Queen Camilla Is Moved To Tears During D-Day Celebration Before Being Criticized For ‘Rubbish’ Gesture

Jun 13, 2024

Public scrutiny of the royal family has always been particularly intense for its female members. Queen Camilla is among those who have faced the spotlight most recently. 

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 they 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.

Early 2024 saw the British royal family rocked by news of serious health issues. Buckingham Palace announced on Jan. 17, 2024, that King Charles III was scheduled to undergo hospital treatment the following week for an enlarged prostate. Since then, Queen Camilla has stepped up her duties as a senior working royal after Charles’ diagnosis. 

In June 2024, on the 80th Anniversary of D-Day, Camilla bared her emotional side to the public, a day before she was slammed for upholding royal protocol. Keep reading to learn more about Camilla’s public display of emotions at the annual commemoration. 

Since Queen Camilla has stepped up, she has been widely praised by the public and royal experts for her grace and composure under immense pressure. Royal correspondent Charles Rae spoke to GB News and described Camilla as a “remarkable asset” to the British Monarchy despite being the “most hated woman in Britain” at the time. 

“There’s no question about it, she stepped into the breach. She’s got everything on her shoulders with what’s going on, and she’s taking on even more work. Everywhere she goes, she has got a cheery smile on and a happy face. She says the right things,” Rae explained, noting that Camilla has gone a long way since being hated after Diana’s death in 1997. “She has proved to be a remarkable asset to the Royal Family, given the allegations that at one time she had bread rolls thrown at her in a supermarket car park.”

Royal expert Angela Levin lauded Camilla for “holding the Royal Family up” amid the diagnosis of Charles’ cancer. 

“I mean, to wait till you’re 73 is a long time before you can take the crown. I think obviously, at his age, it’s very difficult, but he’s very determined, and he’s only really just started to be king,” Levin said about Charles and Camilla on GB News. “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.”

Levin added: “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 marvelous. I mean, she is holding the Royal Family up and being strong. If you imagine 30 years ago, people were saying the whole Royal Family would absolutely disintegrate, and she would be of no use.”

On a rare occasion, Camilla and Charles presented a united front at the 80th anniversary of D-Day in France on June 6, 2024. Sadly, the event was marred with controversy. Many criticized Camilla for upholding royal protocol, which led to her snubbing the first lady of France, Brigitte Macron. 

As the two ladies laid commemorative wreaths at the British Normandy Memorial at Ver-sur-Mer, an awkward moment occurred between them. In videos taken during the ceremony, Macron awkwardly attempted to hold Camilla’s hand as they stood together silently. But Camilla adhered to protocol, refused to hold Brigitte’s hand, and kept her arms by her side.

Political commentator Emma Woolf viewed Camilla's action negatively. Speaking to GB News, Woolf said the gesture was “unworthy of her (Camilla)” and demanded that she should have exercised royal protocol flexibility.

“I like Camilla, but I thought this was unworthy of her,” Woolf pointed out. “I think this royal protocol nonsense is rubbish. Brigitte Macron is not a ‘commoner’; she is the wife of the French President. I thought it was really unnecessary.”

People online echoed the same sentiment. 

“The first lady of France is not bound by British royal protocol, just as Americans aren't. She reached for Camilla's hand at a meaningful ceremonial moment. It's not as though she tried to club Camilla over the head with a clutch handbag,” one shared on X, formerly Twitter. 

“Camilla should have held her hand warmly and taken the opportunity to bring the Royal family into the 21st century,” another said. 

Meanwhile, during the D-Day celebration in Portsmouth on June 5, 2024, navy veteran Eric Bateman’s speech left Queen Camilla vulnerable during the event. When he delivered his speech, she let her guard down and was in tears as the brave man spoke about his pride and the legacy of their bravery during the war. 

What do you think of Queen Camilla’s actions? Do you think she was in the wrong for upholding royal protocol? What do you think of her public display of emotions? Let us know, and pass this on to your family, friends and other royal family fans out there!