Tom Parker-Bowles makes sad admission about 'hell' Queen Camilla went through

Queen Camilla's son has made a heartbreaking admission today about the "hell" his mother went through when her affair with King Charles, when he was the Prince of Wales, was made public knowledge. Their Majesties were reportedly romantically involved with one another while being married to their first spouses, with this coming to light in the 1990s.

This resulted in a lot of public anger towards Camilla, who was then pursued by the paparazzi for a long time. Her son Tom Parker-Bowles, 50, has now said this was "hell" for his mother, who had to deal with this intrusion almost daily.

Speaking on Kate Thornton's podcast White Wine Question Time this week, Tom said: "My mother, as the Queen now, is doing a magnificent job, we're all incredibly proud of her."

He continued: "But during the 90s, it was hell for her, with the paparazzi and being chased at high speeds by these absolute nutters, in sort of cutting you up and they were everywhere, it was a time of unbridled tabloid excess.

"It was getting a bit at that point in the 90s, it got quite excessive.

"My mother's tough. She got through it. But it was really, tough on some people, I think."

This is not the first time Tom has addressed how Camilla, now 77, was treated by the paparazzi when her relationship with Charles first came to light.

He said in a previous interview that he remembers high-speed chases down motorways, and even said he saw his mother being screamed at by photographers.

Speaking to The Telegraph previously, the food critic, who said paparazzi used to hide outside the family's home, said: "It was the very height of the tabloid era. I remember being chased at 100mph by paps trying to get a shot. My mother being screamed at to try to get a reaction. Pushing, jostling. It was horrific, and you are protective of your mother."

Queen Camilla also once previously shared her experiences with The Daily Mail, in which she said she struggled to leave the house due to paparazzi after it emerged that she was in a relationship with Charles in 1999 - two years after Princess Diana's death.

Speaking of the experience, Her Majesty said: "It was horrid. It was a deeply unpleasant time and I wouldn't want to put my worst enemy through it."