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Member of the newly-formed British Second Wives Club Karen Regan says Camilla Parker Bowles faces many of the issues that bond the women together on a specially set-up website.

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She explained: "In a second marriage there's a void created by a loss and the second wife has to step into that and it's a balancing act. Camilla is no exception to that - despite her high status and her money, she still has some of the pressures facing all second wives.

"In a second marriage there's a void created by a loss and the second wife has to step into that and it's a balancing act. Camilla is no exception to that - despite her high status and her money, she still has some of the pressures facing all second wives."

The club launched its site in March. It costs £1.50 to join and membership already tops 120.

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Camilla's difficulties

Karen, from Olney in Bedfordshire, added: "It must be very difficult for Camilla. I'm sure Camilla is used to coping with being in the public eye but I can only imagine how difficult it would be to be the second wife to someone whose first wife - the mere mention of her name stirs up emotions."

Figures show that of the 250,000 nuptials in 2002, 40 per cent of them contained one or both partners who had been married previously.

Karen said that there were common issues faced by a second wife: "I think there's a lot of stresses and strains that a second wife must cope with. It's not saying that every marriage doesn't have its ups and downs but there are certain issues that are unique to the second marriage scenario.

Pressure cooker

"It can be very difficult - not things that prey on your mind every minute of every day but it's like a pressure cooker and every so often something's got to give.

"That's why banding together and having a site like this gives us a means to vent our feelings, to laugh, to let your frustrations out and get some insight from other people who really understand what's going on."