A HESITANT QUEEN
She’s trying to settle into her new role and the many duties that come with it – but it seems Camilla isn’t enjoying it much
IN MANY ways hers sounds like a dream role – she has all the money she’ll ever need, a host of staff at her beck and call and none of the mundanities of life the rest of us mortals have to deal with, like standing in supermarket queues and paying our own taxes. But for Camilla, the job comes with its own challenges. In the year she’s been queen she’s worn the crowns and the gowns, said the right things and been a pillar of support for her husband.
Yet there are signs the 76-year-old grandmother is struggling to come to terms with the expectations on her.
A life in the spotlight is not something she ever wanted – Camilla is a down-to-earth, no-fuss woman who’d far rather be spending time in her garden with her dogs.
But being queen means you need to rise to the occasion and while she might be fine with the many meetand-greets on her calendar, there’s more at stake than shaking a hand and making small talk.
Take the recent state opening of parliament in London. Charles was to deliver his first king’s speech to mark the occasion and it was a seriously big deal.
The hallowed House of Lords was packed with VIPs and politicians – including prime minister Rishi Sunak – and all eyes were on him.
But it was his wife who seemed more nervous. She was seen clasping and unclasping her hands, a sure sign of anxiety, according to body language expert Judi James.
“It seems to be a self-comforting ritual she repeats when under the pressure of public scrutiny. Her nervousness tends to emerge in shaky hands and the hand clasping may be a bid to prevent that.”
In a reversal of roles it was Charles who came to her rescue, gently patting and stroking her hand in reassurance.
Alighting from the diamond jubilee carriage, which the king and queen travelled in from Buckingham Palace to the House of Lords, also took a long time for Camilla and required “a lot of help”, Judi adds. “She appeared nervous and hesitant about using the steps in her heavy dress and long train.”
Perhaps in a bid to bring her comfort, she wore her coronation gown that features the embroidered names of her grandchildren and her beloved rescue Jack Russells, Beth and Bluebell.
Being comfortable in a public setting doesn’t come as naturally to Camilla as it does to some of the other royal women such as Kate, Princess of Wales, who has turned it into an art.
“For Camilla to appear as queen in her own right rather than as Charles’ wife, she needs to become more assertive and less nervous at public events,” Judi says.
“Regal appearances call for sustained smiling and confident body language. It’s something that Kate has perfected.”
But you have to feel for Camilla. When Kate became a member of the royal family she was still in her twenties and had years to craft her public persona. Camilla, well into her seventies, finds it difficult to modify her behaviour, a royal insider says.
“She’s made no secret of the fact she’s no fan of being in the public eye. Major occasions can be close to an ordeal for her sometimes.”
WHAT Camilla may lack in confidence she more than makes up for in loyalty to Charles. It clearly overrides everything – even her longtime fear of flying. She was reportedly extremely nervous to join her husband on his first visit as king to Kenya recently but managed to prioritise duty over self.
“Camilla doesn’t enjoy flying, but she knows it’s part of her job to go all over the world,” royal commentator Jennie Bond told GB News.
“It’s not a complete phobia because she used to go on holiday to the Caribbean with her family and she’s also flown several times to a holistic health centre in India.”
It was after one of these trips last year that her fear worsened. The plane she was on when returning to the UK hit a bird mid-air, sustaining severe damage.
Noting the importance of overseas tours for the monarchy, Jennie says it won’t be something Camilla will be able to avoid.
“I think it makes all the difference that she and Charles are together on these tours, especially for Charles, who seemed so alone before she became his wife.”
The couple put on a united front during their four-day Kenyan tour – but the trip was not without controversy. In a speech to his hosts, Charles expressed regret for the “painful past” that saw tens of thousands of Kenyans killed or tortured by British soldiers before the country’s independence in 1963. But he stopped short of offering the apology many had hoped for.
According to royal commentator and historian Justin Vovk, the reason is mainly political.
“If Charles were to apologise it would open up a huge constitutional can of worms because it would raise questions of well, is he apologising on behalf of the crown or is he apologising on behalf of his government – and that opens up the door to culpability.”
In another controversial moment, the couple were accused of being “out of touch” after walking on a red carpet in the middle of a national park.
Kenyan officials laid down the plush carpet over a mud track, but many deemed it unnecessary.
Omid Scobie, royal journalist and author of the Prince Harry and Meghan biography, Finding Freedom, took to social media to complain.
“Even if this was a choice made by the hosts (and it probably was), the optics of the king and queen walking on a red carpet to avoid soil are pretty ridiculous and out of touch,” he wrote. “A clued-up palace aide could have easily asked for it to be removed.”
Chris Ship, UK broadcaster ITV’s royal editor, also commented on the image. “The Kenyans are very keen on red carpets. But I agree, this looks odd.”
CAMILLA is, of course, no stranger to controversy and was reviled as the “other woman” who led to the downfall of Charles’ marriage to Diana. But over the years she’s become more accepted by the public and respected as a devoted member of The Firm.
“Without really trying too hard, but just by giving it time and going gently, gently, she has managed to show people the real person she is – that she’s not this villainess and that she’s there to do the hard work,” says Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine.
Still, her popularity isn’t exactly soaring. She currently ranks ninth among royals according to a YouGov poll, with only 39% of people surveyed saying they have a “favourable” view of the king’s wife.
Netflix’s The Crown series hasn’t helped matters either. Seasons four and five of the show rehashed much of the messy divorce drama between Charles and Diana, resulting in such a flood of criticism that the comments section in the official social media accounts for Charles and Camilla were turned off.
In a recent interview with British Vogue, Camilla acknowledged the fact that criticism often comes her way.
“I’ve been scrutinised for such a long time you just have to find a way to live with it.
“Nobody likes to be looked at all the time and, you know, criticised. But I think in the end, I sort of rise above it and get on with it.”