Camilla Wears The Trousers: Behind The Scenes It Is The Queen Who Is Running The Show

[TonyGosling]

‘Behind the scenes it is the Queen who is running the show’

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-famil ... harles-ii/
https://archive.is/LiOFv

In her typical fashion, she takes it all in her stride – it is partly that stoicism that makes her such an asset to the Royal family
Resplendent in Queen Mary’s Crown and waving from the Buckingham Palace balcony alongside her loved ones, it was the Coronation moment Camilla had long been waiting for.
Few would ever have believed that the woman once dubbed Britain’s “public enemy number one” would end up being crowned alongside King Charles III – let alone inherit the title of “Queen”.
Camilla’s extraordinary ascendancy from one of the most unpopular figures in the UK at the turn of the century to someone nearing national treasure status was plain for all to see on May 6.
Flanked by 13 members of their family, the King turned to his second wife of 18 years as they took in the vast crowds in The Mall and beamed: “Oh my goodness, it’s wonderful.”
But while that spectacular ceremony at Westminster Abbey proved to be the couple’s crowning glory, it is fair to say their first year as King and Queen has not been without its challenges.
When Queen Elizabeth II’s condition deteriorated at Balmoral on the morning of Sept 8 2022, the one saving grace for Charles and Camilla was that they were nearby, at Dumfries House in East Ayrshire.
The King – then Prince Charles – travelled by helicopter to be at his mother’s bedside as soon as he heard the news, while his wife made the journey to Balmoral by car. It meant that, along with Princess Anne, they could both be with the 96-year-old monarch in her final hours.
Ever the King’s stalwart “plus one”, Camilla privately resolved to be his “liege woman of life and limb”, supporting him through that difficult and emotional first week.
Her unique ability to soothe her husband’s occasional irascibility couldn’t have been more in evidence as he grappled with a leaky fountain pen during a book signing at Hillsborough Castle – after a similar stationery stand-off during the Accession Council.
“Oh God, I hate this pen,” exclaimed the tired and grief-stricken 74-year-old. “I can’t bear this bloody thing... every stinking time,” he complained, handing it to Camilla who agreed: “It’s going everywhere,” before wiping the ink from her own fingers.
“That’s always been one of Camilla’s key strengths,” confirmed one palace insider. “She knows how to handle him. She’s always been a good wife for him and a good match – there’s no argument about that. She keeps him calm and makes him laugh.”
The Queen’s keen sense of humour has always been an important asset – but never more so than when dealing with the ongoing fallout from the Duke and Duchess of Sussexes’ departure from “The Firm”.
Camilla once again found herself in the firing line in January with the publication and promotion of Prince Harry’s autobiography Spare.
She had been singled out by her stepson as someone who allegedly engaged in “briefings, leakings and plantings” against him. The King was said to be “devastated” by Harry describing his “wicked stepmother” as “dangerous” and a “villain” who left “bodies in the street”.
“I have complex feelings about gaining a step-parent who I thought had recently sacrificed me on her personal PR altar,” he wrote, citing an instance when Camilla allegedly leaked one of her early conversations with William. (This publication subsequently reported that it was in fact Camilla’s former assistant who leaked the conversation and that she was subsequently let go.)
Referring to an incident in 2019 when William was “seething” because “Pa and Camilla’s people had planted a story or stories about him, and Kate, and the kids”, Harry added: “Give Pa and Camilla an inch... they take a mile.”
In April, the Queen’s companion, the Marchioness of Lansdowne, 68, a deputy lieutenant of Wiltshire, remarked: “Of course it bothers her, of course it hurts. But she doesn’t let it get to her. Her philosophy is always, ‘Don’t make a thing of it and it will settle down – least said, soonest mended’”.
One former employee added: “If you think of all the years when she nearly had a bread roll thrown at her – how did she respond throughout that period? She was just really stoic. Her most admirable quality is certainly her sense of humour.”
In June, Camilla raised eyebrows by appearing at Royal Ascot dressed in Dior – just as the French fashion house was distancing itself from reports of Meghan becoming a “brand ambassador”. Whether it was by design or just a coincidence, we’ll probably never know, but despite her grandmotherly aura, there is no doubt that Camilla rules the royal roost.
According to one source: “The bottom line here is that she does what she does very well. She’s got her charitable interests – domestic violence and abuse, literacy, osteoporosis – and she shines the light on them brilliantly.
“But she is also someone who gets her own way. She didn’t have to be called Queen but she pushed for the title from the moment they got married. It was a case of, if you’re going to be King then I’m going to be Queen.
“We saw it when she was joined on the Buckingham Palace balcony by her sister Annabel Elliot and her grandchildren. Of course she engineered that. But in calling yourself Queen, you’ve got big shoes to fill and there are still some parts of the country that don’t want Camilla to be filling them, regardless of how well she has performed as the Duchess of Cornwall.”
As this publication revealed last September, it was Camilla who insisted on the appointment of former newspaper executive Tobyn Andreae as the King’s new spokesman – a move that apparently even blindsided Sir Clive Alderton, the monarch’s long-serving private secretary.
As one royal insider explained at the time: “I think there is a sense that behind the scenes, it’s largely the Queen who is running the show. She makes a lot more decisions than people think, especially with [former aide] Michael Fawcett out of the picture.” The departure of Mr Fawcett in November 2021 devastated the King, who was said to be so reliant on his former valet that he once declared: “I can manage without just about anyone, except for Michael.”
But his absence from the royal court only appears to have strengthened Camilla’s position. “The King does have weaknesses and it’s fair to say that the Queen knows how to exploit them,” added the insider. “But it’s a bigger court now and the King has duties that can’t be ignored and that need the support of the Queen.”
A creature of habit, when not “on duty”, the Queen enjoys spending time at Ray Mill House, her private home in Wiltshire, away from the trappings of royal life. “She likes the set-up there,” said one source. “She doesn’t like these enormous rooms that she can’t decorate herself with the help of her sister, who is an interior designer.”
The couple are still keeping Clarence House as their London base while Buckingham Palace continues to be renovated, but in time the King will have to make a decision on what to do with his enormous property portfolio.
“The King has spoken of their private places becoming public spaces,” added the source. “The whole situation with Buckingham Palace is quite complicated in terms of how often they go over there. Like most people of their age, they don’t want to be constantly moving all the time.”
At 76, the doting grandmother of five – who has a fear of flying – doesn’t want to be doing too much travelling, which may explain why their first overseas visits as King and Queen have been to Europe. After the success of their trip to Germany in March, the couple are due to visit France in the autumn after their state visit there had to be postponed in the spring due to rioting in Paris.
“They’re not going to do what the late Queen did in the early days and start going off for three months at a time,” said one former aide. “They can do a lot by media, conference call and Zoom – the world has opened up since Covid. Of course allowances need to be made for their advancing years.”
If long-haul travel is required then it will come with a schedule befitting a couple working well beyond retirement age.
As first years go, it has perhaps not been the easiest. But as far as the King is concerned, Camilla will forever remain the jewel in the Crown.

