They've both been targets of the British press, but what could Camilla Parker
Bowles have said to Meghan Markle that was worse than any tabloid headline?
In the beginning, Camilla Parker Bowles and Meghan Markle had a lot in common. Both the
queen consort and the duchess were divorced before their marriages into the royal family,
both were commoners, and they shared similar hobbies, like yoga. Harry's bride-to-be also
hit it off well with then-Prince Charles, who, according to the book "Camilla:
From Outcast to Queen Consort," enjoyed discussing their shared artistic interests.
It would stand to reason, then, that the queen consort would be supportive of Meghan's arrival
on the royal scene — and she was. When she first learned of the couple's engagement,
she apparently remarked, "America's loss is our gain." Camilla reportedly went to great
lengths to ensure Meghan felt supported and welcomed, as detailed in her 2022 biography.
Camilla and Meghan definitely shared some fun moments, too. At the 2018 Royal Air Force display,
the two can be seen smiling and joking around while the rest of the family
kept their eyes ahead. Camilla is well known for her cheeky sense of humor,
so it tracks that she'd feel comfortable joking around with Meghan during a formal event.
Later that year, Prince Harry and Meghan made an appearance at Charles' 70th birthday celebration,
a festive garden party. When a bee began harassing Harry mid-speech, the duke made a joke of it.
"Sorry. That bee really got me."
The relatable moment resulted in a good laugh for the audience, including Camilla
and Meghan. The two were also spotted holding hands at the same event — a pretty big deal,
considering that most members of the royal family keep formal events pretty PDA-free.
With Meghan Markle's career as an actor and Camilla Parker Bowles' background in the arts,
it's no surprise that both women have shared the same artistic patronage.
Meghan carried the title the first: A year after becoming a duchess,
Queen Elizabeth II assigned Meghan the role of Patron of the National Theatre.
Apparently, Camilla was initially disappointed
that she didn't get the patronage first. One source told The Times:
In 2022, two years after Harry and Meghan moved to California,
it was finally Camilla's turn to take the reins. The director of the National Theatre
took to Twitter to congratulate her on her new position, saying:
Meghan Markle is no stranger to breaking royal protocol. According to the duchess,
the accidental rule-breaking wasn't due to a lack of effort.
"Unlike what you see in the movies, there's no class on how to
speak, how to cross your legs, how to be royal."
When speaking to The Cut, Meghan added that a princess class would
have actually been really helpful to her, saying:
"Not many people have asked if I'm okay."
"It's a very real thing to be going through behind the scenes."
The view from Camilla Parker Bowles' side of things is somewhat different. According to
the queen consort's 2022 biography, Camilla offered her best advice to
help Meghan adjust to her new royal role. One source told the biographer:
The author claimed the queen consort's helpful hints fell on deaf ears, a sentiment that's
apparently been corroborated by one of the duchess' friends, who told the Daily Mail:
What was once a fun, close bond between two outsiders began to sour with Prince Harry and
Meghan Markle's departure. One notable instance of tension occurred before the royal couple even left
the country. Camilla Parker Bowles was slated to speak at London's 2020 Women of the World
Festival, an annual event that celebrates gender equality and highlights the issues surrounding it.
While speaking to the Mirror, an unnamed insider source said
the queen consort became "very upset" after finding out that Meghan had posted
photos of herself on social media during Camilla's speech. They went on to say:
If there was any doubt of Camilla's changing attitude toward Meghan and Harry,
her reaction to their impending departure was evidence enough. When news of their
move first broke, a reporter asked the then-Duchess of Cornwall whether
she would miss Harry and Meghan. She had a brief, but telling response.
“‘Course.”
One of the most intense moments of royal drama came after Prince Harry and Meghan
Markle's sit-down interview with Oprah. During the interview, Meghan said the royal
family had brought up skin color to her husband while discussing her future baby:
"And also concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he's born."
Harry and Meghan wouldn't say any more about who had voiced such concerns, but author Tom
Bower has alleged Charles and Camilla might have been involved. As he wrote in "Revenge:
Meghan, Harry, and the War Between the Windsors," the prince met with the two at Clarence House,
where the family supposedly laid out their expectations for the child's
official status. According to Bower's version of the conversation, Camilla said:
A source close to the king and queen consort told the Daily Beast the allegation was a lie,
but neither side has officially commented on the unsavory remark.
If there's one thing we know for sure, it's that the queen consort really cares about
King Charles III. When it came to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's separation from the royal
family, biographer Angela Levin wrote in "Camilla: From Outcast to Queen Consort":
Harry reportedly still holds some heavy feelings
in his heart toward the royal establishment and his father.
"I feel really let down, because he's been through something similar."
With Harry's new book coming out in 2023, there's a good chance we'll read more about
Charles there. Camilla's reaction to all of this? As one source told The Telegraph:
Like Camilla Parker Bowles, King Charles III is apparently very protective of
his spouse. An unnamed friend of the crown told the Daily Beast:
His need to protect Camilla's reputation has put him at odds with his son Harry,
who has been more and more vocal with his criticisms of the royal
family since he moved away from the United Kingdom.
According to the same friend, the Sussexes' inclusion in family events, including the king's
upcoming coronation, is entirely dependent on what is written in Harry's new book:
Long before Meghan Markle ever came on the scene, Camilla Parker Bowles was making headlines for
being King Charles' longtime mistress. Despite the constant media frenzy, the queen consort
apparently handled the tabloid pressure fairly well. An anonymous source told The Telegraph:
For Meghan, the media pressure hasn't been so easy-breezy. Tension with the press was part
of the reason she and her husband chose to withdraw from the Royal Rota system,
the British media pool where all announcements and imagery are
first disseminated by the crown. The duchess explained to The Cut:
Though the air is still frosty and the ground rocky between Meghan Markle and
Camilla Parker Bowles, reconciliation isn't totally out of reach. As one source
told Angela Levin for "Camilla: From Outcast to Queen Consort":
In 2022, the Windsors made a few small gestures as a way of broaching the idea of peace,
including tweeting a birthday shoutout to Meghan. An inside view of the Clarence
House during Camilla's Women's Day reception also revealed a few portraits of Meghan and
Harry scattered in the background next to the other family photos,
so it appears they are still very much on the king and queen consort's minds.
One royal expert has even suggested that the royal family wants to patch
things up at Charles' coronation. Katie Nicholl told Entertainment Tonight:
For now, the crown has simply said: