Wife of Prince Charles
From the hated figure to the Queen’s deputy: the rise of Duchess Camilla
Camilla is Duchess of Cornwall and has been married to Prince Charles since 2005
© Photoshot / Picture Alliance
Lady Diana gave her the nickname “Rottweiler”, and Camilla was also unpopular with the British for a long time. But in the meantime their image has changed. The wife of Prince Charles takes on more and more public duties.
A remarkable changing of the guard is taking place at the top of the British royal family: Queen Elizabeth II, who was given a two-week break after a short hospital stay at the end of October, is increasingly withdrawing from public life at the age of 95. Heir to the throne, Prince Charles, has been taking on more and more official duties for a number of years. But his wife Camilla is also involved.
Since Prince Philip’s death in April, Camilla has been seen more often in public. Last week she accompanied Charles to the UN climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland. In October, she and Charles assisted the Queen in officially opening the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh and the Welsh Parliament in Cardiff.
Camilla was also there when the monarch made her first official appearance since the death of her husband – the opening of the British Parliament in May. Charles and Camilla will soon be setting out on their first trip abroad since the beginning of the corona pandemic – to Egypt, host of the 2022 climate summit, and Jordan.
As life increasingly shifted to the Internet because of the pandemic, Camilla also made more and more online appearances. In this way, she gained fans, although some Brits have not forgiven her to this day for the role she played in the failure of the marriage of Charles and his first wife Diana.
After the Queen’s death, Camilla becomes a princess-wife
Most Brits have the former hate figure Camilla, who was once ridiculed by Diana as “the Rottweiler”, but has now accepted. Many people are now “familiar” with Camilla and have got to know her better, says Joe Little, managing editor at “Majesty Magazine”.
The 74-year-old Duchess of Cornwall has been married to Charles since 2005. According to official information, she will be the princess-wife when the 72-year-old Charles becomes king. His eldest son, Prince William, then becomes heir to the throne.
William and his wife Kate are already among the most important pillars of the Queen, alongside Charles and Camilla. Both couples are also appearing together more and more often at events – from the world premiere of the latest James Bond film to the climate summit in Glasgow.
A few years ago, another quartet was considered the “Fab Four” of the royal family: William and Kate and Charles’ younger son Prince Harry and his wife Meghan. But the situation changed suddenly when Harry and Meghan resigned from their royal offices last year and moved to the United States.
Camilla takes on more and more public tasks
This also led to the considerable rise of Camilla. “Your position has definitely evolved and there was an enormous and very long process of rehabilitation,” said monarchy historian Anna Whitelock the Daily Express.
According to Joe Little, Camilla will be even more present in the future. “There are a lot of Camilla supporters out there,” says the Royal expert. Camilla seems to be coping “very well” with her social obligations. “She’s been a member of the royal family for 16 years, so she has a bit of experience. She’s very accomplished now.”
Camilla’s appearances reflect her diverse interests, from her popular Instagram book club to animal welfare. In interviews, she recently spoke about her mother’s fight against osteoporosis and her hobbies of gardening and horse breeding. Together with Kate, she also supports a campaign against violence against women.
Although Queen Elizabeth II wants to end her rest on Sunday and personally attend the memorial service for those who fell in World War I and II, reports indicate that Camilla could soon be given even more responsibility – as a State Councilor alongside other senior members of the royal family who the Queen had with her Represent official business.