[TonyGosling]

Who is Alice Keppel? Camilla’s Ancestor was Mistress to King Edward VII
https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisu ... -mistress/

Yes, Prince Charles’s great-great grandfather and Camilla’s great-great grandmother were an item. Although the torrid love triangle of Prince Charles, Princess Diana, and Camilla Parker Bowles promises to be season four of The Crown’s biggest scandal, for British history buffs, it is merely an example of history repeating itself. The now-Duchess of Cornwall was not the first to have an affair with a royal in her family. Her great-great grandmother Alice Keppel was famously the favorite mistress of King Edward VII. That’s right, Charles and Camilla’s great-great grandparents also had an illicit relationship. Alice Keppel was the toast of Edwardian society. Alice Frederica Edmonstone, who went by the nickname Freddie (or even, “flirtatious Freddie”) was born into a high-ranking family in 1868: her father was a Baronet and an admiral in the Royal Navy. She grew up in Duntreath Castle in Scotland and married Lieutenant-Colonel George Keppel, a British Royal officer, at 23. She was a renowned beauty with chestnut hair, a pale complexion, large blue eyes, a small waist, and a large chest—all features that were greatly coveted in “the naughties nineties.” Alice was also known for being an exceptionally kind person, even to her enemies. “She was luminous, resplendent… She not only had a gift of happiness, but she excelled in making others happy. She resembled a Christmas tree laden with presents for everyone,” her daughter Violet said. When Alice and George moved to London, they were part of the city’s top social circles and Alice began having affairs in order to move up the social ladder. The money and connections allowed her to thrive as a society hostess, which is how she met Prince Albert Edward in 1898 when he was 56 and she was 29. They stayed together for twelve years, through his coronation as King Edward VII until his death in 1910.

