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Privacy Notice Queen Camilla was reportedly a bundle of nerves during her first meeting with Prince William, according to royal author Penny Junor. At the time, William was studying at Eton and had informed his dad, King Charles, that he’d be coming home to York House in London for the weekend. This apparently took Charles by surprise. Camilla, who wasn’t expecting either Prince Harry or William to come home, was staying with Charles at the time. In her book ‘Queen Consort: The Life of Queen Camilla’, Junor shares how Camilla offered to leave before William’s arrival. However, Charles insisted she stay, dismissing her departure as “ridiculous”. Instead, he gave William a heads up that Camilla would be there when he got back. With William due back at 7pm, Camilla was “decidedly anxious” about the meeting, a feeling that only grew when he arrived four hours early, Junor reveals.

Queen Camilla was anxious before she met William for the first time
(Image: No credit)

Charles broke the news to Camilla with a simple “he’s here”, suggesting they “just get on with it”. Camilla and William were left alone for half an hour to get to know each other. After their time together, Camilla’s reaction was to quip: “I need a gin and tonic.” According to Junor, Camilla was clearly joking, and the introduction to young William went well. He was described as “friendly”, and Camilla was happy to move at his pace. The author suggests that Camilla was aware it would take a while for Harry and William to get used to their father’s new partner. Initially, she met William for lunch and occasionally dropped by York House when he was there.

Queen Camilla had a six-word response to meeting William
(Image: Karwai Tang/WireImage)

The book reveals that the boys’ move to York House with Charles in 1997 meant they had “no memories for them of their mother”, having moved from Highgrove House where they lived with Princess Diana. PR expert Mark Bolland told Junor that the next step was for the princes to be seen publicly with Camilla, although he admits it was “something awkward” initially. He stated: “It was difficult for them; it was a natural thing. You want your mum, you don’t want her, and she had her own family. To be fair to Camilla, she never tried to be mummy, but she was the ‘other woman’ and she was there taking daddy’s time.” Today (July 17), Queen Camilla is celebrating her 77th birthday.Story SavedYou can find this story in  My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.Follow OK! MagazineFacebookTwitterCommentMore OnCamillaPrince HarryPrince WilliamPrincess Diana

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Last Update: October 16, 2024