In a series of explosive developments, Queensland father Simon Charles Dorante-Day has launched an unprecedented new legal case against the palace to prove that Charles and Camilla are his parents.
Watch here as Camilla is caught off guard when asked about Meghan and Harry!
In an exclusive interview with New Idea, Simon reveals he has now started legal proceedings against the Duchy of Cornwall – Prince Charles’ official royal estate – in the High Court of Australia, his most determined bid yet to prove he’s the second-in-line to the throne.
The 53-year-old has long claimed to have damning evidence that he is the child of Charles and Camilla, born out of wedlock in 1966 and adopted to a family who had strong, private ties to the Queen.
Says Simon: “My grandmother, who worked for the Queen, told me outright that I was Camilla and Charles’ son many times.”
And now after three years of legal wrangling, Simon has taken his case to the High Court in what he describes as the most “significant” step so far in his fight for the truth.
“This is most explosive thing that’s ever happened to the palace,” says Simon. “It’s definitely the most significant step I’ve taken so far – I’ve had to force a deadline, hold them to a date, because we need answers.”
Speaking with his loving wife Elvianna, Simon tells New Idea they filed the papers just prior to Christmas – seeking damages against the Duchy of Cornwall for “actions they’ve taken and actions they haven’t taken”.
“When I initially filed the papers in Queensland, the court staff laughed at me and bluffed me off,” says Simon. “But when they had to seriously consider it, it was sent down to Sydney for a High Court judge to review and they’re now assessing the case.”
But while Simon and Elvianna wait to hear of the next steps in the case, they can’t help but be curious about the timing of their legal action against Charles and Camilla and Prince Harry’s departure from the royal family just a few weeks later.
“The government and the palace would’ve learnt about my High Court submissions just before Christmas, and I have no doubt it would’ve caused panic,” says Simon. “Then we hear of Harry announcing that he was stepping back from the royal family, all the crisis talks at Sandringham Estate with the Queen, Charles and William. It’s all a very big coincidence!
“While the whole world was thinking they were talking about Harry, we believe this legal battle would’ve also been on the agenda and discussed. In his farewell speech, Harry himself alluded to there being ‘other challenges’ and I can’t help but wonder if this case is one.
“Charles, Camilla and the Queen have spent years hiding from the truth, running from the truth about me, but no more. We need answers.”
As part of his new case, Simon has asked for a mediation session and a ‘Statement of Paternity’. “When looking into my options, I received advice that led me to believe that it was best to take my case to the High Court,” says Simon.
Simon’s case: His evidence
Simon was born on April 5, 1966, in Gosport, Portsmouth, in the UK.
At the age of 18 months, he was adopted by a local couple named Karen and David Day. His adoptive grandparents, Winifred and Ernest, both worked for the Queen and Prince Philip in one of their royal households. Ernest Bowlden received an Imperial Service Award for his work for Her Majesty.
Simon’s grandmother told him many times he was Camilla and Charles’ child. “She didn’t just hint at it, she told me outright.”
Simon has learnt that Charles and Camilla first became close in 1965, and just months later, in the lead-up to when Simon was born, Camilla mysteriously disappeared for at least nine months, while Charles was sent to Australia.
The hospital where Simon was reportedly born didn’t deliver babies at the time and the names of the parents listed on his birth certificate were fictitious.
Simon has firm recollections of being taken to houses around Portsmouth as a little boy, where he would spend time with the
woman he believes was Camilla while protection officers and his adoptive parents waited outside.
Simon believes Camilla kept him until he was 18 months old, using the royals and protection officers to help conceal him. But when he was getting too old, it was arranged that one of the Queen’s trusted house staff − Simon’s grandmother − would have her daughter adopt him.
For more, see this week’s New Idea – out now!
