Sad loss, Camilla's ex husband mourns his second wife

Brigadier Andrew Parker Bowles with his late wife Rosemary

The couple married almost 14 years ago, a year after the former cavalry officer ended his 21-year marriage to Camilla following the relentless publicity that had surrounded the revelations of her affair to the heir to the throne.
She was the woman to whom Brigadier Andrew Parker Bowles turned when his then wife Camilla was being swept away by the Prince of Wales. But last night Parker Bowles was alone again after his charming second wife Rosemary, 68, died following a heroic battle against cancer.

Friends say the solicitor's daughter brought him tremendous joy after the unhappiness of his later years of marriage to Camilla.

'They were incredibly happy and Andrew has been a tower of strength for Rosemary throughout her years of treatment and all the setbacks they encountered,' says a family friend. 'Of course he is devastated, but they had some very fulfilling times together
After years in the spotlight, Parker Bowles, now 70, gratefully slipped into the background. Only a few months after their marriage, he was canvassing for votes in Sedgefield, County Durham, where Rosemary's daughter-in-law Lizzie Noel was trying to get a seat in Parliament - her opponent was Tony Blair.

In the years after their marriage - and particularly since Camilla has become Duchess of Cornwall - Andrew and the two wives in his life have become close friends. Camilla is almost certain to attend Mrs Parker Bowles's funeral.

Last night, Rosemary's son Henry, a former soldier, spoke of the family's pride at his mother's courage. 'It was a long, long illness but she was immensely brave, and bore her troubles with great strength and fortitude,' he tells me.

'She was especially pleased to reach Christmas and to be able to see her new step-grandchildren [the twin boys born to Andrew and Camilla's daughter Laura on New Year's Eve].'

Mother of three Rosemary died at her home near Malmesbury, Wiltshire, on Sunday night. She was said by family members to have been 'amazing' in her last months.

The cancer first struck four years ago, and at the time the couple were optimistic about treatment because it had been caught early. Soon afterwards friends were being told that she had recovered, but a year later the condition returned and she has been bravely battling ever since.