Prince William's Ex-Love Was Camilla Parker Bowles' Niece

Prince William had his eyes for other women before he met Kate Middleton in 2001. The most controversial of them was Emma Parker Bowles, the stunning blond niece of Camilla Parker Bowles.

Sometime in 1999, Prince William made headlines when he fell in love with Emma. The attraction became highly controversial for two reasons. First, Emma, 25, was eight years older than Prince William, 16. Second, Emma is Camilla’s niece.

She is the daughter of Richard Parker Bowles, the brother of the now Duchess of Cornwall’s first husband, Andrew Parker Bowles. That time, Camilla was not yet married to Prince Charles and was widely known as the Prince of Wales’ ladylove — the one who ruined his marriage to Princess Diana.

Prince William was only 16 when he fell head over heels for Emma, who was a model at that time. He met Camilla’s niece at a dinner at the exclusive Foxtrot Oscar restaurant, and one of the waiters that night revealed how obviously besotted he was with Emma.

“Will was smitten,” the waiter said. “He was looking lovingly at Emma and she was hanging on his every word,” he added.

A close friend of Emma said the same thing. “Sometimes he gazes at her so adoringly that it becomes a bit embarrassing,” she shared. “He looks every inch a young man who is falling in love.”

It remains unknown if Prince William tried to pursue Emma, but some flirtation reportedly occurred between them that year until everything just fizzled out. Two years later, Prince William met Kate at the University of St Andrews, and the rest is history.

In his 2011 book “William And Catherine,” royal biographer Andrew Morton recounted the romantic involvement of Prince William with Emma, who was most recently seen on ITV’s game show series “The Jump” in 2017. According to Morton, despite their history, Prince William and Emma have remained good friends. In fact, Emma was one of the guests during Prince William’s royal wedding to Kate in 2011.

Emma was not the only woman romantically linked to Prince William before he met Kate. He was also linked to Alexandra Knatchbull, the great-great granddaughter of Lord Mountbatten.