HARD KNOCKS FROM WITHIN
Royal expert Angela Levin describes Camilla as “her own woman who’s happy to learn from others but comfortable in her own skin – quietly determined with a hint of vulnerability”.
She’s had to have a thick skin too at times. In her book, Levin says Camilla’s brother-in-law Prince Andrew (62) “lobbied hard” in the ’90s to get his mother to push his brother Charles aside and make Charles’ then-teenage son Prince William first in line to the throne – with Andrew acting as regent until his nephew came of age at 18.
The Duke of York was also hostile towards Camilla and tried to poison the queen against her. But royal insiders say Camilla refused to allow herself to be cowed by internal politics and worked quietly in the background until she eventually won over even the queen.
“Camilla hasn’t changed at all as a person,” says Amanda MacManus, who was Camilla’s private secretary for 25 years. “One of the nice things is that her position hasn’t gone to her head.”
SHE’S ‘HER OWN WOMAN WHO’S COMFORTABLE IN HER OWN SKIN’