My admiration for Henry VIII's wife Katherine Parr who survived, by Camilla | Daily Mail Online
My admiration for Henry VIII's wife Katherine Parr who survived, by Camilla
Both women (and their royal husbands) were married previously
Duchess of Cornwall's first husband was Andrew Parker-Bowles
Both women close to step-children and mentored younger female royals
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The Duchess of Cornwall has hinted at the similarities between herself and the sixth and final wife of Henry VIII, Katherine Parr, who had already been married twice by the time she married the Tudor king,
Camilla, who married Prince Charles following her divorce from Andrew Parker-Bowles, made the comments in a foreword to a new collection of prayers written by Parr -  who was married to the king from July 1543 until his death in 1547 - and now translated into modern English.
In the book, The Spice of Wisdom, put together by Rev John Partington, the Duchess writes that Parr - England's most-married queen, with four husbands in total - had a 'passionate' and 'eventful life', and that her voice 'speaks to us still'.
The Duchess of Cornwall, left, has praised Henry VIII's final wife Catherine Parr, right, in the foreword of a new book, a collection of prayers written by the 16th century Tudor queen
A drawing of Henry VIII and his sixth and final wife, Katherine Parr, to whom the Duchess of Cornwall has implied an affinity with in the foreword to a new book
As reported by Melanie Hall and Jasper Copping in the Telegraph, Camilla writes: 'Her commitment to what is right and good,  expressed with humility and openness to others, is as valuable now as it  was in the more turbulent times of the Tudors.'
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She goes on to say: 'Few women's writings have come down to us from so many  centuries ago. In the pages that follow are found not only some of the  carefully crafted prayers that Katherine intended for publication, but  also the more personal hopes and fears of a woman who was as passionate  in her faith as she was in other aspects of her eventful life.'
Prince Charles and the former Camilla Parker-Bowles, now the Duchess of Cornwall, following their wedding at the Guildhall in Windsor on 9 April 2005
When Catherine Parr married Henry VIII in 1543 - here captured in an 18th century drawing - she had already been married twice
Parr was married to Edward Burgh in 1529 and widowed in 1533. She then married John Neville in 1534, only to be widowed again in 1543. She married Henry VIII in the summer of that year.
Camilla, married to  Andrew Parker-Bowles in 1973 until their divorce in 1995, had had a  relationship with Charles prior to her first marriage
 
Camilla, meanwhile, was married to Andrew Parker-Bowles in 1973 until their divorce in 1995. She had had a relationship with Charles prior to her first marriage.
Both women are known to be or have been close to their step-children. Katherine was step-mother to Henry's children Edward, Mary and Elizabeth, and when her only biological child, a daughter with fourth husband Thomas Seymour, was born in 1548 she named her Mary in honour of her step-daughter.
Katherine has been credited with campaigning tirelessly for the restoration of the line of succession in the new Act of Succession of 1544 that allowed Mary, then Elizabeth, to take the throne after their brother Edward.
Camilla is close to both her stepsons, Princes William and Harry, and William's wife Kate
Camilla is known to enjoy a close friendship with her stepsons Princes William and Harry, and to have mentored Kate when she joined the royal family upon her 2011 marriage to Charles and Diana's eldest son.
The Duchess became involved with the book due to her close friendship with the owner of Sudeley Castle - Parr's former residence and the site of her burial - Lady Ashcombe.
She was shown a copy of the prayer collection by Rev Partington, who then wrote to her and asked if she would contribute a foreword because he saw the similarities between the two of them.
He admitted he was 'chuffed' when she agreed to do so.
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall
Marriages: Andrew Parker Bowles (1973-1995, divorced); Prince Charles (2005-present)
Children: Tom Parker-Bowles, 38, Laura Lopes, 35
Stepchildren: Camilla is very close to Prince William, 30, and Prince Harry, 28,
Mentored: Helped  Kate Middleton adjust to life in Royal family when she became engaged  to Prince William in 2010, then married him in 2011 and became the  Duchess of Cambridge
Katherine Parr, Queen of England
Marriages: Sir Edward Burgh (1529-d.1533); John Neville (1534-d.1543); Henry VIII (1543-d.1547); Thomas Seymour (1547-1549)
Children: Mary Seymour (1548-1550, Catherine died six days after her birth)
Stepchildren:
King Edward VI (b1337, d1553): Son of Henry and his third wife Jane Seymour (who died two weeks after his birth), Edward succeeded his father to the throne in 1547, aged 10, but died in 1553, aged 15
Queen Mary I (b1516, d1558): Daughter of Henry and his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, Mary was crowned in 1953 after the 1544 Act of Succession was restored with the help of Katherine Parr
Queen Elizabeth I (b1533, d1603): Daughter of Henry and his second, beheaded wife Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth was exiled after mother's death. But she was crowned following the deaths of Edward and Mary since Henry had no other children
Mentored: Credited with campaigning for the restoration of the line of succession in  the new Act of Succession of 1544, that allowed Mary, then Elizabeth, to  take the throne after their brother Edward died
The Duchess of Cornwall at the wedding of her daughter Laura with her husband Prince Charles and, behind her, her ex-husband Andrew Parker Bowles
Camilla with her ex-husband Andrew and their children Tom and Laura