Future of ‘the Firm’ lies with wives of Windsor
For generations the royal family has had, at its core, a long line of matriarchal women who have played a crucial role in stabilising and strengthening the monarchy: Queen Victoria; Queen Mary; Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, and of course the late Queen Elizabeth II.
These women have navigated the institution through some choppy waters, including the loss of an Empire, an abdication crisis, two World Wars and a global pandemic. Behind the serene smiles and the whitegloved waves, they each possessed a remarkable strength of character.
Now, a new generation of Windsor women are being called upon to step up and show their mettle; to navigate the institution through the perilous waters of unyielding media scrutiny, intense public interest and the unremitting rumblings of republicans.
With an already “slimmeddown” monarchy further depleted by the acrimonious departure of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to California and the disgraced Duke of York being forced to step down from royal duties, the cancer diagnoses of the King and the Princess of Wales couldn’t have come at a worse time.
Had such a crisis occurred during the height of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, she would have had a raft of minor royals to fall back on for support. However, in recent years, these less highprofile members of the extended family – the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester; the Duke and Duchess of Kent; Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, and Princess Alexandra – were side-lined to grow old and, metaphorically, gather dust.
As a result, Queen Camilla, the Princess Royal and the Duchess of HRH Princess Anne, Princess Royal, recognised as our hardest working royal and HRH Sophie Duchess Of Edinburgh - considered an under-theradar stabilising influence
Edinburgh, have had to shoulder the burden of the crown and take on an increasing workload of public engagements.
Let’s take a more detailed look at each of the three.
HM Queen Camilla
“The metamorphosis of Camilla Parker Bowles, as she was, to Queen Camilla is nothing short of remarkable,” said Katie Nicholls, royal correspondent for Vanity Fair.
Indeed, when the extramarital affair between Camilla and the then Prince of Wales became public knowledge, with the publication of Andrew Morton’s biography, “Diana: Her True Story” in 1992, the media vilified Parker Bowles.
“The idea that the reviled mistress, blamed for the breakdown of Charles and Diana’s marriage – you know, the woman who perhaps threatened to undermine the entire monarchy – is the one saving it, the one driving it forward is remarkable,” said Nicholls. “She is there, front and centre, both at family engagements and public engagements. I mean, she is bearing the weight of the crown.”
The rehabilitation of her image in the eyes of the press and the public was time-consuming but Camilla maintained a dignified silence and kept a relatively low profile. Eventually, her relationship with Charles was accepted and the couple were married in April 2005.
Camilla’s dedication to her charity work – centred on Osteoporosis, victims of rape and sexual abuse, animal welfare and literacy, in particular – has earned her several honours and awards. Indeed, The Independent named her the most influential woman of 2023 in its “Influence List”.
As Adam Boulton, former political editor at Sky News, observed: “The King has given his wife the status of being Queen, and that means that she is now his main substitute at events.”