Camilla, the Queen Consort, was once dubbed “Britain’s most despised woman.” She was blamed for the breakdown of now-King Charles III’s marriage to the late Princess Diana in the 1990s.
“I mean Camilla was… just inundated by paparazzi who were pretty hostile and went through her dust bins, her garbage bins,” the soon-to-be queen’s old friend, journalist Petronella Wyatt, said ahead of Charles and Camilla’s coronation ceremony on May 6. “It was a very nasty time.”
Wyatt stated that things have changed dramatically since then. However, tensions remain with at least some other members of the royal family.
Camilla has campaigned against domestic violence as a royal, earning praise for her compassion, but in his book, “Spare,” her stepson Prince Harry accused her of promoting herself at his expense, even labeling her “dangerous.”
“I don’t think she’s entirely surprised, but she’s a little bit hurt because she was very, very nice to Harry,” Wyatt said.
“I think Camilla will do a fantastic job as queen,” Wyatt added. “She’s always cheerful.” She isn’t stroppy or difficult. I believe she will shine quietly, allowing Charles to be the center of attention.”
When did Charles and Camilla meet?
Camilla Parker Bowles was born into an aristocratic family and first became romantically involved with Charles in the 1970s. The specifics of their first meeting have never been revealed, but they seemed to hang out in the same circles, and various reports suggest they met at a party or a polo match.
However, Camilla and the young prince both married other people.
Camilla married Andrew Parker Bowles, with whom she had two children. Charles famously married Diana Spencer. According to the British newspaper Time, he has been invited to the coronation, which will be attended by their grandchildren.
Tom, Camilla’s son, was born in 1974. His godfather and stepfather are both King Charles. Laura, her daughter, was born in 1978.
How long have Charles and Camilla been married?
Since the controversies surrounding Charles’ relationship with Diana, public attitudes toward Camilla have shifted, and Charles and Camilla eventually made their relationship official, marrying in 2005. It was England’s first non-religious civil ceremony for a British royal.
However, Wyatt claims that marrying into the royal family is not as glamorous as it appears.
“It’s like a jail. “It’s like a prison with palaces, bad plumbing, and bad food,” she explained. “Most of it is extremely boring. The majority of it is spent shaking hands with uninteresting people.”
What royal title will Camilla have, and why?
Early in 2022, Queen Elizabeth II stated that if Charles were to become king, it was her “sincere wish that, when that time comes, Camilla will be known as Queen Consort as she continues her own loyal service” to Britain.
In a statement, Charles said that he and Camilla were “deeply conscious of the honor represented by my mother’s wish.”
Invitations to Charles and Camilla’s coronation on May 6 revealed that Camilla would drop the “consort” from her title after the event and be known simply as Queen Camilla thereafter.
While the title “consort” has traditionally been used for the spouse of a sitting British monarch, and “queen” alone for a king or queen “regnant” — the formal title that conveys political power over the realm — the family can essentially make up its own rules on these matters.
That’s exactly what Charles appears to have done by announcing that Camilla will be known as Queen Camilla upon her coronation, despite the fact that she will still have no power as a non-birth member of the royal family and a non-regnant queen.
What crown will Camilla wear?
Camilla will wear a modified version of Queen Mary’s crown, which she wore when she and her husband, George V, were crowned in 1911.
The late Queen Elizabeth II’s personal collection of Cullinan III, IV, and V diamonds, which she frequently wore as brooches, will be mounted on Queen Mary’s Crown for Camilla’s big day, rather than a highly contentious stone that has featured in previous coronations.
Buckingham Palace confirmed in February that the Koh-i-Noor diamond would not be used in the coronation of King Charles and Camilla. The large diamond was given to Queen Victoria in 1849, but it is thought to have originated in India, and many Indians regard it as a piece of their national history stolen during the British Empire’s reign.
