Queen Camilla delivered a blunt three-word response to King Charles regarding her new title when he ascended the throne, a royal insider claims. According to The Times's Tom Quinn, Camilla was far from pleased about the alteration to her royal title, with the couple holding differing views on the subject.
Camilla's Dislike for Protocol
Quinn writes: 'One member of staff told me that at one point, Camilla hated the idea of being queen and would regularly say to Charles, "Can't we get away from all this protocol? It's all b******s."' The Buckingham Palace source reveals that King Charles, who is renowned for disliking profanity, would courteously respond: 'You're doing it [becoming queen] for me, darling.'
A Birthday Gift She Loved
Camilla received a gift she was far happier with for her birthday last year, however. Charles gave Camilla a clingfilm holder, which was presented by a submarine commander whose crew once used the everyday household item to keep a nuclear vessel operational. The present came with a small plaque bearing the inscription: 'Clingfilm keeping nuclear submarines at sea.' Camilla later said: 'There's nothing more useful, brilliant how wonderful.'
Camilla's Sense of Humour
Despite her aristocratic upbringing, Camilla is recognised for her irreverently cheeky sense of humour. Royal biographer Penny Junor told Vanity Fair: 'She always has a twinkle in her eye and is a terrible giggler, often reducing Charles to fits of giggles too.' Junor also noted that Camilla had no significant aspirations to travel or pursue a high-powered career: 'She wanted no more from life than to be happily married to an upper-class man and live a sociable life in the country with horses, dogs, children, and someone to look after them all and do the hard graft.'
The Connection with Charles
The profound connection with Charles, Junor notes, stemmed from Camilla's unwillingness to be overly formal: 'She treated him like a normal person, as she had when they were together, and if ever he behaved badly, or was selfish or thoughtless, she wasn't afraid to tell him so. She was a proper friend.' Charles was instantly captivated by the aristocratic horsewoman he encountered at a polo match, Junor writes in The Duchess: The Untold Story: 'He loved the fact that she smiled with her eyes as well as her mouth, and laughed at the same silly things as he did. He also liked that she was so natural and easy and friendly, not in any way overawed by him, not fawning or sycophantic. In short, he was very taken with her, and after that first meeting he began ringing her up.'
Family Dynamics
By contrast, Prince Harry and Prince William took considerable time to warm to their stepmother, calling her by various unkind nicknames. Nevertheless, Kate Middleton enjoys reminding her husband that Queen Camilla is a descendant of Alice Keppel, who was the favourite mistress of King Edward VII – whom William increasingly resembles. Cambridgeshire Live contacted Buckingham Palace for comment.
