In Camilla we trust..
» Queen’s duty to husband & nation » From pariah to beacon of stability
FOR years, she has been her husband’s calming influence, preparing for the day she would support him as King.
She has stepped out of Charles’s shadow, taking on an unprecedented number of engagements, shining as a beacon of stability as other royals have taken time off.
But as she began her second year as Queen, Camilla would never have imagined the responsibility she was about to shoulder.
Or how the public, who once saw her as a pariah and even a threat to the very existence of the monarchy, would soon be looking to her for reassurance and to provide that stability.
Now, as the King battles his cancer, those who know Camilla are confident she will step up and thrive.
“The Queen has been remarkable,” a source close to the Royal Family said.
“While her husband has been in hospital, she was by his side and also making sure she didn’t neglect her own duties.
“She doesn’t want to let anyone down.
“She is 76 and one of the hardest-working members of the family. She never complains, she just gets on with it.” Before yesterday’s bombshell news about Charles, the Queen was the only one of the four senior royals still working, with Princess Kate recovering from abdominal surgery and Prince William taking a break to support her and care for their children. On Tuesday, the day after Charles was discharged from hospital following prostate surgery – most likely already knowing he faced a worrying wait for biopsy results – Camilla hosted a reception at Windsor Castle for authors and illustrators.
The next day, she opened a £6million centre run by cancer charity Maggie’s at London’s Royal Free Hospital, then travelled to Bath to celebrate the 850th anniversary of St John’s Foundation at the Chapel of St Michael. On Friday, the Queen visited Cambridge, attending a community centre which holds dance classes for beginners. She was seen giggling with Strictly star Johannes Radebe and revealed she is “one of Strictly’s greatest fans”. Joe Little, managing editor at Majesty Magazine, believes this could be the moment the public learn to love Camilla.
He said: “I think only now are people appreciating the true worth of Queen Camilla and that will very much be the case in the coming weeks.”
She was once vilified, a hate figure for royal fans and referred to as “that wicked woman” by Queen Elizabeth II, who said she “wanted nothing to do with her”. Eventually, she won over her mother-in-law.
The stoicism and commitment to Charles that got her through those years will help her face the coming months.
Author Tina Brown believes Elizabeth saw Camilla had what it takes. She said: “Camilla is a charming, warm and stoic person.
“She has done every royal duty she’s been required to do with grace and charm.”
Her unswerving devotion to Charles, however, also means she will be also be deeply worried. No sense of duty is as strong as love.
“They have walked through fire together,” says an old friend of the Queen.
“They are prepared for anything life can throw at them.”