Queen Camilla has come a long way from where she started. Once a secret mistress, then a hated family-wrecker with rock-bottom approval ratings, Camilla now sits upon the throne next to her husband King Charles, a respected part of the institution of the monarchy. Forget about “tampongate” — there are many who believe Camilla and Charles have completely rehabilitated their relationship.
For many, Camilla is a natural queen. Within the family she seems to be enjoying something of a renaissance, with a friendship blossoming between Camilla and Anne, the Princess Royal. As part of her official duties as Queen Consort, Camilla has attended events alone and with the rest of the family. It feels fair to say that she’s well and truly settled in to her dual roles as queen and stepmother.
Unfortunately for Camilla, she hasn’t won over everyone she needs on her side. Speaking in an exclusive interview to OK!, Royal Family expert Jennie Bond states that although Camilla “is loved or at least well-liked” by most of the family, she has yet to win over Harry and Meghan. This is unsurprising, as Harry is reportedly not fond of Camilla and hasn’t been for quite some time.
He’s come under fire for “savage” claims about his stepmother before, calling her “dangerous” and suggesting that she uses her PR team to boost her reputation at the expense of others in the family. It’s notable that some sources within the Palace have suggested that many of Harry’s claims are untrue, although as with any PR war, it’s best to take the claims of all sides with a pinch of salt.
It’s worth remembering that the Royal Family is the ultimate PR exercise. It exists in the way it does in the modern era precisely because the institution uses every tool at its disposal to remain relevant and popular. This goes for Harry and Meghan just as much as it goes for Camilla and Charles, William and Kate, or anyone else. Often, even the most “candid” of statements are anything but, having been carefully crafted to portray a particular attitude or evoke a specific feeling. Although usually they don’t brief against each other, because that’s contrary to the point — Charles’s feud with Andrew notwithstanding.
Even so, Camilla’s rising star gives reason for Harry to be worried. Already pushed to the very edge of the family, uninvited to the traditional family Christmas and reportedly unable to call his own father, further comments about Camilla are unlikely to be well received. Certainly not by King Charles, whose love for Camilla persisted throughout his marriage to Diana over the course of a long affair. More than this, Harry has struggled with his professional image since putting aside his royal duties, and with Camilla enjoying a surge in her own popularity, continuing the feud seems like it would only hurt Harry.
“It’s not easy being a second wife, a stepmother, a step grandmother,” Jennie Bond said of Camilla’s domestic role, adding, “Camilla has done it all.” Of course, no one can be all things to all people, and it may be that whatever transpired between Harry and Camilla behind closed doors is just too much for the prince to let go.
Published: Dec 2, 2024 08:30 am