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Privacy NoticeConsidering she was once branded “that wicked woman” by the late Queen Elizabeth II, Queen Camilla has performed quite the turnaround. Once vilified due to her affair with the then-Prince Charles, Camilla, 77, has experienced an almost dizzying reversal of fortunes. Few could have predicted – 30 years after she was pilloried for her part in the collapse of Charles and Princess Diana’s not-so-fairytale marriage – that Queen Elizabeth would one day declare, as part of her Platinum Jubilee celebrations, that it was her “sincere wish” Camilla would one day become Queen Consort. Since her coronation on 6 May 2023, Camilla has more than proved her worth, notably standing in for the King at numerous high-profile events following his devastating cancer diagnosis. “King Charles has enjoyed the support of Camilla, who’s been a steady influence during the vicissitudes of the last few months,” says royal author Andrew Morton. She’s in a depleted organisation and she’s stepped up to the plate. She’s taken on a leading role, leading the family at various public events.”
Camilla has been supporting King Charles
(Image: Getty Images)
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No-one, adds Andrew, would be more surprised by the way history has unfolded than Camilla herself. “I think the last person in Britain in 1992 who would have thought she was one day going to become Queen was Camilla Parker Bowles,” he says. “She was just a Cotswold-loving wife and mother – not to make that seem less vital than it is, but she had no real experience of glad-handing and making speeches. She’s had to learn on the hoof and she’s made a fist of it. From a feminist point of view, she’s a woman transformed. She’s gone from being pariah to Queen.” The late Queen Elizabeth’s disappointment that Charles and Diana’s marriage didn’t go the distance, and her public disapproval of Camilla’s involvement in its breakdown, didn’t bode well for the then-Mrs Parker Bowles.
Camilla has taken on a leading role alongside Charles
(Image: Getty Images)
“The Queen had nothing against Camilla as such, but obviously when it was discovered that she was secretly dating Charles while still married, that was a great shock, because [the Queen] knew all the people involved quite well. It was a jolt for everybody,” explains the royal author. “The Queen was concerned about the future health of the House of Windsor and the impact on the monarchy with Camilla being around.” But as far as the then-Prince of Wales was concerned, Camilla was here to stay – whether his mother liked it or not.
Charles and Camilla tied the knot in 2005
(Image: Getty Images)
“Charles made it clear that his relationship with Camilla was non-negotiable – that is to say, she wasn’t going to be left out of his life,” says Andrew. “It was a difficult time, there’s no question about it. But once the Queen agreed to them marrying, Camilla was very much part of the family.” Queen Elizabeth’s eventual acceptance of Camilla – who royal expert Gyles Brandreth describes as “funny, self-deprecating and realistic” – had an almost transformative effect on Charles. “He bucked up as soon as he married Camilla in 2005,” says Andrew. “The fact that the Queen accepted Camilla – making her Privy Councillor [in 2016] and a Royal Lady of the Order of the Garter [in 2022] and so on – was very much appreciated by the then-Prince Charles. Since then, he’s had the support of the woman he trusts and loves, and that has made a big difference. She was no longer an unwanted outsider.”
Camilla has helped to shine a light on many causes and charities
(Image: WireImage)
Over the past two decades – and certainly since she became Queen – there’s no doubt Camilla has earned her stripes, and her numerous charitable endeavours have seen her shine a light on causes from children’s literacy and osteoporosis to domestic violence. Earlier this year, she relaunched the Wash Bags Project, which provides survivors of sexual assault with toiletries to use following a forensic examination. Her efforts to raise awareness of domestic abuse extend beyond Britain, too – over the past decade, she has visited refuges across the world, from the USA to Nigeria and India.
In a way, it appears, she’s following in Diana’s footsteps
(Image: Getty Images)
“In a funny kind of way, she is following in Diana’s footsteps,” says Andrew. “Diana picked the difficult charities, like AIDS, landmines and leprosy – all charities that live in the shadows. Camilla has done the same, actually, and gone for causes that are grittier and earthier.” Charitable endeavours aside, Camilla has also shown a keenness to modernise the system. In November 2022, she ended a centuries-old tradition by axing the Queen’s traditional ladies in waiting. Instead, she now has “Queen’s companions” – six part-time, unpaid assistants who support her at public events. So how would the late Queen have felt about her daughter-in-law’s first two years at the helm? Andrew says, “The Queen would have been impressed… I think everyone has been impressed!”
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