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Privacy NoticeThe past nine months have seen Queen Camilla truly claim her place as one of the Royal Family’s greatest secret weapons. Her journey from being kept in the shadows to shining front and centre has been one for the history books – but, away from the glaring spotlight, she is first and foremost a wife, mother and a grandmother. Of all her important duties and responsibilities, it is Camilla’s, 77, role as a grandmother that keeps her anchored to ‘the real world’, a leading royal expert explains. “Camilla has maintained a small part of her life which is hers and and almost hers alone and I rather admire that,” former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond exclusively tells OK! “She has her own house where she can put her muddy wellington boots on and a pair of old jeans and and romp around the garden with her grandchildren or just on her own, and just have some peace and calm and quiet. We have to remember that Camilla agreed to get into this extraordinary goldfish bowl of royal life in her mid fifties – an age where most of us are very established in our lives. She has a history, she has a family, she has an independent life and has kept some of that, albeit a very small part, to herself. And I think it’s almost like a sanity valve.”
Queen Camilla returned to work for a busy week of engagements
(Image: 2024 Getty Images)
After a well-deserved break and time with her family, the Queen was back with a bang as she undertook a full diary of royal duties last week. Looking on top form, Camilla clearly had King Charles at the front of her thoughts when she arrived to open the new Dyson Cancer Centre in Bath on Tuesday. When asked about how her husband is doing amid his ongoing treatment following his diagnosis, she warmly replied, “Yes he is doing very well”.
Queen Camilla has seen a huge rise in her popularity
(Image: Getty Images)
It was the start of a busy week for the Queen as she arrived to open the new headquarters of nearby Stonegate Farmers shortly afterwards, before hosting a reception at St James’s Palace to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Book Aid International the following day. Moving on to Thursday, she visited the English National Ballet’s Mulryan Centre for Dance, before rounding off the week with a tour of RAF Leeming in her role as Honorary Air Commodore. With the King thankfully on the path to better health, the Queen has been able to dive head first into her role as granny – or ‘Gaga’ as they sweetly call her. As well as being a step-grandmother to Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, nine, Prince Louis, six, Prince Archie, five, and Princess Lilibet, three, Queen Camilla has five grandchildren of her own – Lola and Freddy Parker Bowles, and Eliza, Gus and Louis Lopes.
Queen Camilla’s three grandsons and great-nephew served as her Pages of Honour at the coronation
(Image: Hugo Burnand/Royal Household 202)
“I think Camilla is leading the way in how to enjoy a blended family,” Jennie muses. “Ever since their marriage, Charles and Camilla have included her side of the family more and more in royal get-togethers. Christmas at Sandringham has become an enormous family event, with many of Camilla’s relatives invited to stay alongside the usual band of royals – and the same applies to spending time at Balmoral over the summer holidays.” This position for the Queen’s family was solidified even further in May 2023 when her three grandsons and her great nephew, Arthur Elliot, served as her Pages of Honour at the Coronation. “That must have brought a sharp realisation for them that she is now someone really rather important… in fact she is the Queen!” Jennie jokes. Looking back on the 19 years that Camilla has been married to King Charles, it is clear that he has thoroughly lucked out in finding a woman who can manage the immense scrutiny of the role and balance her family life – all while maintaining the wicked sense of humour that the public know and love.
The couple have been in one another’s lives for more than five decades
“This whole extraordinary adventure that Camilla Parker Bowles is on – from being the other woman in a marital triangle to becoming a widely admired consort to the King – could have gone either way,” Jennie says. “At quite a late stage of life, she could have resented taking on such a busy, public role. And after her husband’s cancer diagnosis, she could have resented it even more because I’m sure she wanted to spend as much time with Charles as possible. “However, she really does seem to have taken to it like a duck to water. These days, she is an accomplished public speaker and seems extremely relaxed at her engagements.
Queen Camilla is a comfortable and confident public speaker
(Image: Getty)
“She’s always been a cracking conversationalist and she really does seem to enjoy meeting people. It might look like a doddle, but chatting with total strangers, making them feel at ease, being briefed about all sorts of campaigns and issues so that she can ask pertinent questions – all that is quite tiring, both emotionally and physically. Especially for a woman of 77.” And even though she is at an age where most people would be preparing to put their feet up for a well-deserved rest, Queen Camilla is still a grandmother who has joked about making every effort to keep up to date with the latest trends. “There’s no doubt that Camilla remains totally down to earth with her grandchildren who are now teenagers, so she probably has to work quite hard at keeping up with their likes and dislikes, as well as their technology,” Jennie tells us.
Queen Camilla has seen a huge rise in her personal popularity
(Image: PA)
“They all text and no doubt WhatsApp quite a lot. She likes to do Wordle with her eldest, Lola, and they text each other about how quickly they have solved it. They also share a love of jewellery – Camilla said both her granddaughters were very envious when she visited the design studio of Monica Vinader!” It is at her home – Ray Mill in Wiltshire – where she can immerse herself in her family life and switch off from the palaces and protocols that now govern her life. “Camilla is undoubtedly a very important figure in the lives of her five grandchildren, but they are also a great leveller for her,” Jennie reflects. “When she is at home with them, she can be like any other granny – cooking for them, larking around with them, learning about their lives, their hopes and fears – and that must be a fabulous relief for her. It is a world away from the formality that she is now used to and gives her time to be herself and enjoy a role I think she regards as one of her most important in life… being a grandmother.”Story SavedYou can find this story in My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.Follow OK! MagazineFacebookTwitterCommentMore OnPrince GeorgePrince LouisPrincess CharlotteRoyal FamilyQueen CamillaKing Charles IIICharles and CamillaBalmoralSandringhamBuckingham PalaceTom Parker BowlesLaura Lopes