[TonyGosling]

Is Camilla named after the fictional vampire ‘Carmilla’?
https://www.msn.com/en-us/entertainment ... r-AA1gbE1y

King Charles and Queen Camilla’s Unusual Bedroom Arrangement Is Their ‘Secret to a Long Marriage’ King Charles III and Queen Camilla’s (formerly known as Camilla Parker Bowles, then Queen Consort) marriage is the second for both of them. But they have been married to each other longer than they were to their first spouses leaving some to wonder what the secret is to their marriage. Well, that just might be linked to their unusual bedroom arrangement. King Charles and Queen Camilla do not sleep together in the same bed or in the same room for that matter. “[Charles] has a room with a double bed, decorated to his own taste, then Camilla has her own room with a double bed, decorated just the way she likes it,” a friend of the king and queen told the Daily Mail. While that seems like an odd arrangement for some, it’s not uncommon with royal couples. “In England, the upper class always have had separate bedrooms. You don’t want to be bothered with snoring or someone flinging a leg around,” explained Queen Elizabeth II’s cousin Lady Pamela Hicks. As The Mirror noted, another reason for the arrangement may have to do with the king’s health as the monarch has suffered from back pain for years and sleeping alone in a bed makes things easier for him during the night. Moreover, royal expert Joshua Rom suggested that separate bedrooms may also have to do with the fact that the king and queen have such hectic schedules and are around so many people all the time that they prefer to relax separately. Some reports even claim that the arrangement is the “secret” to the pair’s “long-lasting marriage.”

[Whitehall_Bin_Men]

Camilla is the 'real boss' in relationship with King Charles III, says ex-aide

King Charles III's former communication secretary has spoken out on his relationship with Queen Consort Camilla who brought a "sense of fun" to his work while he was the Prince of Wales.

By Matthew Dooley, News Editor
https://www.express.co.uk/news/royal/16 ... ng-charles
12:30, Wed, Sep 21, 2022 Updated: 13:40, Wed, Sep 21, 2022

Queen Consort Camilla is the "real boss" in her and King Charles's relationship, according to a former Royal aid. Camilla has been described as the "Royal's secret weapon" and is expected to be Charles's source of strength in his new role as King.

Queen Camilla has been described as down to earth - she is able to bridge the gap between the Royal Family and the outside world due to the fact that she has lived in both worlds.

Before marrying King Charles, she spent more than 50 years outside of the Royal Family and likely understands how the firm can connect with the rest of the world, according to King Charles' former communication secretary, Julian Payne.

Writing for an article in The Times, he describes Camilla as someone who doesn't take herself too seriously, however, he believes she will excel because she "respects the role and the institution completely but not at the expense of keeping her own feet firmly on the ground".

Despite Camilla being an important decision maker within the Royal Family, Mr Payne claims she did not campaign for her new title.

He said: "She certainly never instructed me to do anything to advance the argument and neither did the King.

"Much like her wider work, I think she simply felt if it was meant to be it would happen, but it was never a role that she actively campaigned for."

The announcement by Queen Elizabeth II earlier this year that Camilla would be named Queen Consort but to rest nearly 20 years of speculation on the issue.

When Her Majesty the Queen made the announcement, she cited Camilla's "loyal service" to the Firm, a characteristic which Mr Payne says is "valued most" by the Royal Family.

He added: "Putting the needs of the institution ahead of your own is something that the Queen Consort instinctively understands and it has informed her approach to her work over the last 17 years.

"Helped in no small way, as she has said herself, by having had the late Duke of Edinburgh as the defining example of how to discharge the role of consort."

Camilla is also a "great partner" and an "excellent advisor" to King Charles, according to Mr Payne.

He added that "partnership, duty and service, mixed with a healthy sense of humour" are probably the "key ingredients" which drive Camilla as opposed to Royal titles.

Whether it is sharing a laugh together between Royal engagements or discussing the day's events on the way home to help decompress, Camilla has been by King Charles' side to make his role more enjoyable throughout the years.

Since taking the title of Queen Consort on September 8, Camilla and the King have made numerous public appearances together.

They visited the four countries of the United Kingdom, and, of course, both attended the ceremonies honouring her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II including her state funeral on September 19.

There is no doubt that Camilla will continue in her new role to advise Charles as she helps him navigate his duties as King.