Queen Camilla Is A Quiet Source Of Strength For Kate Middleton, Expert Claims

Apr 29, 2024

Public scrutiny of the royal family has always been particularly intense for its female members. Among those who faced the glare of the spotlight most in recent years is Queen Camilla. 

Queen Camilla was born Camilla Rosemary Shand on July 17, 1947, in London, England. Her father, Bruce Shand, was a British Army officer, and her mother, Rosalind Cubitt, came from a wealthy British aristocratic family.

In 1973, Camilla married British Army officer Andrew Parker Bowles. They had two children together, Tom Parker Bowles and Laura Lopes, before divorcing in 1995.

Camilla's relationship with King Charles III began in the early 1970s before either of them was married. However, they went their separate ways, with Charles eventually marrying Princess Diana in 1981.

Following Princess Diana's death in 1997, Charles and Camilla resumed their relationship, and they were married in a civil ceremony on April 9, 2005. Following their marriage, Camilla became known as the Duchess of Cornwall. Despite initial public scrutiny due to the circumstances of their relationship, Camilla gradually won acceptance from the British public through her charity work and public appearances.

As a full-fledged member of the royal family, Camilla has taken on numerous charitable roles, focusing on issues such as literacy, animal welfare and empowering women. She has also accompanied Charles on various official engagements both domestically and internationally. Over the years, Camilla has earned respect for her dedication to her royal duties and her warm demeanor in public engagements.

Upon marrying Charles, Camilla became stepmother-in-law to Catherine, the Princess of Wales, commonly known as Kate Middleton. Read on to find out more about how the two senior members of the royal family have gotten on and how their extraordinary circumstances link them.

Kate married Prince William in 2011, becoming daughter-in-law to his father, King Charles. Kate never had the chance to meet William’s beloved mother, the late Princess Diana, but became the stepdaughter-in-law of Charles’ wife, Queen Camilla. Many believed that due to the controversy surrounding Charles, Diana, and Camilla's intertwined pasts, the latter’s relationship with other members of the royal family would be strained, but this has not transpired – at least not publicly. Although the media have long speculated about frosty ties between Camilla and other royal family members, no acrimonious news has ever been confirmed by the palace.

In contrast, some reports suggested Camilla and Kate share a special bond. According to the Daily Mail, Camilla took it upon herself to take Kate out for a girls’ lunch with her daughter and Kate's sister, Pippa Middleton, before her wedding to impart some pearls of wisdom. 

The outlet cited one diner as saying they overheard conversations about the impending wedding, as Camilla told Kate, “If I can give you one bit of advice…” 

“There was one moment which was clearly meant to be amusing when Kate said ‘what happens if William doesn’t turn up?’” the diner added.

The report also credited Camilla with suggesting Kate wear a tiara instead of her initial plan to wear flowers in her hair during the ceremony. It also said that Camilla offered Kate a gold charm bracelet with two large “C”s on it, which the princess has been spotted wearing on numerous occasions.

However, some reports suggest the relationship between the two women has not always been smooth sailing, with some citing Charles’ coronation on May 6, 2023. There, eagle-eyed royal watchers spotted a peculiar dynamic between Camilla and the rest of the family on that historic day.

Camilla’s ex-husband, their two children and many of their grandchildren were present at the coronation. Camilla’s sister, her nephew and nieces were also in attendance.

According to royal watcher Tom Bower, the priority given to Camilla’s family became a point of contention, including for Kate, who only had her parents, sister and brother there. Bower highlighted the fact that when Charles and Camilla left the abbey, one could "see that everyone bows and curtsies to the king and no one moves a limb a muscle when Camilla passes and that was because they were angry with Camilla. Camilla brought 20 Parker Bowles’ to the coronation there were four Middletons." 

“It was absolutely noticeable to those people who’d been excluded from the coronation that nobody, let alone Kate, curtsied to Queen Camilla,” he said, adding that William also failed to mention Camilla in his speech at the Windsor concert the next day. 

However, any supposed enmity between Kate and Camilla appeared to have blown over by the time the National Service of Remembrance at the Cenotaph took place a few months later. Standing side-by-side on the Foreign Office balcony, they shared glances and smiles at one another. Former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond recalled: 

“I thought there was some charming interaction between them at the Cenotaph. It’s such a serious occasion and one at which the tiniest gesture, look or action could be misinterpreted. … The two women looked at ease with one another; united in the solemnity of it all. Camilla is the only mother-in-law Kate will ever have, but it can never be quite the same when it’s a second marriage.”

She said that although “Camilla will always feel one step removed from being a real mother-in-law to Kate,” the two were bound by an extraordinary fate.

“They are two very lovely women who share a most extraordinary and exclusive destiny... to be Queen.”

Camilla has also garnered more positive support since Charles’ cancer diagnosis, particularly for the way she stepped up in his absence at public-facing events. Royal expert Angela Levin said:

“I think The King is a very determined man. He's wanted to be king for a very, very long time. I mean, to wait till you're 73 is a long time before you can take the crown. ... Supporting him very much, absolutely by his side, is Queen Camilla who is going to all the engagements that they would have gone to together on her own. And so that way he will feel it's still moving, it's still running, and they can discuss it and talk about it. And I think that's marvellous.”

Levin described Camilla as an “accessible” queen who “makes people laugh” and is “very caring.”

“People didn't like her because she was not a virgin when she married the King, the then prince. I think, well, there we are. You really never know what people are going to do. She's a wonderful woman and she's just doing it very quietly,” Levin remarked.

According to one expert, Camilla’s relationship with Kate has also turned around since the latter's cancer diagnosis. The Telegraph’s associate editor, Camilla Tominey, said Camilla has been a quiet source of support for the Princess of Wales.

“I think before (Kate) made the announcement because she was having to cope with the fallout of everything that was said about the Mother's Day photo and everything else, I think Camilla lent some support,” Tominey said, adding Camilla “has been trying to help (Kate) through the media storm aspect in all of this.”

Tominey said Camilla’s past experience was now being put to good use.

“Because, let's be honest, (Camilla) knows what it's like to have a difficult press. She knows what it's like to shepherd children through a media storm.”

What do you think of Queen Camilla and Kate Middleton’s relationship? Do you think they share many similarities? Let us know, and be sure to pass this along to friends and family as well!