This has never been proven but is still alive as a long-standing conspiracy theory. The Daily Mirror claimed the tapes came from 'an ordinary member of the public.'īut others believed it was far more sinister.Īccording to James Fanton, author of Historical Dictionary of the British Monarchy, some people suspected members of Britain's security service were involved. The actual source of the tape was never revealed. (Tim Graham Photo Library via Get)Īndrew Morton's book had already damaged Charles' reputation but the Camillagate tapes made things a whole lot worse. How could the monarchy survive such a scandal? Prince Charles and Princess Diana visit the Republic Of Korea on their last official tour together. The scandal was so huge that many in Britain questioned whether Charles' reputation could ever be repaired. 'Camillagate' to 'Charles and Camilla: the tapes.' A major scandal He managed to leak it to the Daily Mirror which published a transcript of the intimate conversation: the rest of the British tabloids followed, with headlines ranging from The recording of the steamy phone call was believed to have been made by a radio enthusiast who was using a hi-tech scanning device. Wharfe wrote: 'She told me that she had been genuinely shocked by some of the baser comments, particular the Prince's tampon reference. Princess Diana's former personal protection officer, Ken Wharfe, later wrote in his book Guarding Diana: Protecting The Princess Around The World that Diana described the phone conversation as 'sick.' Princess Diana stand with Camilla Parker-Bowles. This exchange was followed by jokes about Charles turning into an entire box of tampons and of being 'chucked down the lavatory.' Diana's reaction It would be much easier.'Ĭamilla: 'What are you going to turn into, a pair of knickers? Oh, you're going to come back as a pair of knickers.'Ĭharles: 'Or, God forbid, a Tampax. I'll just live inside your trousers or something. Prince Charles met Camilla Shand, now the Duchess of Cornwall, in the early 70s. Why were the recordings - which were actually made four years before they were leaked - also referred to as 'tampon-gate?' Well, that's because Charles told Camilla he wanted to be her tampon.

Charles and camilla