Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Camillagate: Prince Charles and the Tampon Scandal

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Sex Roles Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In 1993 a magazine published the transcript of a telephone conversation between Prince Charles, heir to the British crown, and his lover in which the couple made joking references to tampons in an erotic context. The story quickly spread around the world and became a source of embarrassment for Charles and the Royal family. This article reviews the media coverage of the story and discusses what it suggests about attitudes toward menstruation and men's references to it.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Adams, P. (1997, March 29). Keep an eye on the watchdog, Weekend Australian (p. R02). Retrieved May 18, 2003, from Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe database.

  • Amiel, B. (1993, February 1). Charles, Diana and the Role of the Media. MacLean’s (p. 18). Retrieved May 18, 2003, from Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe database.

  • Amis, M. (2002, May 20). The queen's heart. The New Yorker (p. 106). Retrieved May 18, 2003, from Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe database.

  • Arndt, B. (2002). Whatever happened to virginity? The Age (p. 1). Retrieved May 18, 2003, from Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe database.

  • Camillagate faux pas in Brazil (1993, February 22). Adweek, np. Retrieved May 18, 2003, from Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe database.

  • Cohen, R. (1998, February 22). Wired eyes: How tapes and technology freeze our times—and sometimes the blood itself. Washington Post, p. W20. Retrieved May 18, 2003, from Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe database.

  • Dollimore, J. (2001). Sex, literature and censorship. Cambridge: Polity Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Donne, J. (1965). The flea. In H. Gardner (Ed.), The elegies and the songs and sonnets (p. 53). London: Oxford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gardiner, D. (1994, August 14). Camilla tape is talk of the town. People (p. 5). Retrieved May 18, 2003, from Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe database.

  • Graham, C. (2001). Camilla—Her True Story. London: Blake.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoggart, S. (1995, November 21). The Di is cast. Guardian (p. 17). Retrieved April 12, 2003, from Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe database.

  • Howard, L., & Cerio, G. (1993, November 8). Knickers snickers. Newsweek (p. 8). Retrieved May 18, 2003, from Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe database.

  • Lupton, M. (1993). Menstruation and psychoanalysis. Chicago: University of Illinois Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • No 900 number necessary (1993). Houston Chronicle (p. 16). Retrieved September 10, 2002, from Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe database.

  • Riddell, M. (1996). He's been a whinging son, a sulking husband and, in his dream, an amorous tampax. New Statesman (p. 1). Retrieved October 10, 2002, from Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe database.

  • The Royal soap opera (1993, January 14). Ottawa Citizen (p. 1). Retrieved May 17, 2003, from Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe database.

  • Samson, P. (1993, January 17). Of thrones and phones. Sunday Times, np. Retrieved September 10, 2002, from Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe database.

  • Smyth, M. (1994, February 27). Diane still woos the limelight despite her lingering goodbye. Toronto Star (p. 10). Retrieved April 12, 2003, from Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe database.

  • Tumposky, E. (1995, December 21). Queen sez Di-vorce now. Daily News (p. 5). Retrieved May 17, 2003, from Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe database.

  • Walen, D. (1993). Charles details sex fantasies in phone chat with Camilla. South China Morning Post (p. 1). Retrieved May 17, 2003, from Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe database.

  • Williams, J. (1993, January 6). Julia Roberts’ pretty words for movie exec. USA Today (p. 2). Retrieved May 17, 2003, from Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe database.

  • Work-and-tell author still defiant (2000). Herald (p. 10). Retrieved May 17, 2003, from Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe database.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Humanities Division, Marymount Manhattan College, 221 East 71st Street, New York, NY, 10021, USA

    David Linton

Authors
  1. David Linton
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to David Linton.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Linton, D. Camillagate: Prince Charles and the Tampon Scandal. Sex Roles 54, 347–351 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-006-9004-4

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-006-9004-4

Keywords

Search

Navigation