19 at the time.
Before Camilla met King Charles she and Mr Burke enjoyed a short-lived romance, although he often spoke fondly of their time together.
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In Jessica Jayne’s biography The Duchess of Cornwall: Camilla’s Story and Secrets, Mr Burke shared tales of their youth spent partying and revelling.
He said: “Every night we had two or three cocktail parties to go to and a dance and a couple of dances to choose from at weekends in the country.
“It was the best fun, and I had the best and most fun partner you could possibly wish for. Camilla was immensely popular and although she wasn’t a beauty, she was attractive and sexy.”
However it was Camilla who soon moved on from their romance, breaking Mr Burke’s heart.
He said of their split: “I remained with Camilla all that year. I suppose we were in love and then she ditched me. Why? Well, the short answer is that she was having a ball in London.”
Some years later, in 1973, she married her first husband Andrew Parker Bowles, with whom she had two children Tom and Laura before they divorced in 1995.
Camilla and Charles have now been happily married since 2005, and she was officially crowned as Queen on May 6 alongside her husband.
Kevin Burke finally settled down with his first wife Peta Baker in 1987, whom he married at the age of 42 having qualified as a chartered accountant.
They divorced after 14 years and he then married Luisa Fairey, who gave birth to their son Max when Mr Burke was 58, with him saying of finally becoming a father: “It was unexpected, but I am a lucky fellow.”
