Why Camilla wants a low-key 70th birthday
THE Duchess of Cornwall celebrates her 70th birthday tomorrow – still haunted by the figure of Princess Diana.
Although Prince Charles threw a private party for 300 friends and family at Highgrove House last night, there are no plans for any public event to mark the milestone.
Instead, Camilla has said she will spend the day with her children and grandchildren.
She simply doesn’t want to clash with the commemorations to mark the 20th anniversary of the death of Princess Diana.
Like the heroine of the Daphne du Maurier novel, Rebecca, Camilla, cast as the second Mrs de Winter, continually comes up against the memory and legacy of the beautiful, charismatic and popular first wife.
Inevitably, two landmark events in one summer must put a strain on the family.
Penny Junor’s new approved biography of the duchess to mark her birthday was serialised with headlines such as “Diana’s late night calls to Camilla threatening: ‘I’ve sent someone to kill you’” will have surely upset princes William and Harry.
They have cooperated with a documentary celebrating their mother’s life, one of 16 planned in the UK and USA. Most will re-hash the Charles and Diana marriage, which won’t make easy TV viewing at Clarence House.
There are already underlying tensions between Charles and his sons, according to the latest biography of Charles by respected author Sally Beddell Smith.
It’s said the Prince of Wales was “irked” by William and Kate’s 2011 tour of Canada, shortly after their wedding. He thought it included too many “tasteless” photo ops, and he “wasn’t pleased with the camerafriendly couple”.
It doesn’t help that the Queen, William, Catherine and Harry are all adored in the USA and Canada.
By contrast his and Camilla’s visits go almost unremarked, as they don’t have the veneration given to his 91-year-old mother or the celebrity appeal of the younger royals.
Charles is also said to be upset that he and Camilla have been marginalised by the Cambridges who spend a disproportionate amount of time with Kate’s Middleton clan.
The Queen, no doubt, had the future of the monarchy in mind when, in announcing Prince Philip’s retirement last May, her private secretary Sir Christopher Geidt urged the various royal households to “pull together and support the Queen more.”
Interestingly, Geidt was part of Kate’s entourage a week later when she made a solo visit to Luxembourg.
Meanwhile, Camilla copes with
Prince Charles threw a party to celebrate his wife’s birthday last night. life in the royal goldfish bowl by spending time with her own family.
Earlier this year she revealed she only survived the vilification of the press and public in the aftermath of Diana’s death with the help of those who love her.
“It was horrid,” she said. “It was a deeply unpleasant time and I wouldn’t want to put my worst enemy through it. I couldn’t have survived it without my family.”
Since then she has had, to her obvious delight, five grandchildren.
One of her main pleasures in life, she says, is “seeing my grandchildren when they are all playing together and happy – when I see their sweet faces, it gives me such joy”.
The grandchildren will play a major part in her celebrations.
The duchess said recently: “I think we will have a tea party. I will get them to bake a cake and we will have a singsong of Happy Birthday.”
To Camilla, that will be worth all the gun salutes, balcony appearances or walkabouts put together.