Queen Camilla was in an invidious position when she was Charless mistress
Republic recently commissioned a YouGov poll to ask British people their interest in the upcoming coronation. The poll found that the overwhelming majority of British people – across demographics – could not care less. Not only that, but a clear majority wish that their taxpayer funds weren’t being used for King Charles and Queen Camilla’s big narcissistic parade and party. One of the huge problems facing King Charles’s reign is ambivalence towards him specifically and the monarchy generally. But there’s another huge issue: no matter how much money he spends, he just can’t get people to love Camilla. There are so many people still thinking about and talking about Diana, and what it was supposed to be, except that Charles treated his first wife like sh-t and now his mistress is going to be queen. Thus, the palace still commissions pieces like this recent article in the Telegraph: “The secret of Queen Camilla’s rise in popularity.” The palace is truly trying to speak this into existence. They’re being helped by the entire royal media machinery. Some highlights from the piece:
Why QEII gave her blessing for “Queen Camilla”: The late Queen’s decision to grant her daughter-in-law this title did not simply reflect a desire for conformity. It reflected the real achievement of the then Duchess of Cornwall in winning the hearts of the people, and the massive contribution she has made to the success of the Royal family since marrying the King in 2005. And when one recalls the rocky foundations of Queen Camilla’s relations with the British people, the scale of that achievement becomes even greater.
A passionate friendship?? As is well known, the King had had a passionate friendship with his present wife long before he married his first one; and it soon developed into something much more than that. His marriage in 1981 to Lady Diana Spencer, which he is said to have regretted before he had even contracted it, included what his first wife came to call a “third person” – Camilla Parker Bowles, as she then was. It is all very well in retrospect to say that none of this should have happened, but it did: and it left Mrs Parker Bowles in an invidious position.
Diana’s revenge: The Princess of Wales had built up a Hollywood-style celebrity among much of the British public long before she and her husband divorced: she was the exciting and charismatic one – “the people’s Princess” – he the dull plodder. When their marriage ended a merciless tabloid press blamed him, effectively citing his mistress as co-respondent. When Diana was killed in a car crash in Paris in 1997, full hysteria was unleashed. Rumours went round Fleet Street newsrooms that London would be swamped with plain-clothes police for the Princess’s funeral because of fears of an assassination attempt on her ex-husband.
Rebranding Camilla: For a time, she kept very much out of the limelight – not through any sense of trepidation or cowardice (she is not that type of woman), but out of sensitivity and propriety. Eventually, her emergence as the Prince of Wales’s partner was masterminded by one of his private secretaries, Mark Bolland, who has since made a stellar reputation in the world of public relations. The lingering antipathy to her because of her perceived role in the break-up of the Waleses’ marriage was strong, and continued to be fed by elements of the press who felt there were commercial benefits in sneering at her and the Prince. She, though, began to assert her personality to charm those most affected by her relationship with the King and to have them see her for what she was, and not for what they (on the basis of prejudice) thought she was.
Camilla and her stepsons: Without question the most important step in this direction was building a relationship with Prince William and Prince Harry. The former appears to have accepted her entirely, perhaps understanding far better than his younger brother the realities of their parents’ unhappy marriage, and how reckless it can be to apportion blame.
What Harry has said about Camilla: It is a measure of Queen Camilla’s success in connecting with the British public that various infantile and disobliging remarks about his stepmother by the Duke of Sussex have been widely interpreted as saying more about him than about her.
Genuine Camilla: Although her husband’s consort, she is not in his shadow. She has kept her own friends, has her own interests, is a devoted mother and grandmother, and has not altered her personality to fit in with his: what you see is very much what you get. That, perhaps, is the secret of the apparent miracle of the Queen’s transition to become one of our paramount national treasures. The British people tend to be good at spotting frauds, but in her they have unquestionably the genuine article.
The absolute desperation. It’s uniquely British desperation too – “It is all very well in retrospect to say that none of this should have happened, but it did.” A grown man used a teenager as a broodmare to provide his heirs, all while carrying on a torrid affair with his married mistress and then the man and his mistress spent years gaslighting his wife. And it’s only in retrospect that we can say that none of this should have happened, but it did and POOR CAMILLA?? Jesus – it’s not enough that “to the winner goes the spoils,” it’s about positioning Camilla as sympathetic in a despicable situation entirely of her own making?
The part about Harry and how he’s called out Camilla’s machinations – how much of all of this Camilla PR is about Spare? A lot of it. And the more articles there are like this, the more Harry’s version is proven correct.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.
LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 12: Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall during The Oldie Luncheon, in celebration of her 75th Birthday at National Liberal Club on July 12, 2022 in London, England.,Image: 706844548, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Chris Jackson / Avalon 
ST. AUSTELL, CORNWALL – JULY 19: Dame Esther Rantzen, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall and Founder of Silver Stories, Elisabeth Carney Haworth during a visit to Charlestown School on July 19, 2022 in St. Austell, Cornwall. The Duchess of Cornwall is patron of Silver Stories, a charity that arranges for children to read over the phone to older members of the community who may be isolated or vulnerable. The Duke and Duchess of Cornwall are on a 3-day visit to the southwestern region to celebrate the Prince of Wales’ 70th year as the Duke of Cornwall.,Image: 708302952, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Chris Jackson / Avalon 
Camilla, Queen Consort, Patron of the Poppy Factory, during a visit to the Field of Remembrance, in its 94th year, at Westminster Abbey in London, ahead of Armistice Day. Featuring: Camilla, Queen Consort Where: London, England, United Kingdom When: 10 Nov 2022 Credit: Henry Nicholls/PA Images/INSTARimages.com/Cover Images **North America Rights Only**
Diplomatic Corps Reception At Buckingham Palace Featuring: Camilla Queen Consort Where: London, England, United Kingdom When: 06 Dec 2022 Credit: Victoria Jones/PA Images/INSTARimages.com/Cover Images **North America Rights Only** 
Royals Attend Christmas Day Service At St Mary Magdalene Church In Sandringham Featuring: Camilla Queen Consort Where: Norfolk, England, United Kingdom When: 25 Dec 2022 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages.com/Cover Images **North America Rights Only** 
Royals Attend Christmas Day Service At St Mary Magdalene Church In Sandringham Featuring: Camilla Queen Consort Where: Norfolk, England, United Kingdom When: 25 Dec 2022 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages.com/Cover Images **North America Rights Only**
The Queen Consort, Chancellor of the University of Aberdeen during her visit to the university’s new Science Teaching Hub to view demonstrations in the University’s labs and meet staff and students. Featuring: Camilla, Queen Consort Where: Aberdeen, Scotland, United Kingdom When: 18 Jan 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages.com/Cover Images **North America Rights Only** 
King Charles III and the Camilla Queen Consort arrive for a visit to Colchester Castle to mark Colchester’s recently awarded city status. Featuring: Camilla Queen Consort Where: Colchester, England, United Kingdom When: 07 Mar 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages.com/Cover Images **North America Rights Only** 
Commonwealth Day Service At Westminster Abbey Featuring: Camilla, Queen Consort Where: London, United Kingdom When: 13 Mar 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pLHLnpmirJOdxm%2BvzqZmcWlhbYZ4e9CunJ6mj5iurrXLpZiYr5GorKq6vpqlmKGeq7altc6uqpion6i2tbXOp5awoJWjrLS0xJiumquPmLWivsueqqyXnZ7Atb7ErKpo