From "the most hated woman in Britain" to the right hand of the throne, queen consort
Camilla hasn't had an easy journey – and some palace staffers are stepping up to her defense.
As one-time heir to the throne, King Charles was once the most
eligible bachelor in the country. In 1981 he married Princess Diana,
and the U.K. was smitten with the princess – but then came Camilla Parker Bowles.
Charles had long been in love with Camilla, but Queen Elizabeth forbade the match,
with Camilla being deemed unsuitable for Charles. Despite his marriage to Diana,
Charles and Camilla continued their relationship on the sly. Diana would
later famously refer to Camilla as the third person in her marriage.
With Diana being so beloved by the public,
Camilla was on the receiving end of all the public's hate. Even after the end
of Charles and Diana's relationship – and after Diana's death – she remained in Diana's shadow.
It didn't help, either, that Elizabeth was just as disapproving of Camilla after she married
Charles in 2005. Elizabeth notably refused to attend Charles and Camilla's civil ceremony,
though she did reportedly join the newlyweds at an afternoon reception later that day.
It's been more than 30 years since Camilla was first blamed for coming
between Diana and Charles — and her reputation has never fully recovered.
As king and queen consort, Charles and Camilla face a new set of challenges in the wake of Queen
Elizabeth's death. While they have always had to contend with criticism of their personal lives,
this is the first time they've had to balance that criticism with the duties of monarchy.
The public has long disparaged the couple for their extramarital affair. Now that Charles
and Camilla have ascended the throne, though, they need the public's support more than ever.
Some of the people who have worked with the royals think it's time the public moved on.
Charles' former butler Grant Harold told Insider,
"It's tricky when people judge and point fingers,
but [the marriage] was the right decision for all of them, and we have to close the door on it."
Camilla's facialist Deborah Mitchell, an admitted lover of Princess Di,
told the outlet that Camilla won her over with her sweet demeanor and friendly conversation.
The overall feeling among in-the-know staffers seems to be that Camilla has been a good
influence on Charles, and it's time the public got behind her. A former royal chef told Insider,
"He's been married for 17 years now, and Camilla seems to be that stability in his life."
Penny Junor, a royal biographer,
echoed a similar sentiment in her 2017 book, "The Duchess." She wrote,
"The person who has given Charles the courage and the encouragement
to do half the things he has done in the last few decades is Camilla."
That encouragement has taken her to heights that few could have seen coming. Back in 1981,
when King Charles married Princess Diana, it was expected that she would
one day rule at his side. Flash forward to 1996, and Charles and Diana split up.
Charles and Camilla began to officially date and married years later. However,
it wasn't until this February that Queen Elizabeth gave her blessing for Camilla to
be referred to as queen consort upon Charles' ascension to the throne.
Given how icy their relationship once was, it was astounding that
Queen Elizabeth would ever consent to Camilla being called "queen." According to insiders,
Elizabeth spent years refusing to interact with Camilla after she and Charles tied the
knot. They eventually buried the hatchet, and Camilla even won the queen's grudging support.
Just before her Platinum Jubilee in 2022,
Queen Elizabeth declared her hopes for Camilla in a statement:
"When in the fullness of time, my son Charles becomes King, I know you will give him and his
wife Camilla the same support that you have given me. It is my sincere wish that, when
that time comes, Camilla will be known as Queen Consort as she continues her own loyal service."
Reportedly Camilla was originally intended to be called "Princess Consort" when Charles
became king. But with a little assist from Queen Elizabeth, all of that changed. While
her official title may be Queen consort, you can simply call her "Queen Camilla."